John Kander
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

John Harold Kander (born March 18, 1927) is an American composer, known largely for his work in the musical theater. As part of the songwriting team
Kander and Ebb Kander and Ebb were a highly successful American songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander (born March 18, 1927) and lyricist Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004). Known primarily for their stage musical theatre, musicals, whi ...
(with lyricist
Fred Ebb Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004) was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita ...
), Kander wrote the scores for 15 musicals, including ''
Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
'' (1966) and ''
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
'' (1975), both of which were later adapted into acclaimed films. He and Ebb also wrote the standard "
New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...
" (officially known as "Theme from ''New York, New York''"). The team received numerous nominations, including eleven for Tony Awards (won four, followed by a Lifetime Achievement Award for Kander), two nominations for
Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
, and five for
Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...
.


Early life

John Kander, the second son of Harold and Bernice (Aaron) Kander, was born on March 18, 1927, in
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
. He has stated that he grew up in a loving, middle-class Jewish family and maintained a lifelong close relationship with his older brother, Edward, who became a sales manager at a brokerage house in the city. Kander attributes his early interest in music (starting at age four) to the family's love of singing around the piano. His first composition was a Christmas carol, written during second-grade mathematics class; his teacher's encouragement led to the school choir singing it for a holiday assembly. The teacher discreetly asked Kander's parents for permission to use the song, since he is Jewish. He attended his first opera performances at the age of nine, when the San Carlo Opera came to Kansas City with productions of '' Aida'' and ''
Madama Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lu ...
.'' According to Kander, "My mother took me and we sat in the first row. There were these giants on the stage, and my feet were dangling over my seat. It was overwhelming for me, even though I could see the strings that held the beards on the Egyptian soldiers.... My interest in telling a story through music in many ways derived from early experiences like those." Kander attended Westport High School before transferring to the Pembroke Country-Day School. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Kander joined the U.S. Merchant Marine Cadet Corps. After completing his training in California and sailing between San Francisco and Asia, Kander left the Corps on May 3, 1946. However, due to rule changes governing national service, Kander was forced to enlist in the Army Reserves in September of the same year, after having completed one semester at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. During the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
, Kander was ordered back into active duty, but he had to remain in New York City for six months of observation after a medical exam revealed scars on his lungs. He was officially discharged on July 3, 1957. Kander graduated with a degree in music at
Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...
in 1951 and went on to graduate studies at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
, where he was a protégé of
Douglas Moore Douglas Stuart Moore (August 10, 1893 – July 25, 1969) was an American composer, songwriter, organist, pianist, Conducting, conductor, educator, actor, and author. A composer who mainly wrote works with an American subject, his music is genera ...
and studied composition with
Jack Beeson Jack Hamilton Beeson (July 15, 1921 – June 6, 2010) was an American composer. He was known particularly for his operas, the best known of which are '' Lizzie Borden'', ''Hello Out There!'', and ''The Sweet Bye and Bye''. Early life Born in Munc ...
and Otto Luening. He earned his master's degree from Columbia University in 1953.


Career

Following his studies, Kander began conducting at summer theaters before serving as a rehearsal pianist for the musical ''
West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...
'' by
Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...
and
Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...
in New York. While working, Kander met the choreographer Jerome Robbins, who suggested that Kander compose dance music. After that experience, he wrote dance arrangements for ''
Gypsy {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , po ...
'' in 1959 and '' Irma la Douce'' in 1960. Kander's first produced musical was '' A Family Affair'' in 1962, written with James and
William Goldman William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He first came to prominence in the 1950s as a novelist before turning to screenwriting. Among other accolades, Goldman won two Aca ...
. The same year, Kander met
Fred Ebb Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004) was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita ...
through their mutual publisher, Tommy Volando. The first song Kander and Ebb wrote together, "My Coloring Book", was made popular by a recording from Sandy Stewart. Their second song, "I Don't Care Much", was made famous by
Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...
, and Kander and Ebb became a permanent team. In 1965, Kander and Ebb wrote music for their first show on Broadway, ''
Flora the Red Menace ''Flora the Red Menace'' is a musical with a book by George Abbott and Robert Russell, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The original 1965 production starred Liza Minnelli in the title role in her Broadway debut, for which she won ...
'', produced by Hal Prince, directed by
George Abbott George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. He received numerous honors including six Tony Awards, the ...
, and with book by George Abbott and Robert Russell, in which
Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...
made her Broadway debut. Kander and Ebb have since been associated with writing material for both
Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...
and Chita Rivera (including the musicals ''Zorba'', ''Chicago'', ''The Rink'', and ''Kiss of the Spider Woman'') and have produced special material for their appearances live and on television, such as ''Liza with a Z''. Most notably, Kander and Ebb wrote the dramatic title song that Minnelli introduced in her 1977 film, ''
New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...
'', at the request of director
Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...
and co-star
Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...
. The Broadway musicals ''
Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
'' and ''
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
'' have been made into films. The film version of ''Chicago'' won several 2002
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
s, including for best picture, film editing, costume design, art direction and sound. In his musicological and biographical study of the collaboration of Kander and Ebb, James Leve discusses the full history of ''Cabaret'' and ''Chicago'' in chapters titled "The Divinely Decadent Lives of ''Cabaret''" and "''Chicago'': Broadway to Hollywood". As Leve notes, ''Cabaret'', a musical adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's ''The Berlin Stories'', was an "ideal vehicle for Kander and Ebb's brittle and self-referential brand of musical theater." This insight also holds true for ''Chicago.'' Kander, along with Ebb, also wrote songs for
Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, for the novel ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and ''The Skin of Our Teeth'', and a U. ...
's '' The Skin of Our Teeth'', which was set to premiere in London, but the rights were pulled by Wilder's nephew. Kander also says that
Harvey Schmidt Harvey Lester Schmidt (September 12, 1929 – February 28, 2018) was an American composer for musical theatre and illustrator. He was best known for composing the music for the longest running musical in history, ''The Fantasticks'', which ran off ...
and Tom Jones, the writers of ''
The Fantasticks ''The Fantasticks'' is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and book and lyrics by Tom Jones. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the 1894 play ''The Romancers'' (''Les Romanesques'') by Edmond Rostand, concerning two ne ...
'', wrote a musical of Wilder's ''
Our Town ''Our Town'' is a three-act play written by American playwright Thornton Wilder in 1938. Described by Edward Albee as "the greatest American play ever written", it presents the fictional American town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 ...
'', which took them thirteen years to write, only to have the rights pulled as well by the nephew. Ebb died in 2004, and Kander's first musical without Ebb in many years, ''The Landing'', with book and lyrics by Greg Pierce, premiered
off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
at the
Vineyard Theatre The Vineyard Theatre is a 120-seat Off-Broadway non-profit theatre company, located at 108 East 15th Street in Manhattan, New York City, near Union Square. Founded in 1981 by Barbara Zinn Krieger, the Vineyard states that its goal is "to give ...
on October 23, 2013. The musical, which was a series of three "mini-musicals", was directed by Walter Bobbie and starred
David Hyde Pierce David Hyde Pierce (born David Pierce; April 3, 1959) is an American actor. Known for his portrayal of psychiatrist Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Frasier'' from 1993 to 2004, he received four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting A ...
and Julia Murney. Kander's musical '' Kid Victory'', with book and lyrics by Greg Pierce, had its world premiere February 28, 2015, at the Signature Theatre in
Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...
. ''Kid Victory'' premiered off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre on February 1, 2017, in previews, and opened officially on February 22, 2017. Direction was by Liesl Tommy, with choreography by Christopher Windom. The cast featured Jeffry Denman and Karen Ziemba. Kander (music) and David Thompson (lyrics) wrote the dance play ''The Beast in the Jungle'', which opened off-Broadway in 2018 at the Vineyard Theatre. The play was directed and choreographed by
Susan Stroman Susan P. Stroman (born October 17, 1954) is an American theatre director, choreographer, and performer. Her notable theater productions include ''Oklahoma!'', ''The Music Man'', ''Crazy for You (musical), Crazy for You'', ''Contact (musical), Co ...
, and featured
Tony Yazbeck Tony Yazbeck (born March 14, 1979) is an American actor, singer, and dancer, best known for his work on the Broadway stage, including the revival of ''On the Town (musical), On the Town'', for which he received 2015 Tony Awards, Tony Award and Ou ...
and Irina Dvorovenko. Kander (music) collaborated with
Lin-Manuel Miranda Lin-Manuel Miranda (; born January 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, actor, singer, filmmaker, rapper, and librettist. He created the Broadway musicals '' In the Heights'' and ''Hamilton'', and the soundtracks for the animated films '' Moana' ...
(lyrics) for Miranda's '' Hamildrops'' series: "Cheering for Me Now" is an uplifting track about New York's ratification of the constitution. James Leve discusses Kander's prolific career and his late musical style in the essay "John Kander: the First Ninety-Two Years".


Personal life

In 2010, Kander married dancer and choreographer Albert Stephenson, his partner since 1977, in Toronto. Kander's grand-nephew
Jason Kander Jason David Kander (born May 4, 1981) is an American attorney, author, veteran, and politician. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, he served as the 39th Missouri Secretary of State, secretary of state of Missouri, from 2013 to 2017. H ...
was formerly the Missouri Secretary of State.


Works

''Lyrics by Fred Ebb unless otherwise noted''


Theatre

* '' A Family Affair'' (1962) – lyrics by William Goldman * ''
Flora the Red Menace ''Flora the Red Menace'' is a musical with a book by George Abbott and Robert Russell, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The original 1965 production starred Liza Minnelli in the title role in her Broadway debut, for which she won ...
'' (1965) * ''
Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
'' (1966) * ''Go Fly a Kite'' (1966) – music and lyrics also by Walter Marks * '' The Happy Time'' (1968) * '' Zorba'' (1968) * '' 70, Girls, 70'' (1971) * ''
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
'' (1976) * '' The Act'' (1978) * '' Woman of the Year'' (1981) * '' The Rink'' (1984) * ''
Diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of electricity, and insol ...
'' (1984) – two songs: "Winter In New York" and "Diamonds Are Forever" * '' And The World Goes 'Round'' (1991) * '' Kiss of the Spider Woman'' (1992) * ''
Steel Pier The Steel Pier is a 1,000-foot-long () amusement park built on a pier of the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, across from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City (formerly the Trump Taj Mahal). Built in 1897 and opened in 1898, it wa ...
'' (1997) * '' Fosse'' (1999) * ''Over and Over'' (1999) – working title: ''The Skin Of Our Teeth'' * '' The Visit'' (2001) * '' Curtains'' (2006) – additional lyrics by Kander and Rupert Holmes * '' All About Us'' (2007 revision of ''Over and Over'') * '' The Scottsboro Boys'' (2010) (Additional lyrics by Kander) * ''The Landing'' (2013) - lyrics by Greg Pierce * '' Kid Victory'' (2015) - lyrics by Greg Pierce * ''The Beast in the Jungle'' (2018) * ''
New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...
'' (2023) - lyrics by Fred Ebb with additional lyrics by Lin Manuel Miranda


Film

Kander and Ebb also contributed songs for the following movies: * ''
Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
'' (1972) – 12 songs (mostly originally from the musical of the same name) * '' Funny Lady'' (1975) – 6 songs * '' Lucky Lady'' (1976) – 2 songs * '' A Matter of Time'', aka ''Nina'' (1976) – 2 songs * ''
New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...
'' (1977) – 4 songs * ''
French Postcards ''French Postcards'' is a 1979 coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama film directed by Willard Huyck, who co-wrote the screenplay with Gloria Katz. It stars Miles Chapin, Blanche Baker, Mitch Hoefer, David Marshall Grant, Valérie Quennessen ...
'' (1979) – 1 song * '' Stepping Out'' (1991) – 1 song ("Stepping Out") * ''
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
'' (2002) – 15 songs (mostly originally from the musical of the same name, plus one song cut from the original show, which runs under the end credits) ;Film scores * '' Something for Everyone'' (1970) * '' Kramer vs. Kramer'' (1979) * '' Still of the Night'' (1982) * '' Blue Skies Again'' (1983) * '' Places in the Heart'' (1984) * '' An Early Frost'' (TV film, NBC, 1985) * '' I Want to Go Home'' (1989) * '' Billy Bathgate'' (1991) * '' Breathing Lessons'' (TV film, CBS, 1994) * '' The Boys Next Door'' (TV film, CBS, 1996)


Television

* ''Liza!'' (1970) * '' Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back'' (1973) (Frank Sinatra) * '' Liza with a Z'' (1972) * ''Gypsy in my Soul'' (1976) (
Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty; April 24, 1934) is an American actress and author. With a career spanning over 70 years, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Shirley MacLaine, numerous accolades, including a ...
) * ''Baryshnikov on Broadway'' (1980) * ''Liza in London'' (1986) * ''Sam Found Out, A Triple Play'' (1988) * ''Liza Minnelli, Live From
Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall (also known as Radio City) is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York C ...
'' (1992)


Awards and nominations


Honorary awards


References


External links

* * * *
archive
* Kander biography, AllMusic {{DEFAULTSORT:Kander, John 1927 births 20th-century American composers 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American composers 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American LGBTQ people American gay musicians American gay writers American LGBTQ composers American LGBTQ songwriters American male musical theatre composers American male songwriters American musical theatre composers Broadway composers and lyricists Columbia University alumni Gay composers Gay Jews Gay songwriters Grammy Award winners Jewish American songwriters Kennedy Center honorees LGBTQ people from Missouri Living people Military personnel from Missouri Musicians from Kansas City, Missouri Oberlin College alumni Pembroke Hill School alumni Songwriters from Missouri United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Army personnel of World War II United States Merchant Mariners of World War II United States Merchant Mariners United States National Medal of Arts recipients