I Was Here (from "The Glorious Ones"): Piano/Vocal/Chords

This collection spans Flaherty's most beloved work across multiple decades and theatrical contexts, giving singers and pianist-accompanists access to genuinely singable material that matters to audiences. The range of shows represented means you can program a concert that moves easily between Ragtime's historical depth, Seussical's infectious joy, and Once On This Island's Caribbean warmth, all unified by Flaherty's distinctive melodic gift.

The collection carries the warmth of Broadway storytelling paired with Flaherty's gift for melody that feels both crafted and inevitable. From the wistful nostalgia of "Once Upon a December" to the powerful social message of "Make Them Hear You," these songs inhabit different emotional landscapes while maintaining a consistent musical integrity that makes them deeply satisfying to perform.

This songbook serves singers preparing auditions, vocalists building concert programs, and pianist-accompanists seeking contemporary Broadway material with real substance. Whether you're in a high school music program, a college vocal studio, or directing community theatre, you'll find songs that challenge and reward serious performers.

• Study the original recordings before you begin. Flaherty's orchestrations inform how these melodies breathe; even on piano, understanding the intended tempo and phrasing from the full score will anchor your interpretation.
• Give yourself time with the chord symbols. Many of these songs use jazz-influenced harmony that rewards careful listening to the piano voicings Flaherty built into the arrangements.
• Let the text drive your tempo choices. These lyrics come from shows built on strong storytelling; the music serves the emotional arc of each moment, not the other way around.

Build a themed concert around this collection by selecting songs that share emotional or narrative ground; a program of Flaherty's songs about identity, family, or resilience tells its own story without additional context. Alternatively, use individual pieces as audition material or for solo voice recitals where you want contemporary work that audiences and selection panels recognize and value.

• Reading and performing jazz-influenced chord progressions and extended harmonies
• Interpreting sung melodies with theatrical awareness of character and narrative context
• Collaborating as pianist-accompanist with singers through changing tempos and emotional shifts
• Building stamina across a diverse program of contemporary Broadway material
• Sight-reading complex piano/vocal arrangements with multiple layers of information on the page