German-born Kersten McCall grew up as the son of composer Brent McCall in Donaueschingen, which hosts the annual MusikTage. In this musical environment, he started playing the flute at the age of nine. He studied with Felix Renggli at the Schaffhausen Konservatorium in Basel and with Renate Greiss and Aurèle Nicolet at the Karlsruhe Hochschule für Musik. As a soloist, he played frequently in Germany and was a guest of several international ensembles and orchestras. Since 2005, he has been solo flutist with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. With his own orchestra, he performed works by Mozart, Ligeti and Nono. As a chamber musician, McCall enjoys worldwide fame: in 1995 he was a founding member of the ensemble est!est!!est!!! and since 2000 he has been part of the Linos Ensemble.