Born into a large musical family in 1978 in Salt Lake City, Utah, Amy Brough Kesler began piano studies with her grandmother at the age of 6.  At the recommendation of her grandmother, she began playing the oboe at the age of 10 under the tutelage of Holly Gornik, then oboist and solo English horn player of the Utah Symphony.   Just three years later, Amy placed in her first competition, and four years later, she was selected to make her solo debut with the Utah Symphony on their annual “Salute to Youth” concert, performing the first movement of Haydn’s Oboe Concerto.  Of this performance, Deseret News Music Critic, William Goodfellow wrote, “Here its robust introduction paved the way for some fluid and well controlled solo work by 14-year-old Amy Brough, whose artful cadenza was a particular delight.”
Amy continued to study with Holly Gornik throughout High School.  She attended the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California as a full scholarship student for 3 summers, where she studied with Harry Sargous, then oboe professor at the University of Michigan.  Amy continued her studies under Harry Sargous, as well as Alex Klein and Brian Ventura, at the University of Michigan as a full out-of-state tuition scholarship student and received her Bachelor of Music degree in Oboe Performance with high honors.  She has also attended the National Orchestral Institute in College Park, Maryland, and the Blossom Chamber Music Festival in Ohio, where she studied with John Mack.
She has gone on to perform with the Utah Symphony on two other occasions, including the “All-Star Salute to Youth”concert held in 2000.  In addition, Amy has been invited to perform as soloist with many other orchestras, including  the Macomb (Michigan) Symphony, the University of Michigan Chamber Orchestra (on two occasions), the Music Academy of the West Festival Orchestra (Santa Barbara, California), Westminster Chamber Orchestra (Salt Lake City, Utah), and the Utah Youth Symphony.  Her solo performance repertoire includes the Mozart Oboe Concerto, the Strauss Oboe Concerto, Handel’s Concerto in g minor, Francaix’s Flower Clock Concerto, Bach’s Concerto for Oboe and Violin, the Concerto for Oboe and Flute by Salieri, and the Concerto in One Movement by Goossens.
Amy has competed successfully in numerous local, national, and international competitions.  This includes 1st and 2nd prizes in 5 Utah State Fair Music Competitions, and 3rd place in the Utah Symphony Youth Guild Competition (against all instruments).  She was the MTNA National 2nd place winner on two occasions, for Jr. High winds in 1993 and for Sr. High Winds in 1995.  She qualified for the General Motors/Seventeen Magazine National Concerto Competition at Interlochen in 1993, and was a National ARTS Recognition and Talent Search Awardee in 1996, awarded by the NFAA.   In 2000, she was a tape audition winner for the Tokyo International Oboe Competition.
Amy is the principal oboist of the Macomb Symphony, under the direction of Thomas Cook. She has also performed with the International Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Symphony Orchestra, Michigan Opera Theater Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, Ann Arbor Symphony, Flint Symphony, Plymouth Symphony, Saginaw Symphony, and Utah Symphony. In 2003, Amy won the principal oboe audition for the Grand Rapids Symphony. An active chamber musician, Amy has been a founding member of two woodwind quintets, The Lake Effect Winds in Royal Oak, Michigan, and The Prevailing Winds in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has performed solo recitals in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Buffalo, New York; Troy, Michigan; and Birmingham, Michigan.
Amy currently resides in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Her husband, Steven Kesler, is an Endodontist, and they have 5 young children. In addition to playing and teaching the oboe, Amy enjoys spending time with her family, playing the piano and singing, cooking, and running.