GAINESVILLE, FL, July 30, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Will Kesling, PhD, with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Dr. Kesling celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Having accrued more than 50 years of inimitable expertise in his discipline, Dr. Kesling has garnered a laudable reputation as a professor of music at the University of Florida since 2002, where he is likewise the director of choral activities. His career in music and education began in 1970 as a music therapist for the Lynchburg Training School and Hospital, a state mental institution in Virginia. He subsequently taught at Walter State Community College in Tennessee and then at the University of Southern Indiana while concurrently serving as the Assistant Conductor of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra and the Director of the Evansville Philharmonic Chorus between 1980 and 1983. Dr. Kesling was subsequently acquired by Utah State University, where he would contribute for nearly 20 years as a professor of music and the director of choral and orchestra activities.
Gaining national and international recognition throughout the years, Dr. Kesling's choir from the University of Florida made appearances with him as guest conductor with the San Diego Symphony and the National Philharmonic in Washington, D.C., as well as with the Kronos String Quartet and the Posaune Voce Trio of Birmingham England, among other renowned groups. Additionally, they featured at an American Choral Directors Association convention. While teaching at Utah State University, Dr. Kesling's chamber choir played before both the Western and Northwestern Division Convention of the College Band Directors Association and in the opening ceremonies for the Paralympics on the NBC television network in March 2002.
Over the past 35 years, Dr. Kesling has conducted professional concerts at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and other major world concert halls across the globe from Canada to Uruguay, Mexico, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Spain and other countries. Some of his choral ensembles and symphony orchestras have also included appearances as the associate conductor of the Manhattan Philharmonic Orchestra in New York City and abroad as the principal guest conductor of the Saint Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra. Furthermore, Dr. Kesling has worked for more than 15 years as the music director and conductor for the Mountain West Symphony Orchestra and the Northern Utah Choral Society.
Some of Dr. Kesling's most profound moments as a musician have included recording the score for "The Silence of Speed," a film that won a Gold Medal at the Worldfest Film Festival in 1994. He has notably conducted Antonín Dvorák's rarely performed and recorded Requiem Mass, Op. 89 for Centaur Records. Dr. Kesling has produced and performed for several television specials and has conducted several commercial recordings as well. Moreover, since 1985 he has served as editor of the choral music series, Will Kesling Choral Editions and has published many scholarly editions of choral master works as well as scholarly articles.
Dr. Kesling was designated as the People's Republic of China's Distinguished Expert by Beijing Foreign Studies University in 2018, 2019 and 2020. He has also been recognized as a distinguished professor by Sichuan International Studies University for 2019, by the college of music of Gannan Normal University for 2018 and by Gustav Mahler Conservatory of Music for 2013. Affiliated with several prominent industry organizations as a commitment to his field, Dr. Kesling is a member of the Music Educators National Conference and the American Choral Directors Association.
After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in music therapy and voice at Lynchburg College (now the University of Lynchburg) in 1970, Dr. Kesling earned a Master of Music in music education and voice, with honors, at the University of Oklahoma in 1976, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy in music education and conducting with honors in 1982. He also completed postgraduate coursework at Cambridge University in England in 1985. Dr. Kesling served as a flight officer in the U.S. Navy between 1971 and 1975.
Dr. Kesling's outstanding career in music and academia earned him numerous awards and recognitions. He first received the Congressional Order of Merit in 2003 from the U.S. Congress, followed by the Ronald Reagan Gold Medal in 2004 and the Congressional Medal of Distinction in 2006. Other accolades to his credit include a Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater, the University of Lynchburg, in 2017, his naming as an International Educator of the Year by the College of the Arts, University of Florida in 2017 and 2019 and being named as a Musician of the Year by the National Foundation for the Promotion of Music in 2020. A celebrated Marquis listee, Dr. Kesling has been included in several editions of Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Education, Who's Who in Entertainment and Who's Who of Emerging Leaders in America.
About Marquis Who's Who®
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
# # #