Kenneth Kiesler

A longtime member of the music faculty at the University of Michigan, conductor Kenneth Kiesler has been noted as the mentor of numerous young conductors. He has had a distinguished career as a conductor himself, serving as the music director of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and as a guest conductor in many countries. Kiesler has also held roles leading the Indianapolis Symphony and the Saint Cecilia Orchestra, among others. In 1995, he joined the conducting faculty at the University of Michigan. Kiesler founded the Conductors Retreat at Medomak in 1997. In 2010, he led the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra in the premiere recording of Evan Chambers' The Old Burying Ground. Kiesler's 2014 recording of Milhaud's L'Orestie d'Eschyle was nominated for a Grammy award. In 2021, he conducted the University of Michigan Symphony in a recording of music by Vítezslava Kaprálová.