"... thanks to the work of conductor Kenneth Kiesler, who set a quick pace from the first measures, aptly reflecting Gershwin’s predilection for energy and forward motion. Even in the reflective arias to come, Kiesler refused to let tempos flag or melodies bog down in sentimentality, giving this “Porgy and Bess” a jazz-tinged thrust often lost in the opera house."

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"One wondered if the orchestral accompaniment ever has sounded more texturally lucid than this . . . There was no question that listeners were in the hands of performers who understood the folkloric syntax of this music . . . This production held too many high points to detail here."

"It is a huge, sprawling work, filled with drama and impact, excellently performed by the amassed forces at hand. Indeed, it is an early-modern blockbuster. That it is not better known no doubt has something to do with its length and breadth. For all that it is a major find for anyone not familiar with it, an epic work of great power...This Michigan/Kenneth Kiesler performance gives us the work in all its glory and excitement." click to READ MORE

"It stands as one of the most memorable recordings of 2014."

"On this new recording Kiesler conducts the diverse musical resources of the University of Michigan and an impressive array of guest soloists . . . Kiesler clearly brought thorough understanding to both the musical and dramatic elements involved . . . "

"Conductor Kenneth Kiesler cannot be praised too extravagantly for his expert leadership of the batteries of voices and instruments employed in this performance. No conductor can claim to be an authority on L’Orestie d’Eschyle, certainly not in the way in which Sir Thomas Beecham dominated Les Troyens in the first half of the Twentieth Century, but Maestro Kiesler presides over this performance as though it were the summation of his life’s work. His tempi sound inherently right both for the music and for the performers, and he clearly collaborates closely with the directors of the respective choirs, managing their singing with unflappable stamina and an ear for balancing choral lines with the soloists and orchestra." click to READ MORE

"This recording is taken from that extraordinary event . . . " click to READ MORE

"Kenneth Kiesler remains a fine conductor, marshalling his (mostly) young charges to give 110%. Keep in mind that these college musicians – on Naxos and elsewhere – have shown that they are fully capable of playing with the big boys, and they prove it again here." click to READ MORE...

"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 unecessary in his conducting; yet everything is there.  Very beautiful work!

“Mr. Kiesler drew an assured, colorful performance, winning a prolonged ovation... The Account of Mahler‟s “Titan” Symphony was solid and winning...”

“Kiesler is a man with a musical mind at work. He recognizes a piece for what it is, whether it be Bach’s ‘Third Suite’ or Respighi’s delicious ’Roman Festivals.’ He reads, interprets and conducts idiomatically, in the spirit, in which a given work was written.”

“A refreshing Vision…allowing innate brilliance to come through.”

"Kenneth Kiesler, the conductor, led a clean, animated account. The ensemble playing had abundant spirit and style."

"...under the masterful baton of Kiesler, all the music was beautifully played with dynamic shading, precision and flawless technique."

"...conductor Kenneth Kiesler and the orchestra gave an enthralling interpretation of the work, imbuing it with a gratifying sense of cohesion..."

"Kiesler is quite an excellent conductor, especially demonstrated in the Barber.  He brought out the special elegance of its melody.  With his experience and technique he was able to manage the complex texture without difficulty."

"...an intense and charismatic leader with a vibrant conducting style."

"Kiesler is thoughtful, thorough and passionate in his precision."

"Kiesler showed his ear for subtle orchestral balances and fine tonal details...He also demonstrated a rare affinity for romantic rhetoric in Robert Schumann's Third Symphony.  Kiesler achieves just the right balance of liveliness and solidity...an unusually florid, rhythmically flexible performance."

"Kiesler brought out the depths of emotion of a composer struggling to express himself under great constraints...(Shostakovich Symphony no.5)"

"Spectacularly sung, wittily staged and propelled by a conductor with a knack for rhythm and tempo and balance...Of all the many reasons why this 'Turk' sounded so good, foremost among them is the firm and stylish conducting of Kenneth Kiesler."

"...it was Kiesler's treatment of the music's more ruminative sections...In his hands these became aching reveries."

"...instrumentalists from the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra made Britten's score (Peter Grimes) glow with a rare beauty under Kenneth Kiesler's baton."

"The Albany Symphony Orchestra gave us an early Christmas present.  Guest conductor Kenneth Kiesler had the ASO playing in top form Friday night at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall...Kiesler had the ASO playing with razor-sharp articulation in the complicated cross-rhythms with which Bernstein's score abounds...When will Kenneth Kiesler be back?"

"Maestro Kiesler is the type of conductor who throws everything he has into his conducting and lets not a detail slp in the colorations he asked- really demanded- of his players.  He was all over the podium at once, keeping tempos at a breaking point and his fiveman battery to a pitch that sent vibrations throughout the auditorium."

"Kenneth Kiesler brought the Shostakovich's Symphony No.14 to life in a performance that was vivid, beautiful, spine tingling and technically handsome."

"At times Kiesler seemed to be a magician with lightning bolts flashing from his fingertips as he led the orchestra through this rich, thickly woven work."

"Madame Butterfly contains some of the most moving and exquisite music ever written for opera and under the direction of conductor Kenneth Kiesler, the Chattanooga Symphony was brilliant."