John Kander

John Kander is, to me, one of the great architects of American musical theater. With Fred Ebb he wrote Cabaret and Chicago, scores that fuse seductive melody with genuine moral edge, music that entertains while it unsettles. What impresses me most is his endurance; born in 1927, he has spent nearly a century shaping the sound of Broadway. The shelf of honors, Tony, Grammy, Emmy and the National Medal of Arts, only hints at his influence. I admire composers who write for the ages rather than the moment. Kander's songs keep being sung, and that is the truest measure of mastery.

Name (English)

John Kander

Name (Japanese)

ジョン・カンター

Reading

じょん・かんたー

Born

March 18, 1927 (age 99)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Pisces / Rabbit

Origin

Kansas City, Missouri, United States

Occupation

composer / motorcyclist / film score composer / screenwriter / musician

University

Columbia University

Awards & achievements

• National Medal of Arts
• Kennedy Center Honors
• 1973 Emmy Award
• Tony Awards
• 1967 Grammy Awards
• Drama League Award
• 1993 Tony Award for Best Original Score
• 1967 Tony Award for Best Original Score

• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John%20Kander
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1685876

Tags

• Missouri
• composer
• motorcyclist
• film score composer

Last updated

2026-06-21

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.