John Kander

John Kander is a Kansas City, Missouri–born Broadway composer who, as the songwriting half of the legendary “Kander and Ebb” team with lyricist Fred Ebb, wrote the scores for Cabaret and Chicago — two of the most enduring musicals in the American theater canon.¹² A KC native son raised in the city before his Oberlin and Columbia training, Kander has won four Tony Awards (including a 2023 Lifetime Achievement Tony), a Grammy, and the Kennedy Center Honors, and he remains living and active as of his 99th birthday on March 18, 2026.³¹

Biography

Early life in Kansas City

John Harold Kander was born March 18, 1927, in Kansas City, Missouri.¹⁴ He graduated from Oberlin College in 1951 with a degree in music, then earned a master’s degree from Columbia University in 1953, where he studied composition under Jack Beeson and Otto Luening.¹

Kander & Ebb / Broadway career

Kander met lyricist Fred Ebb in 1962, introduced through music publisher Tommy Valando; their first collaborative song was “My Coloring Book.”¹ The pair became one of the most celebrated songwriting partnerships in Broadway history, working together until Ebb’s death in 2004.¹ Beyond the stage, the team wrote “Theme from New York, New York,” composed for the 1977 film at director Martin Scorsese’s request, which became an enduring popular standard.¹ Kander has been credited on at least one show running on Broadway for some 45 consecutive years — a milestone reported around his March 2026 birthday — with Chicago (the 1996 revival) on track to mark its 30th year in November 2026.³

Major works & awards

The Kander and Ebb catalog includes Cabaret (1966), Zorba (1968), Chicago (1975), Kiss of the Spider Woman (1992), Curtains (2006), and The Scottsboro Boys (2010); Cabaret and Chicago were both adapted into acclaimed films.¹ In 2023, a New York, New York stage musical premiered with additional lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda.¹ Kander’s honors include four Tony Awards (among them the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award), a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for Cabaret (1968), the Kennedy Center Honors (1998, shared with Ebb), and the National Medal of Arts (2013).¹⁴

Sources

See also

• kansas-city-music-scene

Footnotes

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kander — asserts: born John Harold Kander on March 18, 1927, in Kansas City, Missouri; Oberlin College degree (1951) and Columbia University master’s (1953) under Beeson and Luening; met Fred Ebb in 1962 via Tommy Valando, first song “My Coloring Book”; partnership ended at Ebb’s death in 2004; works including Cabaret, Zorba, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Curtains, The Scottsboro Boys; “Theme from New York, New York” written for the 1977 film at Scorsese’s request; four Tony Awards including 2023 Lifetime Achievement, Grammy (Cabaret, 1968), Kennedy Center Honors (1998), National Medal of Arts (2013); 2023 New York, New York musical with Lin-Manuel Miranda lyrics. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

2. https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/k/ka-kn/john-kander/ — asserts: John Kander is an American composer of musical theater, the composing half of Kander and Ebb, responsible for Cabaret and Chicago. ↩

3. https://www.broadwaynews.com/john-kander-celebrates-his-99th-birthday-by-approaching-a-unique-milestone/ — asserts: (article dated March 18, 2026) Kander celebrated his 99th birthday on March 18, 2026, is professionally active, has been credited on at least one Broadway show for ~45 consecutive years since 1981, and Chicago (opened 1996) approaches its 30th year in November 2026 — confirming living status from a recent source. ↩ ↩²

4. https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/k/ka-kn/john-kander/ — asserts: biography, Kansas City birth, and honors including Kennedy Center recognition. ↩ ↩²