John Kander
John Kander is an American composer best known for his musical-theater collaborations with lyricist Fred Ebb, including Cabaret and Chicago.
Cabaret: A 1966 musical by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Joe Masteroff, set in Berlin as the Nazis rise to power. Its songs and Weimar-era setting made it one of Kander’s signature stage works.
Fred Ebb: An American lyricist and librettist who collaborated with John Kander on musical theater and songs. Their partnership produced Kander’s best-known musicals and many of his signature songs.
Columbia University: A private research university in New York City, founded in 1754. Kander studied music there before beginning his professional theater career.
American musical theater: A stage tradition combining music, lyrics, dialogue, and performance to tell stories or present dramatic ideas. Kander’s songs and scores belong to a Broadway tradition where music advances character and action.
New York, New York (song): A 1977 song by John Kander and Fred Ebb, introduced in the film New York, New York. Its association with New York City became far larger than its original film context.
Chicago: A 1975 musical by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Bob Fosse about celebrity, crime, and justice in Chicago. Its vaudeville-inspired score became one of Kander’s most enduring successes.
Bob Fosse: An American choreographer, dancer, and director known for a distinctive jazz-influenced style. His direction and choreography helped define the original stage versions of Cabaret and Chicago.
Oberlin College: A private liberal arts college and conservatory in Oberlin, Ohio. Kander studied piano at Oberlin, developing the musical foundations behind his theater scores.
Cabaret song: A song performed in an intimate entertainment setting, often addressing an audience directly. Kander and Ebb use staged performance within the drama to expose character and political atmosphere.
Cabaret (film): A 1972 film directed by Bob Fosse, adapted from the musical Cabaret and starring Liza Minnelli. The film brought Kander and Ebb’s score to a worldwide audience and won eight Academy Awards.