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John Harold Kander (born March 18, 1927) is an American
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...
, known largely for his work in the musical theater. As part of the songwriting team Kander and Ebb (with lyricist Fred Ebb), Kander wrote the scores for 15 musicals, including '' Cabaret'' (1966) and '' Chicago'' (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 or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...
" (also known as "Theme from ''New York, New York''").


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 (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...
. 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. John 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. He attended his first opera performances at the age of nine, when the San Carlo Opera came to Kansas City with their 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 Luther ...
.'' 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 the 1940s, Kander joined the United States 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 already completed one semester at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. During the Korean War, Kander was ordered back into active duty, but he was forced to remain in New York City for six months of observation after a medical physical 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. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...
in 1951 and went on to graduate studies at Columbia University, where he was a protégé of Douglas Moore 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 Muncie ...
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'' by
Leonard Bernstein Leonard 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 the first America ...
and Jerome Robbins in New York. While working, Kander met the choreographer, Jerome Robbins, who suggested that Kander compose the dance music for the show in 1959. After that experience, he wrote dance arrangements for '' Irma la Douce'' in 1960. Kander's first produced musical was '' A Family Affair'' in 1962, written with James and William Goldman. The same year, Kander met Fred Ebb 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 and their second song, "I Don't Care Much", was made famous by Barbra Streisand, 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'', produced by Hal Prince, directed by George Abbott, 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, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...
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, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...
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''. The Broadway musicals '' Cabaret'' and '' Chicago'' have been made into films. The film version of ''Chicago'' won several 2002 Academy Awards, 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'', which is a musical adaptation of
Christopher Isherwood Christopher William Bradshaw Isherwood (26 August 1904 – 4 January 1986) was an Anglo-American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, autobiographer, and diarist. His best-known works include '' Goodbye to Berlin'' (1939), a semi-autobiographical ...
'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's '' The Skin of Our Teeth'', and it was set to premiere in London, but the rights were pulled by Wilder's nephew. He also says that Harvey Schmidt and
Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer * Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in ...
, the writers of '' The Fantasticks'', wrote a musical of Wilder's '' Our Town'' and it took them thirteen years to write, only to have the rights pulled as well by the nephew. 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 on October 23, 2013. The musical, which was a series of three "mini-musicals" was directed by Walter Bobbie and starred David Hyde Pierce and
Julia Murney Julia Kathleen Murney (born January 14, 1969) is an American actress and singer, also known for television commercial voice-overs. Until 2005, she was commonly known as the Broadway actress who had technically never appeared on Broadway. This wa ...
. Kander's musical ''
Kid Victory ''Kid Victory'' is a musical with the story by John Kander and Greg Pierce, and music by John Kander, book and lyrics by Greg Pierce, co-produced by Vineyard Theatre and Signature Theatre. Production The musical premiered at the Signature T ...
'', with book and lyrics by Greg Pierce, had its world premiere February 28, 2015 at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. ''Kid Victory'' premiered Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre on February 1, 2017 in previews, and opened officially on February 22, 2017. Direction is by Liesl Tommy with choreography by Christopher Windom. The cast features Jeffry Denman and Karen Ziemba. Kander (music) and David Thompson (lyrics) wrote the dance play ''The Beast in the Jungle'' which opened Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre. The play is directed and choreographed by
Susan Stroman Susan P. Stroman (born October 17, 1954) is an American theatre director, choreographer, film director and performer. Her notable theater productions include '' The Producers'', '' Crazy for You'', ''Contact'', and '' The Scottsboro Boys''. She i ...
, and features Tony Yazbeck and Irina Dvorovenko. Kander collaborated with Lin-Manuel Miranda for Miranda's Hamildrop series: “Cheering for Me Now” (lyrics Miranda and music Kander) 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, was formerly the Missouri Secretary of State.


Works

''Lyrics by Fred Ebb unless otherwise noted''


Stage musicals

*'' A Family Affair'' (1962) – lyrics by William Goldman *'' Flora the Red Menace'' (1965) *'' Cabaret'' (1966) *''Go Fly a Kite'' (1966) – music and lyrics also by Walter Marks *'' The Happy Time'' (1968) *'' Zorba'' (1968) *'' 70, Girls, 70'' (1971) *'' Chicago'' (1976) *'' The Act'' (1978) *'' Woman of the Year'' (1981) *'' The Rink'' (1984) *'' Diamonds'' (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). Begun in 1898, it was one of the most po ...
'' (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 ''Kid Victory'' is a musical with the story by John Kander and Greg Pierce, and music by John Kander, book and lyrics by Greg Pierce, co-produced by Vineyard Theatre and Signature Theatre. Production The musical premiered at the Signature T ...
'' (2015) - lyrics by Greg Pierce *''The Beast in the Jungle'' (2018)


Film and television

Kander and Ebb also contributed songs for the following movies: *'' Cabaret'' (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 or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...
'' (1977) – 4 songs *'' French Postcards'' (1979) – 1 song *'' Stepping Out'' (1991) – 1 song ("Stepping Out") *'' Chicago'' (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 ''Kramer vs. Kramer'' is a 1979 American legal drama film written and directed by Robert Benton, based on Avery Corman's 1977 novel of the same name. The film stars Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander, and Justin Henry. It tells the stor ...
'' (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 ''Breathing Lessons'' is a Pulitzer Prize–winning 1988 novel by American author Anne Tyler. It is her eleventh novel and won the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Plot The story describes the joys and pains of the ordinary marriage of Ira and ...
'' (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, author, and former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, strong-willed and eccentric women, MacLaine has received numerous accolades over her seven-dec ...
) *''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 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 City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...
'' (1992)


Awards

*'' Tony Award'', Composer and Lyricist, 1967, for ''Cabaret'' *'' Tony Award'' , Original Score, 1981, for ''Woman Of The Year'' *'' Tony Award'' , Original Score, 1993, for ''Kiss Of The Spider Woman'' * ''
Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...
'', Outstanding Lyrics, 2010, for ''The Scottsboro Boys'' *''
Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...
'', 1998, for the London production of ''Chicago'' *''
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
'', 1973, for ''Liza With A Z'' *''
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
'', 1993, for ''Liza Minnelli Live! From Radio City Music Hall'' *'' Grammy Award'', 1967, for ''Cabaret'', Original Cast Album *'' Grammy Award'', 1998, for ''Chicago'', Musical Show Album The team also received numerous nominations, which include five additional Tony Awards, two Academy Awards, and four
Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
. Kander, like Ebb, is also a member of the American Theater Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 1991. In 1998, Kander and Ebb received the
Kennedy Center Honors The Kennedy Center Honors are annual honors given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. They have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in a gala celebrating five hono ...
award for Lifetime Achievement. In 2018, Kander was awarded the Stephen Sondheim award by Tony-winning Signature Theater. In 2021, Kander was honored as a Columbia alum with the I.A.L. Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts by The Varsity Show


References


External links

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archive
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Kander biography, AllMusic Kander may refer to:is an Albanian village Rivers *Kander (Switzerland) *Kander (Germany) People with the surname *Jason Kander (born 1981), American politician *John Kander (born 1927), American composer of the songwriting team Kander and Ebb *Li ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kander, John 1927 births Living people American musical theatre composers Male musical theatre composers Broadway composers and lyricists Columbia University alumni Grammy Award winners American male composers American male songwriters Kennedy Center honorees Oberlin College alumni Musicians from Kansas City, Missouri Military personnel from Missouri United States Merchant Mariners United States National Medal of Arts recipients LGBT composers LGBT Jews LGBT people from Missouri American gay musicians Songwriters from Missouri Jewish American songwriters Jewish American composers 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people 21st-century American Jews