Kenneth Kiesler (born August 18, 1953) is an American symphony orchestra and opera conductor and mentor to conductors. Kiesler is conductor laureate of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra where he was

music director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the d ...

from 1980 to 2000 and founder and director of the Conductors Retreat at Medomak. In 2014, Kiesler was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for his recording of

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...

’s opera ''L’Orestie d’Eschyle''. He is Director of Orchestras and Professor of Conducting at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

Early life and education

Kenneth Kiesler was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. His father, Harry Isiah Kiesler, was of Polish/Austrian descent and his mother, Rose Segal Kiesler, was of French and German descent. He studied music from an early age; he played trumpet, sang in choruses and, at age 15, Kiesler conducted his first concert,

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

’s '' Ceremony of Carols'' when the director took ill prior to the concert. Kiesler graduated from Nanuet High School in 1971. Kiesler studied music at the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, mo ...

where he received the Bachelor of Music cum laude in conducting and music history in 1975. He received his master’s degree in orchestra conducting in 1980 from the

Peabody Conservatory of Music The Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, The Johns Hopkins University is a Private university, private music school, conservatory and College-preparatory school, preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1857 and ...

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

. At age 19, he conducted the first performance of Gershwin's original jazz-band score of ''Rhapsody in Blue'' since 1925, with permission of Ira Gershwin and Warner Brothers Music, which garnered national attention. Kiesler was recipient of a conducting fellowship at the Aspen Music School and his teachers and mentors have included Fiora Contino, Julius Herford, John Nelson,

Erich Leinsdorf Erich Leinsdorf (born Erich Landauer; February 4, 1912 – September 11, 1993) was an Austrian-born American conductor. He performed and recorded with leading orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and Europe, earning a ...

, James Wimer, and

Carlo Maria Giulini Carlo Maria Giulini (; 9 May 1914 – 14 June 2005) was an Italian conductor. From the age of five, when he began to play the violin, Giulini's musical education was expanded when he began to study at Italy's foremost conservatory, the Conserva ...

. Kiesler was a participant in the

League of American Orchestras The League of American Orchestras, formerly the American Symphony Orchestra League, is a North American service organization with 700 member orchestras of all budget sizes and types, plus individual and institutional members. Based in New York Ci ...

’ 1990

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 ...

American Conductors Program with the

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It also performs for the annual National Mem ...

at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

and the 1991

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

Centenary conducting class with

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war Western classical music. Born in Mont ...

and L’Ensemble InterContemporain.

Career

A prominent conductor, Kiesler is also a sought-after mentor and teacher to conductors. The French music critic Roger Bouchard said of him, “There do exist great American conductors, and Kiesler is one of them! Standing on behalf of the music he serves, he conducts from memory with unaffected gestures both precise and passionate. Nothing is unnecessary in his conducting; yet everything is there. Very beautiful work!" Kiesler is the conductor of many acclaimed recordings on the

Naxos Naxos (; el, Νάξος, ) is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. The island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until modern times was one of the best abr ...

, Dorian, Equilibrium and Pierian labels; with the

BBC Singers The BBC Singers are a British chamber choir, and the professional chamber choir of the BBC. One of the six BBC Performing Groups, the BBC Singers are based at the BBC's Maida Vale Studios in London. The only full-time professional British c ...

in London, Third Angle New Music Ensemble, and both the

Symphony Orchestra and Opera Theatre. Kiesler was nominated for a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

for his recording of

’s opera ''L’Orestie d’Eschyle'' which was nominated for

Best Opera Recording The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by m ...

in 2014. This is the first recording of Milhaud's complete Orestiean Trilogy of Aeschylus based on a libretto of Paul Claudel. Kiesler has conducted many of the world's leading ensembles including the

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenure ...

, Washington's

Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. Jader Bignamini is the current music d ...

Utah Symphony The Utah Symphony is an American orchestra based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The orchestra's principal venue is Abravanel Hall. In addition to its Salt Lake City subscription concerts, the orchestra travels around the Intermountain West serving c ...

Orchestra,

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) is an American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The largest performing arts organization in Indiana, the orchestra is based at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in downtown Indianapolis on Monument Circl ...

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra The New Jersey Symphony, formerly the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, is an American symphony orchestra based in the state of New Jersey. The New Jersey Symphony is the state orchestra of New Jersey, performing classical subscription concert serie ...

San Diego Symphony The San Diego Symphony is an American symphony orchestra, based in San Diego, California. The orchestra is resident at Copley Symphony Hall. The orchestra also serves as the orchestra for the San Diego Opera. History On December 6th 1910, the ...

Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Paris,

Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra (Hebrew: התזמורת הסימפונית ירושלים, ''ha-Tizmoret ha-Simfonit Yerushalayim'') is a major orchestra of Israel. Since the 1980s, the JSO has been based in the Henry Crown Symphony Hall, part of ...

and

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

Symphony Orchestra in Israel,

Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra The is a Japanese symphony orchestra based in Osaka, Japan. Founded in 1947 as the Kansai Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra took the name of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra in 1960, and in 2014, formally assumed the official name of the Osaka P ...

in Japan, Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra and Pusan Symphony Orchestra in Korea, Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra in China,

New Symphony Orchestra The New Symphony Orchestra is one of the best-known orchestras in Bulgaria. History The New Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1991 in Sofia, Bulgaria by the music critic Julia Hristova as an alternative to the existing Bulgarian musical instituti ...

in Bulgaria, Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra in Mexico, OSESP in São Paulo, Brazil,

Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra The Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra (PRSO) (''Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico'' in Spanish) a musical ensemble sponsored by the Government of Puerto Rico. It has 80 regular musicians from around the world performing a 52-week season which inc ...

in San Juan,

Albany Symphony Orchestra The Albany Symphony Orchestra is a professional symphony orchestra based in Albany, New York. Founded in 1930 as the People's Orchestra of Albany by Italian-born conductor John Carabella, the Albany Symphony is the oldest professional symphony ...

, Florida Symphony Orchestra, Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra, Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, Long Island Philharmonic Orchestra,

Memphis Symphony Orchestra The Memphis Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Memphis, Tennessee. The orchestra's primary performing venue is the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts. Prior to the formation of the orchestra, classical orchestras had existed ...

New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra The New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra (NHSO) was an American orchestra, one of three based in Manchester, New Hampshire. It was established in 1974, with conductor James Bolle. Its last listed music director was Kenneth Kiesler Kenneth Kiesler (born ...

Omaha Symphony Orchestra The Omaha Symphony is a professional orchestra performing more than 200 concerts and presentations annually in Omaha, Nebraska and throughout the orchestra's home region. The orchestra was established in 1921. It is considered a major American orc ...

Portland Symphony Orchestra The Portland Symphony Orchestra was established in 1923 in Portland, Maine as the Amateur Strand Symphony Orchestra. Started by a small group of musicians who had sent out invitations to join their organization to people in the area, they had their ...

Richmond Symphony Orchestra The Richmond Symphony is based in Richmond, Virginia and is the largest performing arts organization in Central Virginia and one of the nation's leading regional orchestras. The organization includes a full-time orchestra with more than 70 musician ...

Virginia Symphony Orchestra The Virginia Symphony Orchestra (VSO) is an American orchestra administratively based in Norfolk. The VSO performs concerts in various venues in Virginia, including: * Chrysler Hall, Norfolk * The Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Virginia ...

. He has conducted at the

Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the ''Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China ...

, Atlantic, Breckenridge, Meadowbrook, Sewanee and Skaneateles music festivals. Kenneth Kiesler served as music director of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra from 1980 to 2000, during which time he founded the Illinois Symphony Chorus, the Illinois Chamber Orchestra, and led debuts at

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

and

. He was also assistant conductor of the

from 1980 to 1983, music director and conductor of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra from 1984 to 1988 and principal conductor of the Saint Cecilia Orchestra from 1992 to 1995. From 2002 to 2007 Kiesler was music director of the

. Kiesler has conducted

Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

's ''

Peter Grimes ''Peter Grimes'', Op. 33, is an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten, with a libretto by Montagu Slater based on the section "Peter Grimes", in George Crabbe's long narrative poem '' The Borough''. The "borough" of the opera is a fictional ...

'',

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

’s ''

Il Turco in Italia ''Il turco in Italia'' (English: ''The Turk in Italy'') is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The Italian-language libretto was written by Felice Romani. It was a re-working of a libretto by Caterino Mazzolà set as an opera (w ...

'' at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis,

Orff Carl Orff (; 10 July 1895 – 29 March 1982) was a German composer and music educator, best known for his cantata ''Carmina Burana'' (1937). The concepts of his Schulwerk were influential for children's music education. Life Early life Carl O ...

’s ''

Carmina Burana ''Carmina Burana'' (, Latin for "Songs from Benediktbeuern" 'Buria'' in Latin is a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces are mostly bawdy, irreverent ...

'' at Syracuse Opera and

Bright Sheng Bright Sheng ( Chinese: 盛宗亮 pinyin: ''Shèng Zōngliàng''; born December 6, 1955) is a Chinese-born American composer, pianist and conductor. Sheng has earned many honors for his music and compositions, including a MacArthur Fellowship in ...

’s ''The Silver River'' in Singapore as well as operas of Menotti,

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

Puccini Giacomo Puccini (Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long lin ...

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

and

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

among others. Kiesler's advocacy for new music and living composers has included conducting more than 15 world and American premieres by composers James Aikman,

Leslie Bassett Leslie Raymond Bassett (22 January 1923 – 4 February 2016) was an American composer of classical music. Bassett received the 1966 Pulitzer Prize in Music. Bassett had a lifelong relationship with the University of Michigan School of Music. ...

, Paul Brantley,

Evan Chambers Evan Chambers (born 1963, in Alexandria, Louisiana) is a composer, traditional Irish fiddler, and Professor of Composition at the University of Michigan. He received a Doctorate in music composition from the University of Michigan. His teachers in ...

, Sven Daigger, Gabriella Lena Frank, Aharon Harlap,

James P. Johnson James Price Johnson (February 1, 1894 – November 17, 1955) was an American pianist and composer. A pioneer of stride piano, he was one of the most important pianists in the early era of recording, and like Jelly Roll Morton, one of the key ...

, Ben Johnston,

Vítězslava Kaprálová Vítězslava Kaprálová (; 24 January 191516 June 1940) was a Czech composer and conductor of 20th-century classical music. Life and career Vítězslava Kaprálová was born in Brno, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now Czech Republic), a daughte ...

, Kristin Kuster, Stephen Rush,

Gunther Schuller Gunther Alexander Schuller (November 22, 1925June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician. Biography and works Early years Schuller was born in Queens, New York City, ...

and

Steven Stucky Steven Edward Stucky (November 7, 1949 − February 14, 2016) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer. Life and career Stucky was born in Hutchinson, Kansas. At age 9, he moved with his family to Abilene, Texas, where, as a teenager, he ...

. His notable premieres and new music performances include conducting the 1990 world premiere in Illinois and the New York premiere at

’s ''Concerto for 2 Pianos, 3 Hands'', which was written for pianists

Lorin Hollander Lorin Hollander (born July 19, 1944) is an American classical concert pianist. He has performed with virtually all of the major symphony orchestras in the United States and many around the world. A ''New York Times'' critic called him in 1964 "the ...

and

Leon Fleisher Leon Fleisher (July 23, 1928 – August 2, 2020) was an American classical pianist, conductor and pedagogue. He was one of the most renowned pianists and pedagogues in the world. Music correspondent Elijah Ho called him "one of the most re ...

, and performed with the Illinois Chamber Orchestra. Kiesler conducted the U.S. Premiere of

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositi ...

's ''Third Piano Concerto'' with pianist

Anton Nel Anton Nel (born December 29, 1961) is a South African classical pianist. Biography Nel was born to Afrikaans-speaking parents in Johannesburg, South Africa. Nel made his debut at the age of twelve with Beethoven's C Major Concerto after only two ...

in 1997. In 2002, he premiered the score reconstruction by

James Dapogny James Elliot Dapogny (September 3, 1940, Berwyn, Illinois – March 6, 2019, Ann Arbor, Michigan) was an American jazz musicologist, pianist, composer, arranger and bandleader, active principally in the traditional jazz revival scene. Early lif ...

of the opera ''De Organizer'' by

and

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...

which was the first performance since 1940. In 2006, he also conducted the world premiere of Johnson’s ''The Dreamy Kid''; libretto by

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earlier ...

. Kiesler conducted the world premiere of ''The Old Burying Ground'' a song cycle for soprano, tenor, folksinger and orchestra by

in 2007, which was subsequently recorded in 2008.

Teacher

Since 1995, Kiesler has been professor of conducting and director of orchestras at the

University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance is an undergraduate and graduate institution for the performing arts in the United States. It is part of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. The school was founded by Calvin Brainerd ...

. He is a sought after teacher and mentor of conductors internationally. Kiesler has been director of conducting programs of International Masterclasses Berlin since 2012. From 2006 to 2012, he was the Director of the Conductors Programme of Canada's

National Arts Centre Orchestra The National Arts Centre Orchestra (NAC Orchestra) is a Canadian orchestra based in Ottawa, Ontario led by music director Alexander Shelley. The NAC Orchestra's primary concert venue is Southam Hall at the National Arts Centre. Since its inceptio ...

. He was Director of the Vendome International Academy of Orchestral Conducting in Paris and Vendôme France from 2006 to 2010. Kiesler directed the orchestras while serving as visiting artist and advisor in orchestral studies at the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

from 2006 to 2010. Kiesler has led many conducting master classes in the United States and internationally, including for the

, the Conductors’ Guild, the Minister of Culture of Mexico, Philharmonisches Kammer Orchester Berlin and the Deutsches Musikrat in Germany, as well as at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

in London,

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, the Waterville Valley Music Center and in the cities of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

and

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

. Kiesler's conducting students have won prizes in the Donatella Flick London Symphony Conducting Competition (Elim Chan), Nikolai Malko Conducting Competition (

Mei-Ann Chen Mei-Ann Chen (; born 1973) is a Taiwanese American conductor. She is currently music director of the Chicago Sinfonietta and conductor laureate of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Early life and education A native of Taiwan, Chen wanted to be ...

), Maazel-Vilar Conducting Competition (

Joana Carneiro Joana Carneiro (born Joana Maria Amaro da Costa da Luz Carneiro, Lisbon, 30 September 1976), is a Portuguese conductor. Family Joana Carneiro is the third of the nine children of the former Portuguese Minister of Education Roberto Carneiro. S ...

Bundit Ungrangsee Bundit Ungrangsee ( th, บัณฑิต อึ้งรังษี; , born December 7, 1970) is a Thai symphonic conductor. Thai-born and of Chinese descent, Bundit Ungrangsee was named one of two co-winners and Laureates of the inaugural M ...

), Eduardo Mata Conducting Competition (Yaniv Dinur), and hold positions with orchestras, opera companies and educational institutions worldwide. Kiesler is the founder and director of the Conductors Retreat at Medomak, an annual, intensive program which develops conductors’ artistic sensibilities and technical skills, as well as personal attributes and leadership capacity. It takes place at the site of the historic Medomak camp in Maine, where Kiesler himself spent many formative summers in his youth. Since 1997 the Conductors Retreat at Medomak has attracted conductors from around the world for instruction in conducting, score study, aural skills and physical expression.

Awards and recognitions

Kiesler has been awarded: * 2014 —

nomination for his recording of

Milhaud Darius Milhaud (; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...

’s ''

L'Orestie d'Eschyle is a French-language opera by Darius Milhaud based on ''The Oresteia'' triptych by Aeschylus in a French translation by his collaborator Paul Claudel. Milhaud set a scene of the first play, ''Agamemnon'', for soprano and chorus in 1913. The seco ...

'' with the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, Choirs and Soloists released by

* 2011 — The American Prize in Orchestral Performance/Conducting * 2000 — State of Illinois General Assembly Legislation (Proclamation) * 1988 — Helen M. Thompson Award, presented by the

American Symphony Orchestra League The League of American Orchestras, formerly the American Symphony Orchestra League, is a North American service organization with 700 member orchestras of all budget sizes and types, plus individual and institutional members. Based in New York Ci ...

to the outstanding American music director under the age of 35 * 1987 — Mayor's Award for the Arts, Springfield, Illinois * 1987 — Governor's Arts Award, Illinois * 1986 — Silver Medal, Stokowski Competition Books Kiesler contributed to the content in: * He is also included and referenced in: * * *

Personal life

Kiesler is the father of three children, Laura, Adam and Aliyah. He currently resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Selected discography

* Levy: Shir Shel Moshe (Song of Moses) / BBC Singers, Kiesler,

(2004) * Bolcom, Bassett, Daugherty: Concertos / Kiesler, Et Al, Equilibrium (2004) * Ben-Amots: Celestial Dialogues / Hashkivenu, Milken Archive,

(2004) * Ellstein: The Gollum (Scenes), Jewish Operas, Vol. 1, Milken Archive,

(2004) * Amram: Shir L'erev Shabbat / The Final Ingredient, Milken Archive,

(2004) * Schoenfield: The Merchant and the Pauper, Milken Archive,

(2004) * Weinberg: Shabbat Ba'aretz, Milken Archive,

(2005) * Schiff: Gimpel the Fool (Scenes), Jewish Operas, Vol. 2, Milken Archive,

(2006) * Schiff: Gimpel the Fool (Complete) Third Angle,

(2007) * Evan Chambers: The Old Burying Ground / Kiesler, University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra, Dorian Sono Luminus (2010) * Nissman plays Ginastera: The Three Piano Concertos, Pierian (2013) * Milhaud: L’Orestie d'Eschyle, University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble and Choirs,

(2014)

References

External links

Kenneth Kiesler Official Website

Conductors Retreat at Medomak

Kenneth Kiesler
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiesler, Kenneth American male conductors (music) Jewish classical musicians 1953 births Living people 20th-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American conductors (music) Musicians from New York City University of New Hampshire alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni Aspen Music Festival and School alumni University of Michigan faculty American people of Austrian-Jewish descent American people of Polish-Jewish descent American people of French-Jewish descent American people of German-Jewish descent Singers from Michigan Classical musicians from New York (state) Classical musicians from Michigan 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians