Gettysburg College has named lyricist and librettist Kate Anderson ’09 as the Commencement speaker for the Class of 2026, recognizing her collaborative, interdisciplinary career in musical theatre, film, and television.
Gettysburg College has selected Kate Anderson ’09—an acclaimed songwriter for stage, film, and television—as the Commencement speaker for the Class of 2026.
Anderson is part of the creative team behind the Apple TV series “Central Park,” Disney Animation’s “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure,” and internationally produced musicals including “Between the Lines” and “The Book Thief.” Her work spans Broadway, London’s West End, and major Hollywood studios.
“We are excited to welcome back Kate Anderson to speak to our Class of 2026 this May,” said President Bob Iuliano. “Kate personifies a Gettysburg education—and, in many ways, embodies what our young alumni can achieve through creativity, hard work, and the courage to dream big. Her work has inspired audiences worldwide, and we’re incredibly grateful that she will address our newest graduates as they embark on their own professional journeys.”
With her selection, Anderson, who received Gettysburg’s Young Alumni Achievement Award in 2024, will be the youngest alumni Commencement speaker since Carol Bellamy ’63, former director of the Peace Corps and executive director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Bellamy delivered the Commencement address in 1973, a distinction that highlights the significance of Anderson’s achievements and the impact she has made early in her career.
“I am incredibly honored to speak to the Class of 2026 on their momentous occasion of graduating from Gettysburg College,” Anderson said. “It will be a privilege and a pleasure to stand on the stage of Penn Hall, where I stood 17 years ago, and celebrate the accomplishments of this amazing class of Gettysburgians.
“The spirit of camaraderie and zest that Gettysburg invokes is a feeling that never leaves you, and bonds you with each and every person who has ever called Gettysburg College home.”
Songwriting for stage, film, and television
A graduate of Gettysburg’s Sunderman Conservatory of Music, Anderson has built a successful career as a songwriter for musical theatre, film, and television, most notably through her long-standing collaboration with composer Elyssa Samsel.
The Los Angeles–based writing team met in 2010 while participating in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Writing Workshop in New York and have since become known for their shared passion for comedy, female-forward stories, and emotionally resonant storytelling through song. Both are classically trained musicians, and together they have composed four full-length musicals that have received productions in New York, the United Kingdom, and across the United States.
As a duo, Anderson and Samsel have worked with Disney Animation, Tony Award–winning producer Daryl Roth, and major studios throughout Hollywood. Their work has earned national recognition, including being named finalists for The Fred Ebb Award in 2015 and The Kleban Prize for Musical Theatre in 2019, underscoring their growing influence in contemporary musical theatre.
Anderson and Samsel are the songwriting team behind the Apple TV series “Central Park” and Disney Animation’s “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure,” which received an Annie Award nomination. Their stage work includes the off-Broadway musical “Between the Lines,” adapted from the bestselling novel by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer, which garnered Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations.
Their musical adaptation of “The Book Thief” played at the Curve Theatre in Leicester, England, and the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, England, in 2023, returning as a staged concert in October 2025. It sold out four performances at London’s Prince of Wales Theatre in the West End, with a full West End production now in development. The duo also collaborated on “Austenland,” an adaptation of Shannon Hale’s novel, which debuted to rave reviews as a concert at the Savoy Theatre on the West End in March 2025. Most recently, Anderson and Samsel co-wrote the 70th anniversary theme for Disneyland, “Celebrate Happy,” performed by the Jonas Brothers.
A Consequential Education
Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, Anderson’s creative foundation was shaped during her undergraduate years at Gettysburg College, where she immersed herself in the institution’s vibrant artistic and co-curricular community.
Following in the footsteps of her father, John Anderson ’67, she was drawn to Gettysburg by its beautiful campus, welcoming atmosphere, intimate class sizes, and the freedom students in the Sunderman Conservatory of Music have to pursue a wide range of creative interests.
A member of Chi Omega sorority, Anderson was deeply involved in campus music ensembles, performing with the College Choir, the Four Scores a cappella group, and Camerata. Her return to campus this spring coincides with a milestone moment for the College Choir, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary. Anderson was also an active contributor to the campus stage, performing in musical productions of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown,” “The Secret Garden,” and “West Side Story.”
Anderson, a recipient of the Parker B. Wagnild Scholarship, studied abroad in Vienna, Austria, during the spring of 2008, where immersion in European musical traditions further informed her creative voice. She graduated cum laude in music and creative writing, blending compositional training with narrative craft—an intersection that would become central to her professional work.
“My four years at Gettysburg were the fertile soil from which I blossomed into a fully realized human being,” Anderson recalled. “My days on campus were filled with purpose, drive, and friendship. Most importantly, I learned the value of keeping commitments, responsibilities, and interpersonal relationships. For me, this was the greatest gift that Gettysburg instilled in me.”
Commencement Ceremony
This May, in front of the Class of 2026, their families, and the rest of the campus community, Anderson’s return to campus as Commencement speaker represents both a celebration of alumni achievement and a full-circle moment—honoring the role Gettysburg College played in shaping her path and the creative possibilities that continue to emerge from its community.
Our Commencement ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 16, beginning at 11 a.m. on the Beachem Portico on the north side of Pennsylvania Hall. For more information about Commencement for the Class of 2026, please visit the Commencement website.
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By Corey Jewart
Photos provided by Kate Anderson ’09
Posted: 02/05/26