The German flautist Kersten McCall grew up in Donaueschingen, where the MusikTage festival for contemporary music is still held every October. It was in this rich musical environment that McCall took up the flute at the age of nine. He later studied with Felix Renggli at the Schaffhausen Conservatory in Basel and with Renate Greiss and Aurèle Nicolet at the Karlsruhe Hochschule für Musik.

Kersten McCall won first prize at the 1997 Kobe International Flute Competition in Japan and third prize at ARD International Music Competition in 2000.

He often performed as a soloist in Germany and as a guest soloist with the Scharoun Ensemble, Camerata Salzburg and the orchestras of Kobe, Seoul and Mexico City. Kersten McCall served as principal flautist of the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken, also having played in the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

He was appointed principal flautist of the Concertgebouworkest in November 2005. He appeared as a soloist with the Concertgebouworkest in works by Mozart, Ligeti, Nono and Wennäkoski.

McCall is also a world-renowned chamber music player, having co-founded the Ensemble est!est!!est!!! for new music in 1995 and serving as a member of the Linos Ensemble since 2000.

Kersten McCall teaches at Conservatorium van Amsterdam.