Recently, Tony, Emmy, Grammy and Pulitzer Prize Award-winning composer Tom Kitt spoke with iHeartRadio Broadway's SJ Arnegger about his debut studio album Reflect, which will be Available on August 13th via Sony MasterWorks. The album features music from Kitt and lyrics from some of his most talented friends that began at the height of the Broadway shutdown, when so many artists were looking for an outlet for their creativity.
Reflect features songs co-written and performed by some of Broadway’s biggest stars, including Adrienne Warren, Mandy Gonzalez, Michael McElroy, Jenn Colella, Danny Burstein, Javier Muñoz, Lauren Patten, Jerry Dixon, Elizabeth Stanley, Heidi Blickenstaff, Brian d’Arcy James and Pearl Sun along with Kitt’s own children Julia and Michael Kitt. An album about finding your voice when you need it most, Reflect is a true collaboration that captures the hope and heartbreak of the tumultuous times we’re living through.
“During the early weeks of the pandemic, I was in a very dark place and found myself creatively paralyzed” said Kitt. “But given all of the important issues and the calls for social justice, I felt like I needed to find my resilience to create. I wanted to make a song cycle for this moment but felt it needed to be a collaborative effort so that many voices and experiences were represented. I called a few of my friends to ask if they’d be interested in writing with me, and the response was overwhelming.”
Prompted by Kitt, the artists wrote a version of an essay, poem, lyrics, or statement conveying personal emotions and experiences during this time. Tom sat at the piano to transform the language from these personal statements into the music and lyrics, and went on to share the songs with a group of extraordinary orchestrators, with the goal of working with as many members of the theater community as possible. “It was just like a Broadway show,” he said. “I channeled my creativity into something current. I think everyone felt the same thing – a real jolt to feel like we were working together again, even if it was over ZOOM in many cases.”
The album also includes a track called “She Has Hope,” performed by Brian d’Arcy James and written by Moulin RougeTony Award nominee Danny Burstein and his wife Rebecca Luker, who passed away from ALS in December 2020.
The full track list is as follows:
“The King of Our Destruction”
Written by Javier Muñoz and Tom Kitt
Orchestrated by Brian Usifer
Performed by Javier Muñoz
“When?”
Written by Lauren Patten and Tom Kitt
Orchestrated by Mary-Mitchell Campbell
Performed by Lauren Patten
“Reach Deep”
Written by Jenn Colella and Tom Kitt
Orchestrated by Tom Kitt
Performed by Jenn Colella
“Come to Me”
Written by Tom Kitt
Orchestrated by Tom Kitt
Performed by Jerry Dixon
“This Too Shall Pass”
Written by Tom Kitt
Orchestrated by Michael Starobin
Performed by Tom Kitt and Julia Kitt
“My Curtain Call”
Written by Michael McElroy and Tom Kitt
Orchestrated by Joseph Joubert
Performed by Michael McElroy
“Finally Found”
Written by Mandy Gonzalez and Tom Kitt
Orchestrated by Daryl Waters
Performed by Mandy Gonzalez
“Fly Away”
Written by Tom Kitt
Orchestrated by Simon Hale and Tom Kitt
Performed by Tom Kitt and Michael Kitt
“I Didn’t Get to Say Goodbye”
Written by Adrienne Warren and Tom Kitt
Orchestrated by Macy Schmidt
Performed by Adrienne Warren
“Sweep Your Own Snow”
Written by Pearl Sun and Tom Kitt
Orchestrated by Tom Kitt
Performed by Pearl Sun
“I Need Them to See Me”
Written by Tom Kitt
Orchestrated by Jonathan Tunick
Performed by Heidi Blickenstaff
“She Has Hope”
Written by Danny Burstein, Rebecca Luker and Tom Kitt
Orchestrated by Simon Hale
Performed by Brian d’Arcy James
“Breathe”
Written by Elizabeth Stanley and Tom Kitt
Orchestrated by Brian Usifer
Vocal Design by AnnMarie Milazzo
Performed by Elizabeth Stanley
For more information on “Reflect” or to pre-order, visit http://tomkitt.lnk.to/reflectPR