Bryce and Aaron Dessner co-wrote the original motion picture score to C’mon C’mon, the 2021 American black and white drama film written and directed by Mike Mills and starring Joaquin Phoenix.The album features four collaborations with Feist.
From Fernando Meirelles, the Academy Award-nominated director of City of God, The Two Popes is an intimate story of one of the most dramatic transitions of power in the last 2,000 years.
The soundtrack features music written by Bryce Dessner for the Netflix film starring Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce.
In August 2019, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Bryce Dessner and renowned contemporary classical ensemble Eighth Blackbird released a new collaborative album, When We Are Inhuman (37d03d), featuring a live performance of Julius Eastman’s “Stay on It,” new Eighth Blackbird arrangements for Will Oldham, and a continuation of Bryce Dessner’s Murder Ballades series for Eighth Blackbird. “I think of Will's songs as the closest thing we have now to classic, traditional folk music,” says Bryce Dessner. “I imagine people will still be singing them in 300 years.”
Bryce Dessner and Hamburg-based Ensemble Resonanz release TENEBRE, presenting four of Dessner’s major compositions for string ensemble: Aheym, Tenebre, Skrik Trio and Lachrimae. Together for the first time on disc, these visceral chamber pieces combine tradition and modernity to create a restless, spiritual experience.
El Chan (Deutsche Grammophon, 2019) features debut recordings of three works: Concerto for two pianos performed by Katia and Marielle Labèque, Orchestre de Paris and Matthias Pintscher, El Chan for two pianos and Haven, for two pianos and two guitars.
Arranged for two pianos and performed regularly internationally by Katia and Marielle Labèque, El Chan is dedicated to Dessner’s friend and collaborator, film director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu and his wife Maria Eladia Hagerman. The work is inspired by the mythical guardian spirit, ‘El Chan,’ of a pool of water nestled in the canyons close to Iñarritu and Hagerman’s hometown of San Miguel de Allende, in the stunning Mexican landscape, and which has been the source of popular legends for many centuries. Iñárritu in turn created the cover artwork for the album.
Dessner’s Concerto for two pianos was written for Katia and Marielle Labèque after the three met during rehearsals with Los Angeles Phiharmonic several years ago and where they formed an immediate bond, both musically and personally. The work premiered with London Philharmonic Orchestra at Southbank Centre in April 2018 and has been performed internationally by – among others - Orchestre de Paris, Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, Dresdner Philharmonie, Musica Nova in Helsinki and Netherlands Philharmonic.
Bryce Dessner teamed up with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto to score Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s most recent film The Revenant. The film was released by 20th Century Fox in New York and Los Angeles on December 25, 2015 with a wide release on January 8, 2016. The soundtrack was released December 25, 2015 on Milan Records. The music received a nomination for Best Original Score in the 2016 Golden Globes. Alejandro G. Iñárritu won for Best Director for The Revenant at the 2016 Academy Awards.
Produced by Bryce Dessner, Filament features world-premiere recording of works by Bryce, Nico Muhly and Son Lux, plus a Philip Glass classic performed by the American new-music sextet eighth blackbird. The album was released September 11, 2015 on Cedille Records and includes Dessner’s piece “Murder Ballades.” A set of seven instrumental ballads, the piece was inspired by the tunes, stories and playing styles from the great American folk music tradition. The ballads include pieces loosely based on classic tunes, plus Dessner’s original compositions which were informed by the many months he spent inhabiting the seductive music and violent stories of these murder ballads. Dessner is also featured elsewhere on the record as the guitar player on the live-in-concert recording of Glass’s “Two Pieces” at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
NEWS
February 14th, 2022
New Soundtracks!
You can also catch Bryce’s music in cinemas / theatres right now, as co-writer on two major new films: Cyrano (the musical by Joe Wright starring Peter Dinklage and Hayley Bennett) and C’mon C’mon (directed by Mike Mills and starring Joaquin Phoenix).
February 11th, 2022
European Premieres
This spring sees some major premieres of Bryce’s classical works in Europe, including new orchestral work, Mari premiering in London on 11 February by BBC Symphony Orchestra and Semyon Bychkov at Barbican Centre.
Then 9 March will see the European premiere of the beautiful song cycle Voy a Dormir based on the poems of Alfonsina Storni, starring mezzo soprano Kelley O’Connor:
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/her-letter-world-womens-words-and-voices
June 29th, 2019
Concerto for two pianos
28 June 2019Concerto for Two Pianos
Theatersaal, Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, DE
With Katia and Marielle Labèque
April 8th, 2018
Concerto for Two Pianos
My Concerto for Two Pianos will see its world premiere in London on April 13th, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, written for and performed by Katia and Marielle Labèque.
Tickets here.
The new work will be performed across Europe, including in Paris on October 17 with Orchestre de Paris.
You can also hear my string quartet, Aheym, in concert in London on April 10, where I will also perform Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint.
Tickets here.
January 28th, 2018
Grammy win
On Sunday, Bryce Dessner won a Grammy for Best Alternative Album (The National - Sleep Well Beast).
PERFORMANCES
May 3rd, 2024
Piano Concerto (US premiere) & Mari
Cincinnati, USA
Alice Sara Ott, piano
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Louis Langrée, conductor
February 9th, 2024
Piano Concerto (French premiere)
Philharmonie de Paris, Paris, France
Alice Sara Ott, piano
Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
Brad Lubman, conductor
November 30th, 2023
Concerto for Two Pianos
David Geffen Hall, New York, USA
Katia & Marielle Labèque
NY Philharmonic
Semyon Bychkov
September 21st, 2023
Aheym
Aheym
Tromsø Kulturhus, Tromsø, Norway
Arktisk Filharmoni, Richard Tognetti
June 26th, 2023
Murder Ballades
Minack Theatre, UK
Kevos; Cheap Date; Propeller
26-28 June 2023
Details & Tickets
June 17th, 2023
Murder Ballades
Texas, USA
Round Top Festival
Alexa Still, Jonathan Gunn, Tony Edwards, Viktor Valkov
This shimmering 36-minute piece is performed by So Percussion on amplified, dulcimer-like “Chord Sticks” created by instrument builder Aron Sanchez of Buke and Gase. The sound is kaleidoscopic. Using sticks or violin bows, the players can sound either of two harmonies, or play individual strings, melodies, and drone tremolos. Music for Wood and Strings was commissioned by Carnegie Hall and premiered by So Percussion at Zankel Hall in 2013. The album was released May 19, 2015 on the Brassland label (May 18 in the UK).
Following his acclaimed compositional release Aheym, Bryce Dessner released St. Carolyn by the Sea on March 4th. Released on Deutsche Grammophon/Universal Music, St. Carolyn by the Sea features debut recordings of three of Dessner’s compositions – the title work, “Lachrimae” and “Raphael” – performed by the Copenhagen Philharmonic under conductor Andre de Ridder. The pieces draw from a number of different influences including Jack Kerouac’s novel Big Sur on the title piece, compositional work from renaissance composer John Dowland on “Lachrimae,” and experimentation with an old harmonium on “Raphael.” The recordings feature performances on guitar by Dessner and his twin brother, Aaron. St. Carolyn by the Sea presents Dessner’s works alongside a suite by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, one of Dessner’s peers as a rock guitarist and genre-bounding composer.
Bryce Dessner released Aheym, an album of quartets, on November 5th on Anti- Records. The album finds Dessner collaborating with Grammy Award-winning Kronos Quartet, who are celebrating their 40th anniversary season. Aheym features four original compositions by Dessner performed by Kronos Quartet as well as an appearance by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Dessner and the quartet first crossed paths when Kronos founder David Harrington approached Dessner about writing a piece for the quartet’s performance at the Celebrate Brooklyn! festival at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park in 2009. The ensuing piece, “Aheym” (meaning “homeward” in Yiddish), was informed by the stories of Dessner’s Jewish immigrant grandparents who settled near the park and, as the pair’s collaboration grew, became the album’s title track.
PRESS
Bachtrack, Review of Mari premiere READ
Telerama, November 2021: Bryce Dessner ose tout READ
San Francisco Chronicle, October 2021: review of Violin Concerto US premiere READ
Telegraph, October 2021: UK premiere of Violin Concerto review 4* READ
Guardian, October 2021: UK premiere of Violin Concerto review 4* READ
Gramophone: Meet The Composer READ
Diapason d’Or review for Tenebre album READ
“Bryce Dessner is a man who slips in and out of musical guises with disarming ease… this is gorgeous and full-hearted music.” – NPR
Bryce Dessner in Grammophone: Read
Bryce Dessner and Steve Reich on BBC Radio 4 Minimal Impact: Listen
PHILIP GLASS By BRYCE DESSNER Read
AHEYM
“A gorgeous and compulsively listenable four-track album.”
– Rolling Stone
“A series of captivating and compelling compositions… an excellent debut disc.”
– Grammophone
“Mr. Dessner’s work begins in near-darkness and progresses to light…Kronos gave a taut performance, deeply felt.” NEW YORK TIMES
“New York Times Interactive feature on “Aheym” View
BLACK MOUNTAIN SONGS
“The result is “Black Mountain Songs,” an exhilarating 90-minute staged choral work…The sheer beauty of [Brooklyn Youth Chorus’] singing was captivating.” NEW YORK TIMES
MURDER BALLADES
“The score has vivid instrumentation with marvelous upward string slides.” NEW YORK TIMES
MUSIC FOR WOOD & STRINGS
“Music for Wood and Strings” is proof that Dessner’s taste for experimentation outside indie rock is steadily becoming the more interesting side of his genre-blind personality.”
– The Washington Post
“The result is startlingly enjoyable. Dessner continuously indulges the listener, stacking his instruments’ unique timbre into appealing, consonant harmonies, and hocketing them into a elaborate rhythmic dialogues with each other.”
– Q2
“The music has a folksy freshness and laid-back sparkle. But it also dissolves the division between drums and electric guitar, and slyly promotes the bassist.”
– New York Times
“The most impressive feature of Music for Wood and Strings is the diverse array of emotional impulses it cohesively presents. The piece feels unified and whole, like a rug woven together from a million particolored strands of yarn.”
– Consequence of Sound
ST. CAROLYN BY THE SEA
“It is glacial, patiently ecstatic… Dessner’s ear for string writing is particularly rich”
– Pitchfork
“[Dessner] has spread his wings as a classical composer.”
– New York Times
“With this work, Dessner has proven himself a master of orchestral colour… its breadth and depth were palpable as full brass and percussion brought the work to its apex.”
– Classical Voice America Read
“It is glacial, patiently ecstatic… Dessner’s ear for string writing is particularly rich.”
– Pitchfork
COMPOSITIONS
Circles2021
Bandoneon & String Quartet. 6min.
Commissioned for Julien Labro and Takacs String Quartet by Music Accord, Inc.
Commissioner exclusivity applies
Violin Concerto2021
Violin and Orchestra. 24 min
Commissioned by: Hessischer Rundfunk Symphonieorchester, Orchestre de Paris, San Francisco Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra and the Southbank Centre, London.
Impermanence2021
String Quartet. 60min.
Bryce Dessner's Impermanence is commissioned by the Australian String Quartet and Sydney Dance Company. This commission has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.
Spirals2020
Piano Quartet. 10min.
Commissioned by Notos Quartet
Performing and recording rights are exclusive to the Notos Quartet until February 2023.
Mari2020
Large Orchestra. 18min.
Commissioned by Czech Philharmonic, Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich AG, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and the National Symphony Orchestra, Washington D.C., Gianandrea Noseda – Music Director.
Dedicated to Semyon Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic.
Trombone Concerto2020
Trombone & Orchestra. 20 min.
Co-commissioned by Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn, Orchestre national d’Île-de-France, Orchestra Philharmonique Royal de Liege and Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
Triptych - Eyes Of One On Another2019
SATB Choir. 60min.
Commissioned by University Musical Society, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel Music and Artistic Director BAM Luminato Festival, Toronto, Canada Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Athens, Greece Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati, OH Cal Performances, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA Stanford Live, Stanford University, Stanford, CA Adelaide Festival, Australia MassMOCA, North Adams, MA John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for performance as part of DirectCurrent 2019 ArtsEmerson: World on Stage, Emerson College, Boston, MA Texas Performing Arts, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX Holland Festival Celebrity Series of Boston, MA Wexner Center for the Arts, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH the Momentary, Bentonville, AR
Ornament 12019
Solo Piano. 15min.
Unavailable for performance.
Haven2019
Mixed Ensemble. 8min.
Unavailable for performance.
The Forest. Sederunt principes – Perotin2019
Cello Ensemble. 15min.
Unavailable for performance.
Song for Octave2019
Piano. 3 min.
Quintet for High Strings2018
Electric Guitar & String Quartet
Commissioned by the 92nd Street Y, Benjamin Verdery and De Doelen. The world premiere took place on 10 May 2018 at Kaufmann Concert Hall, New York.
Concerto for Two Pianos2018
Two Pianos and Orchestra. 23 min.
Co-Commissioned by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Borusan Culture Arts Centre, Dresden Philharmonie, Orquesta Nacionales de Espanã and Orchestre de Paris for Katia and Marielle Labèque. The first performance took place on 13 April 2018 at the Royal Festival Hall, London, conducted by John Storgårds.
Voi A Dormir2018
Mezzo-Soprano & Orchestra. 21 min.
This work was co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall, Orchestra of St. Luke’s (made possible through the generosity of Linda and Stuart Nelson), and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
The World Premiere was given by the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and Kelley O’Connor in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall in New York City on February 15, 2018.
Skrik Trio 2017
String trio. 17 min.
Commissioned by Steve Reich and Carnegie Hall for the Three Generations Series. Premiered by Pekka Kuusisto, Nadia Sirota and Nicolas Alstaedt on April 27, 2017 at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY.
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On A Wire2016
Solo Harp. 11 min.
Commissioned by Lavinia Meijer. Premiered by Lavinia Meijer on November 12, 2016 at W2 Poppodium, ’s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
Suite for Harp in three movements2016
Solo Harp.
2nd movement developed in collaboration with Yuki Numata Resnick. Premiered by Lavinia Meijer on October 19, 2016 at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, New York.
Wires2016
Electric Guitar and Chamber Orchestra. 15 min.
Commissioned by Ensemble Intercontemporain and NTR ZaterdagMatinee. Premiered by Ensemble Intercontemporain, conducted by Matthias Pintscher, on September 24, 2016 at Philharmonie de Paris, France.
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Gift2016
Solo Violin. 2 min.
Commissioned by Jennifer Koh with the generous support of Justus Schlichting to whom this music is dedicated. Premiered by Jennifer Koh on May 24, 2016 at National Sawdust in New York, NY, USA as part of her ’Shared Madness’ project for the New York Philharmonic.
El Chan2016
Two pianos. 16 min.
Commissioned by Britten Sinfonia and Wigmore Hall. Premiered by Katia and Marielle Labeque on September 25, 2016 at the Philharmonie de Paris in Paris, France.
El Chan2016
Piano Quartet (Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello). 16 min.
Commissioned by Britten Sinfonia and Wigmore Hall. Premiered by the Birtten Sinfonia on April 12, 2016 at the West Road Concert Hall in Cambridge, England.
The Most Incredible Thing2016
Orchestra. 40 min.
Commissioned by the New York City Ballet. Premiered by the New York City Ballet on February 2, 2016 at Lincoln Center in New York, NY, USA.
Tuusula2015
Cello Solo. 10 min.
Commissioned by Meidän Festivaali, Sounds from a Safe Harbor, and National Sawdust.
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Median Organs2015
Organ Solo. 4 min.
Commissioned by The Southbank Centre. Premiered by James McVinnie on September 24, 2015 at Royal Festival Hall in London, England.
Delphica2015
Solo Viola. 15 min.
Commissioned by Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, Amsterdam for Cross-Linx 2015. Supported by the AMMODO Foundation. Written for Nadia Sirota.
Garcia Counterpoint2015
Solo Electric Guitar And Tape. 8 min.
Commissioned by Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, Amsterdam for Cross-Linx 2015. Supported by the AMMODO Foundation. Inspired by Steve Reich and Jerry Garcia.
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Ornament and Crime2015
Solo Violin. 15 min.
Commissioned by Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, Amsterdam for Cross-Linx 2015. Supported by the AMMODO Foundation. Written for Pekka Kuusisto.
Wave Movements2015
Strings, Timp, Percussion and solo voice, performed live to a film by Hiroshi Sugimoto. c. 60 min.
Co-composed with Richard Reed Parry. Commissioned by Barbican Centre, Edinburgh International Festival, Cork Opera House, Sydney Festival and St. Denis Festival in collaboration with MET Museum Presents for the NY Philharmonic Contact Ensemble.
Tromp Miniature2015
Marimba and Crotales. 5 min.
Commissioned by International Tromp Percussion Competition 2014.
Maximus to Gloucester, Letter 272015
Bass Clarinet, Vibraphone, Piano, Electric Guitar, Cello and Double Bass. 5 min.
Commissioned by Bang on a Can, Muziekgebouw Frits Philips Eindhoven, and Sacrum Profanum Festival. Premiered September 17, 2013 at Sacrum Profanum Festival in Krakow, Poland.
Quilting2014
Orchestra. 17 min.
Commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, to be premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel at the Walt Disney Performance Hall on May 28, 2015 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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40 Canons2014
String Quartet and Guitar. 25 min.
Commissioned by the Kronos Quartet, premiered by Kronos and Bryce Dessner at the Barbican Concert Hall in London, England on May 14, 2014.
Reponse Lutoslawski2014
String Orchestra. 23 min.
Co-commissioned by the National Audiovisual Institute of Poland and the Mexico National Orchestra, premiered by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra at Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera in Warsaw, Poland on November 29, 2014.
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Music For Wood And Strings2013
Percussion Quartet. 40 min.
Commissioned by Carnegie Hall, premiered by So Percussion at Carnegie Hall on November 23, 2013.
Black Mountain Songs2013
Chorus A Capella / Chorus Plus Instruments. 70 min.
Co-curated with Richard Reed Parry. Music by Jherek Bischoff, Bryce Dessner, Tim Hecker, John King, Nico Muhly, Richard Reed Parry, Caroline Shaw, and Aleksandra Vrebalov. Commissioned by The Brooklyn Youth Chorus and Brooklyn Academy of Music, premiered April 13, 2013 at the MusicNOW Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Murder Ballades2013
Flute, Clarinet, Percussion, Piano, Violin, Cello. 16 min.
Commissioned by eighth blackbird and Lunapark and funded by The Doelen Concert Hall Rotterdam, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ Amsterdam, and Muziekgebouw Frits Philips Eindhoven, with the financial support of The Van Beinum Foundation, premiered April 5, 2013 at Muziekgebouw Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
Little Blue Something2012
String Quartet. 7 min.
Written for Kronos Quartet, premiered May 31, 2012 at Ensems Festival in Valencia, Spain.
Lachrimae2012
String orchestra. 15 min.
Commissioned by Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Scottish Ensemble, and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, premiered June 16, 2012 at the Holland Festival. Performed by Amsterdam Sinfonietta, conducted by Andre de Ridder.
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St. Carolyn by the Sea2011
Electric Guitars and Orchestra. 15 min.
Commissioned by American Composers Orchestra and Muziekcentrum Eindhoven.
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To The Sea 2011
Vocal. Variable Duration.
Premiered November 2, 2011 during the “Monstrance” installation collaboration with Matthew Ritchie at L&M Arts Los Angeles.
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The Long Winter2010
Solo Cello. 7 min.
Commissioned by Naive Records (FR) for cellist Zachary Miskin.
Tenebre2010
String Quartet and Pre-Recorded Track. 15 min.
Commissioned by Kronos Quartet and the Barbican (London).
Tour Eiffel2010
Chorus and Mixed Chamber Ensemble. 15 min.
Co-commissioned by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus with St. Ann’s Warehouse, Kaufman Center, Manhattan New Music Project and the Ectstatic Music Festival for performances at St. Ann’s on February 10-12, 2011 and at Merkin Concert Hall on March 12, 2011.
O Shut Your Eyes Against the Wind2010
Piano, Percussion, Electric Guitar, Cello, Double Bass and Clarinet. 15 min.
Commissioned by the People’s Commissioning Fund and Bang on a Can for the Ecstatic Music Festival, Merkin Concert Hall, NYC on February 10, 2011.
The Long Count2009
Orchestra and 4 singers. 70 min.
Co-composed with Aaron Dessner. Commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music Next Wave Festival, premiered October 28-31, 2009.
Aheym2009
String Quartet. 12 min.
Commissioned by Kronos Quartet for the Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival. Soft Premiere March 12, 2009 at the Music Now Festival. NY premiere July 18, 2009 in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.
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The Lincoln Shuffle2009
Brass Ensemble and Electric Guitars. 30 min.
Series of short pieces commissioned by the Rosenbach Library for Abraham Lincoln’s Bi-Centennial, premiered April 2, 2009 at the Rosenbach Library.
Raphael2008
Large Ensemble. 22 min.
Commissioned by Kitchen and the American Composer’s Forum. Premiered March 13th and 14th, 2008 at the Kitchen in New York, NY, USA.
Propolis 2008
Bass Clarinet and Electronics. 40 min.
Co-composed with David Sheppard and Evan Ziporyn. Commissioned by Thyssen Bornemisza Art Contemporary (Vienna) for the Morning Line, a large outdoor sound pavilion by Matthew Ritchie, premiered in October 2008 at the 3rd International Biennial of Contemporary Art of Seville.
Quintets2007
Electric Guitar and String Quartet. 20 min.
Commissioned by the Kitchen and American Composers Forum, premiered March 13-14, 2007 at the Kitchen (NYC).
Turn the River 2007
Score for feature independent film Turn the River. Co-composed with Padma Newsome. Commissioned by Mr. Nice Film Productions.
Memorial 2006
Classical Guitar, Viola, Percussion. 8 min.
Commissioned by the New York Guitar Festival and 92nd Street Y, premiered December 1, 2006 at NY Guitar Festival at the 92nd Street Y.
Bryce Dessner is a vital and rare force in new music. He has won Grammy Awards as a classical composer and with the band The National, of which he is founding member, guitarist, arranger, and co-principal songwriter. He is regularly commissioned to write for the world’s leading ensembles, from Orchestre de Paris to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and is a high-profile presence in film score composition, with credits including The Revenant, for which he was Grammy and Golden Globe nominated, Fernando Mereilles’s The Two Popes, Mike Mill’s C’mon C’mon and the forthcoming Bardo, by Alejandro González Iñárritu.
Dessner collaborates with some of today’s most creative and respected artists, including Philip Glass, Katia and Marielle Labèque, Paul Simon, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Sufjan Stevens, Fernando Mereilles, Thom Yorke, Bon Iver, Nico Muhly, and Steve Reich, who named Dessner “a major voice of his generation.” Dessner’s orchestrations can be heard on the latest albums of Paul Simon, Bon Iver and Taylor Swift.
Bryce Dessner has had works commissioned and premiered by today’s leading conductors including Esa-Pekka Salonen, Gustavo Dudamel, Semyon Bychkov, and Santtu Matias-Rouvali. This season alone sees performances of his works by, amongst others, London’s Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, BBC Symphony Orchestra, HR Sinfonieorchester, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony. New works Violin Concerto - commissioned by partners including Orchestre de Paris, Philharmonia Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony - and Mari, commissioned and performed by Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchester, Czech Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra - have been met with widespread public and critical success.
“Dessner [..] moves fluidly between rock and classical and everywhere in between.”
~ Guardian (October 2021)
In addition to his role as one of eight San Francisco Symphony Collaborative Partners, Bryce Dessner is currently Artist-in-Residence at London’s Southbank Centre and with Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. Major works include Concerto for Two Pianos premiered by Katia & Marielle Labèque, London Philharmonic Orchestra and recorded for Deutsche Grammophon; Violin Concerto premiered and performed internationally by Pekka Kuusisto, Trombone Concerto for Jorgen van Rijen commissioned by Dallas Symphony and l’Orchestre National d’Île de France; Voy a Dormir for mezzo soprano Kelley O’Connor and Orchestra of Saint Luke’s and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; Skrik Trio for Steve Reich and Carnegie Hall; the ballet No Tomorrow co-written with Ragnar Kjartansson; Wires for Ensemble Intercontemporain; The Forest for large cello ensemble, Gautier Capuçon and Fondation Louis Vuitton; and Triptych (Eyes for One on Another), a major theatre piece integrating the photographs of Robert Mapplethorpe and premiered by Los Angeles Philharmonic. Dessner also scored the music - involving full orchestra and a 200-member choir - for the Louis Vuitton show at the Louvre in Paris as part of Paris Fashion Week 2020.
Dessner’s recordings include El Chan; St. Carolyn by the Sea (both Deutsche Grammophon); Aheym, commissioned by Kronos Quartet; Tenebre, an album of his works for string orchestra recorded by Germany’s Ensemble Resonanz and which won a 2019 Opus Klassik award and a Diapason d’Or; When we are inhuman with Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and Eighth Blackbird (2019) and Impermanence (2021) with the Australian String Quartet. Dessner’s other film score credits include The Two Popes, which won Discovery of the Year at the World Soundtrack awards; C’mon C’mon (2021) directed by Mike Mills and Cyrano (2021), the major musical by Joe Wright.
Also active as a curator, Dessner is regularly requested to programme festivals and residencies around the world at venues such as at the Barbican, Philharmonie de Paris, and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. He co-founded and curates the festivals MusicNOW in Cincinnati, HAVEN in Copenhagen, Sounds from a Safe Harbour and PEOPLE.
Bryce Dessner lives in France.
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Not to be edited without permission
CONTACT
MANAGER: BRANDON REID, STRAIGHT & NARROW ARTIST MANAGEMENT
[email protected]
PUBLISHER: GILL GRAHAM, MUSIC SALES
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+44 (0)20 7612 7467
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