Andrew Kesler

Photo of Andrew Kesler

Visiting Professor

Andrew Kesler is an award-winning Canadian musician, composer, orchestrator and producer based in Los Angeles and is a founding member of the international jazz vocal group Accent. Born and raised in Saskatoon, music has taken Kesler around the world performing with headlining acts in over 20 countries. Recent achievements include his work as orchestrator/arranger on The Manhattan Transfer’s most recent Grammy-nominated album FIFTY.

As a multi-instrumentalist music director and sideman his credits include industry icons David Foster, Michael Bublé, Seal, John Mayer, Babyface, Jacob Collier, Jennifer Holliday, Tom Scott, Peter Erskine, and two seasons in the America’s Got Talent house band. In the studio, Kesler shifts his focus to writing, arranging and producing for established artists including Arturo Sandoval, Pentatonix, Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, Take 6, The Manhattan Transfer, and The 8-Bit Big Band in addition to media work including orchestrations for the 2022 feature film “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”.

Often referred to as the “Gadget Man” for his ability to work seamlessly in many roles, Kesler has credited contributions on hundreds of recordings spanning all genres. Kesler has had the privilege to collaborate with the WDR Funkhausorchester, City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Budapest Scoring Orchestra, Guy Barker’s Jazz Orchestra, Croatian Radio & Television Symphony Orchestra, and the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra.

Kesler serves on the board of directors for the American Society of Music Arrangers & Composers (ASMAC). Kesler received his Bachelor’s Degree with Honors from Humber College in Toronto studying jazz piano and music production and went on to earn his Master’s Degree with Distinction from the University of Chichester in England studying orchestration for film, television and video games. His concept album of piano/violin duets Dragon Suite, a collaboration with violinist Aline Homzy, won best “Contemporary Classical Album” at the Independent Music Awards in 2013.