Bryce Dessner is a distinguished composer and musician, renowned for his innovative contributions to contemporary music. As a member of the Grammy Award-winning band The National, Dessner has garnered acclaim for his unique blend of rock and classical influences. His recent performance in the New York Premiere of Wires showcased his exceptional talent on the electric guitar, as he collaborated with the Philharmonic to present a captivating program that included Sibelius's First Symphony and Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet. This performance not only highlighted his prowess as a guitarist but also his ability to fuse diverse musical styles, creating a riveting auditory experience. Dessner's work continues to resonate within the classical music community, and he is currently engaged in several exciting projects that promise to further expand his artistic reach. With a commitment to pushing the boundaries of music, Bryce Dessner remains a vital figure in both the contemporary and classical music scenes, captivating audiences with his innovative compositions and performances.

Guitarist

After stays in Hollywood, Armenia, and everywhere between, “Canada’s true renaissance man” (Ottawa Sun) Braid arrives triumphantly to MCO’s stages with rock-star composers Reich, Lizée, Montgomery, and Dessner. 

Sojourn

Crescent Arts Centre

Juraj Valčuha and the orchestra kick off the season with one of the world’s most beloved orchestral works, Dvořák’s soul-stirring New World Symphony. This spotlight on great Czech composers also includes Martinů’s joyful Czech Rhapsody, written in celebration of Czechoslovakia’s 1918 independence.

EPSG:4326

Opening Weekend: Dvořák’s New World

Jones Hall

Join this dynamic group for a celebration of today’s music for strings at its most thrilling and varied, including the meditative Third Symphony by Philip Glass.

Scottish Ensemble Performs Philip Glass

Southbank Centre

Casco Phil trekt opnieuw naar het buitenland! In het kleine Rheda-Wiedenbrück pakken we het groots aan. De naam van Bryce Dessner staat in het collectieve geheugen gegrift als de gitarist en componist voor rockband The National, maar zijn carrière als ‘klassiek’ componist ontwikkelt zich in razendsnel tempo. In zijn Aheym blikt hij melancholisch terug op zijn leven, als een reiziger die terugdenkt aan zijn eerste thuis. Ook Mendelssohn droomde van ander oorden, toen hij zijn Vierde symfonie, de ‘Italiaanse’, componeerde. In zijn bekendste symfonie laat hij de terugkerende muzikale thema’s met elkaar wedijveren in de klassieke vierdelige vorm van de symfonie. Zo kleurde Mendelssohn de Mozartiaanse symfonische traditie bij met de typisch romantische beeldenrijkdom. Het resultaat is een voortreffelijke symfonie die bruist van energie en levenslust. Ook Tsjaikovski beschouwde Mozart als zijn idool. In zijn spectaculaire Rococovariaties zingt de Russische componist een veelkleurige lofzang op de cello. De virtuositeit van de solist, hier de straffe cellist Pierre Fontenelle, wordt ingebed in een transparante en haast lichtvoetige orkestpartituur die van deze variatiereeks een absolute lieveling van het publiek maakt.

Dessner Meets Mendelssohn

Ro ned med klassisk musikk og ta en pause fra en hektisk hverdag.

Musikere fra Oslo-filharmonien inviterer deg til en avslappet og uformell konsert på Trekanten. Vi spiller med et lite orkester som fremfører minimalistisk musikk.

Chillout Kammerkonsert

Fægteklubben Trekanten

Strap in for the psychedelic rollercoaster of Symphonie fantastique, Berlioz’s epic fever dream of obsession, ecstasy, tantrums, and wild ambition. The NSO also performs Bryce Dessner’s Mari and Liszt’s scintillating Piano Concerto No. 1 performed by the “one in a million giant of solo piano” Benjamin Grosvenor (The Independent).

Benjamin Grosvenor plays Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 Daniele Rustioni conducts Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique

California Center for the Arts

If Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is known as a musical embodiment of fate, his Seventh carries the spirit of freedom and liberation, with catchy, dance-like melodies woven throughout. Bryce Dessner, founder of Cincinnati’s MusicNOW Festival and a member of the Grammy-winning band The National, shares two of his works for orchestra.

Beethoven 7 & Dessner Premieres

Cincinnati Music Hall

Lutosławski’s interpretation of music for a funeral, and Bryce Dessner's Réponse Lutoslawski, inspired by the Musique funèbre, open this enlightening and introspective program.

Cso Proof: Réponse

The world-renowned Takács Quartet was founded in 1975 in Budapest, Hungary. Today the quartet, comprised of Edward Dusinberre, Harumi Rhodes (violins), Richard O’Neill (viola) and András Fejér (cello), captivates audiences with their innovative programming. In collaboration with bandoneon virtuoso Julian Labro, the program features music from Labro, Dessner, Bach, Ravel, and more.

Takács Quartet with Julian Labro

Stanford University

Sister pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque are known for their deep artistic interpretations of everything from Mozart to Stravinsky and creative collaborations with composers that have “transformed the piano duo” (The New York Times). The Labèques bring two piano concertos they previously premiered by like-minded composers who are as at home in concert halls as they are in indie rock clubs: Nico Muhly and Bryce Dessner. Toronto Symphony Orchestra Music Director Gustavo Gimeno leads the LA Phil in Prokofiev’s vivid scoring of Shakespeare’s story of forbidden love and warring Montagues and Capulets.

The Labèques, Muhly, and Dessner

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Start your morning off right with brunch bites and a behind-the-scenes look at the process of bringing our concerts to the stage. Finishing Touches gives our audience the opportunity to observe working rehearsals; selections from the program will be rehearsed at the discretion of the conductor.

Danny Elfman's Percussion Concerto

Salt Palace Convention Center

The first of three Sinfonietta Nova concerts will feature London Sinfonietta's Jonathan Morton. The concert will take you on a journey through the raw and palpable power of Krzysztof Penderecki, the eerie and unsettling undercurrent of the Oscar-winning soundtrack 'There Will Be Blood' to the unistic and deeply layered style of composer Zygmunt Krauze, who will sit at the piano.

Sinfonietta Nova

Łaźnia Nowa Theater

Schneider Concerts Presents | Notos Piano Quartett - New York Debut

The New School University Center

Formed in 2018, Dream House Quartet fuses decades of musical mastery of classical and contemporary forms, featuring luminaries the Katia and Marielle Labèque on dueling pianos along with acclaimed composer-guitarists Bryce Dessner (The National) and David Chalmin (innocence, la terre invisible) performing radical new commissions from visionary composers and pivotal contemporary works of the last half century. In its first-ever world tour, this all-star ensemble will bring singular interpretations of several highly influential works of minimalist pioneers and contemporary composers to Austin for the first time. The original double album Minimalist Dream House (released in 2013) gathered interpretations of compositions by pioneers of minimalism and their successors, including Philip Glass, Arvo Pärt, Thom Yorke, Aphex Twin and Brian Eno – artists who bend musical time and space as much as the Labèques, while enjoying the paradoxical freedom of minimalism’s limitations. The Austin premiere of Dream House Quartet will feature new works by Dessner and Chalmin (commissioned for the group) as well as works by Meredith Monk, Steve Reich and Philip Glass.

Dream House Quartet

Bass Concert Hall

The adventurous percussion group Sō Percussion is joined by groundbreaking beatboxer Dominic “Shodekeh” Talifero. The contemporary music program will include a diverse range of repertoire from contemporary “classics” to new works in an “exhilarating blend of precision and anarchy, rigor and bedlam” (The New Yorker). 

Sō Percussion and Shodekeh

Somerville Theatre

You might know Bryce Dessner for his moving work as guitarist and composer for rock outfit The National, but his career as an independent ‘classical’ composer is developing rapidly. The classical path brought Dessner together with icons such as Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Nico Muhly and Caroline Shaw, but also with pop phenomena in the likes of Bon Iver, Paul Simon and Sufjan Stevens. This Birds of Paradise performance will mark the first-ever programme bringing together three of his concerto’s: Trombone Concerto, St. Carolyn by the Sea and Concerto for two pianos. The event concludes with the world premiere of a suite from the Complete Mountain Almanak: a song cycle from Norwegian singer-songwriter Rebekka Karijord for whom Jessica Dessner wrote the lyrics and Bryce orchestrated the arrangements.

Bryce Dessner

De Singel

TivoliVredenburg

Experience the fusion of classical music and modern technology at the "Classic X Live-Electronics" concert, presented by the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. This unique performance is scheduled for Thursday, 23rd February 2023, at 7:30 pm, taking place in the vibrant setting of Munich's Werk 7. The evening promises an extraordinary auditory journey, featuring the talents of the BRSO Academy alongside members of the BRSO and the orchestra academy.

The program for the night is a carefully curated selection of classical compositions intertwined with live electronics, showcasing works from renowned composers across different eras. The lineup includes Johann Sebastian Bach's "Allemande for solo flute," Alfred Schnittke's "String quartet No. 3. 1. Andante," Maurice Ravel's "Streichquartett F-Dur," and Claude Debussy's "String quartet G Minor, op.10." Following an interval, the concert will resume with Steve Reich's "Six Pianos" and Bryce Dessner's "Aheym for String Quartet," bringing a modern twist to the classical music experience.

Leon Weber, a distinguished artist in live electronics, will join the performers, adding an electrifying dimension to the evening's repertoire. This concert is a part of the Classic X series, which aims to bridge the gap between traditional symphonic music and contemporary electronic sounds, offering audiences an innovative and immersive musical experience.

For those interested in attending, tickets are available for purchase online via the BRticket-Webshop. Don't miss this exceptional blend of classical music and live electronics, promising an unforgettable evening in the heart of Munich.

Classic X Live-Electronics

Werk 7

Join Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and conductor Jaime Martín— in his historic debut as music director designate — for a spellbinding performance of Mozart’s Requiem and a West Coast premiere from Grammy Award-winning composer Bryce Dessner.

Mozart’s Requiem

Alex Theatre

Royce Hall

The Philharmonic performs Sibelius’s romantic First Symphony, with a musical palette evoking the atmosphere of his native Finland and enthralling listeners with its grand sweep and intensity. Bryce Dessner — of the Grammy Award–winning band The National — plays electric guitar in the New York Premiere of his own <em>Wires,</em> a riveting fusion of rhythm and sound.

Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, and Bryce Dessner

The compositions "Christian Zeal and Activity" by John Adams and "Itaipú" by Philip Glass are dedicated to different spiritual traditions in America. In his work, written in 1973, John Adams quotes and arranges the English hymn "Onward, Christian Soldiers", which, despite its military tone, was associated with the American civil rights movement. "Itaipú" by Philip Glass deals with the technical colonization of South America. With the construction of the "Itaipú" dam, the world's largest at the time and completed in 1984, which supplies Brazil and Paraguay with electricity, around 40,000 Guaraní indigenous people lost their homeland. Philip Glass composed this moving choral-symphonic work based on the Guaraní creation myth of a flood. The voices of the Guaraní are brought back to life by the Philharmonic Choir and report on the difficult relationship between man and nature. Embedded between these works of American minimalism is the new piano concerto by a crossover artist between different musical genres: Bryce Dressner. The universal US composer became famous on the electric guitar as a member of the indie rock band "The National". At the same time, his reputation as an orchestral composer developed. The German premiere of his new piano concerto will be presented by the well-known pianist Alice Sara Ott in Munich.

Adams Dessner Glass

Gasteig HP8

The Takács Quartet, celebrated for their innovative and varied programming, will be performing alongside bandoneon virtuoso and composer Julien Labro. This collaboration, part of the University of Chicago's Classic Concert Series, promises an evening of exceptional chamber music. The Takács Quartet, now in their forty-ninth season and honored as Gramophone Hall-of-Famers and GRAMMY winners, are renowned for their mastery and profound interpretations. Their partnership with Labro, known for his virtuosity and compositional prowess, brings a unique blend of classical and contemporary sounds.

The program features a diverse selection of works, including Bryce Dessner's "Circles," Labro's "Meditation 1," and Dino Saluzzi's "Minguito." The evening will also include J.S. Bach's "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 645," Labro's "Astoración," and Maurice Ravel's "String Quartet in F Major," with its four movements: Allegro moderato très doux, Assez vif très rhythmé, Très lent, and Vif et agité. Additionally, the performance will showcase Clarice Assad's "Clash," further highlighting the ensemble's commitment to contemporary music.

This concert exemplifies the Takács Quartet's dedication to exploring new musical landscapes while honoring classical traditions, making it a noteworthy event in the chamber music world.

Takács Quartet + Julien Labro

Reynolds Club

How do composers convey their spirituality and identity through their music? Join Parlando on a mystical journey through heritage and time. The program includes Bryce Dessner’s fleet-footed Aheym, Ralph Vaughan Williams’s spellbinding Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, and Olivier Messaien’s transcendent Trois petites ligurgies de la présence divine.

Parlando: Mystic Chords

Kaufman Music Center

The Notos Quartet is one of the most celebrated, young, chamber ensembles to emerge in recent years - praised for its virtuoso brilliance, passion, sensitivity, and mature interpretive powers. Founded in 2007, the Berlin-based piano quartet first drew attention winning first prize in six major international competitions. They made their American debut in 2022 and we look forward to their debut in Tulsa!

Notos Quartet

Tulsa Performing Arts Center

One minute, the sound vibrates through you, your hairs pulled on end. The next: a blissful calm descends. There’s furious amplified sound and then mysterious, holy light to slow the pulse back down…

Manchester Collective: Serenity 2.0

The Grand Theatre & Opera House Leeds

Ever felt overstimulated by your phone screen? Ben Nobuto’s SERENITY 2.0 is a glitched-out collage of frenzied strings, percussion and samples. It cycles restlessly through Japanese pop, news anchors, and vocal-fried YouTubers – but the calm after the doomscrolling is worth the ride.

Manchester Collective: SERENITY 2.0

RNCM (Royal Northern College of Music)

Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture is a work that, in a Tchaikovsky-sensitive way, both tells the lyrical part of Shakespeare's story about the two young lovers and evokes how much the two young people's families were at war with each other. The music is a solid masterpiece that constantly appears in popular culture, but can still give audiences chills and breathlessness.

Bleuse & Shostakovitjs 5

Odense Concert Hall

Experience the pinnacle of performing arts as the Orlando Ballet presents "Balanchine, Graham, Pires" at the esteemed Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. This iconic show, scheduled from March 27th to 30th, 2025, in the magnificent Steinmetz Hall, offers performances at both 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., providing ample opportunity for audiences to witness the brilliance of three uniquely choreographed works.

Dive into the world of George Balanchine with "Divertimento No. 15," a ballet that showcases the choreographer's ingenuity and the sparkling score of Mozart, creating a regal atmosphere with a cast of talented dancers. Then, experience Martha Graham's "Maple Leaf Rag," the final complete ballet choreographed by Graham herself, which offers a humorous and insightful look into the life of a contemporary choreographer, set to the lively tunes of Scott Joplin. Finally, be uplifted by Alysa Pires' "Skyward," a blend of classical and contemporary dance that explores themes of hope and anticipation through its innovative choreography and score by Nico Muhly, Robert Honstein, Bryce Dessner, and David Lang.

Enhance your experience with the VIP Ticket Package, priced at $550 for a 2-person experience or $1,100 for a 4-person experience. This package includes premium reserved loge seating, a choice of gourmet pre-show snacks, complimentary beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), priority access for additional purchases, and an exclusive souvenir poster signed by members of the cast.

Don't miss this extraordinary blend of ballet and contemporary dance, presented by the Orlando Ballet as part of their 24/25 Season. Secure your tickets now and prepare for an unforgettable performance at Steinmetz Hall, located at 445 South Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801. For more information, contact the Bill & Mary Darden Box Office at 407.358.6603.

Balanchine, Graham, Pires

Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

Join us at the Walt Disney Concert Hall for an unforgettable musical journey with "Beethoven & Dessner with Esa-Pekka Salonen." This exceptional series of concerts will take place on Friday, May 2, 2025, at 11:00 AM, Saturday, May 3, 2025, at 8:00 PM, and Sunday, May 4, 2025, at 2:00 PM. 

Under the baton of the renowned conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Los Angeles Philharmonic will present a program that bridges the classical and contemporary. The concert will open with Debussy's ethereal "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun," followed by Bryce Dessner's dynamic "Violin Concerto," featuring the extraordinary Pekka Kuusisto on violin. After the intermission, the orchestra will perform Beethoven's groundbreaking "Symphony No. 3, Eroica," a masterpiece of emotional depth and structural innovation.

This performance not only showcases Beethoven’s "Eroica Symphony" as one of the most revolutionary works in classical music but also highlights the artistic reunion of two of Finland’s finest musicians, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Pekka Kuusisto. Dessner's Violin Concerto, described by Kuusisto as "super energetic, athletic, active but it’s the big changes of scenery that really make it magic," promises to be a highlight of the concert.

Don't miss this opportunity to experience the power of Beethoven's defiance paired with the fluidity of Debussy and the energetic innovation of Dessner, all brought to life by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Programs, artists, dates, prices, and availability are subject to change. All sales are final. For more information and to secure your tickets, visit the LA Phil website.

Bryce Dessner

Guitarist

Events

Upcoming events

15 - 16 Jan, 2025

Adams Dessner Glass · Munich Philharmonic

Jan 17, 2025

Takács Quartet + Julien Labro · UChicago Presents

Feb 23, 2025

Parlando: Mystic Chords · Kaufman Music Center

7 - 9 Mar, 2025

Notos Quartet · Chamber Music Tulsa

Mar 13, 2025

Manchester Collective: Serenity 2.0 · Opera North

Past events

Nov 21, 2024

Sojourn · Manitoba Chamber Orchestra

4 - 6 Oct, 2024

Opening Weekend: Dvořák’s New World · Houston Symphony

Future and recently performed repertoire

Electric Guitar in Romeo and Juliet by Tchaikovsky

New York Philharmonic

About

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