Andrew Stenger
Hi all. My name is Andrew Stenger. Instead of your normal bio, I will share who I am with a story about where I’ve been and where I’m going:
It was a sweltering summer day in St. Louis, the kind where the air seems to shimmer, and possibility hangs thick like humidity. I was 21, sitting in my friend’s makeshift studio, watching him piece together beats and lyrics with an intensity I had never seen before. He wasn’t just making music-he was creating something entirely his own. As I watched him work, I realized I wanted to feel that same fire, something that was missing in my daily life.
At the time, I was an engineering student. Mathematics came easily, and engineering seemed like the natural choice solid career that made my parents proud. And while I gained invaluable skills like problem-solving, analysis, and perseverance, it was becoming clear that engineering wasn’t my dream; it was theirs. That afternoon in the studio, something moved within me. I decided to carve out a path that thrilled me, scared me, and felt authentically mine.
That decision ignited my journey into the arts. I began recording my own music, managing artists, eventually earning an internship with the management team of Smino, a celebrated St. Louis artist in contemporary hip-hop and R&B. But the arts didn’t just become a career- it became my way to forge my own path. Today, I’m an actor, singer, and consultant for singers, models, actors, and business managers. I blend creativity with strategy, and still use tools and experience I gained as a formerly academic and professional engineer. This step was uniquely mine, and a genuine step in my journey.
These experiences led me to my current role at the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, a wellknown St. Louis non-profit dedicated to uplifting artists and enriching the community, and producer of St. Louis’s music festival, Music at the Intersection. At KAF, we steward infrastructure at below-market rates to artists, allowing artists and the broader community to create, collaborate, and work within a sustainable ecosystem. We partner with major institutions like Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, SLU, and St. Louis CITY SC, as well as countless smaller organizations, to build a robust arts network that nourishes creativity and community.
My story doesn’t end here. Advocating for a diverse array of artists and arts organizationsbalancing their creative visions with the broader realities of time, economy, and audience and competing interests – has deepened my appreciation for diplomacy and advocacy and sparked a desire to explore new horizons. This chapter has prepared me for something bigger, a new adventure where I can continue building bridges -whether between people, ideas, or cultures -and championing leadership in ways I have yet to imagine. Now an MBA candidate, Washington University in St. Louis prepares me for a great new adventure.
Life’s most rewarding adventures often begin with a leap into the unknown. Not the safest or most predictable path, but daring to pursue what excites and challenges you, even scares you, is worth it. lt takes risks to craft a life that is uniquely our own.
