Bryce David Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

based in Paris, as well as a member of the rock band the National. Dessner's twin brother

Aaron According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ''′aharon'', ar, هارون, Hārūn, Greek (Septuagint): Ἀαρών; often called Aaron the priest ()., group="note" ( or ; ''’Ahărōn'') was a prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of ...

is also a member of the group. Together they write the music, in collaboration with lead singer / lyricist

Matt Berninger Matthew Donald Berninger (, born February 13, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter, primarily known as the frontman and lyricist of indie rock band The National. In 2014, he also formed the EL VY project with Brent Knopf of Ramona Falls and ...

. In addition to his work with the National, Dessner is known for his independent work as a composer. His orchestral, chamber, and vocal compositions have been commissioned by the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic, commonly referred to as the LA Phil, is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at th ...

ensemble intercontemporain The Ensemble intercontemporain (EIC) is a French music ensemble, based in Paris, that is dedicated to contemporary music. Pierre Boulez founded the EIC in 1976 for this purpose, the first permanent organization of its type in the world. Organi ...

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

(for the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

Kronos Quartet The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for almost 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classic ...

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

BAM Next Wave Festival The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhi ...

Edinburgh International Festival The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially classical music) and the performing arts are i ...

, Sounds from a Safe Harbour Festival, Cork City County, Cork Ireland,

Sydney Festival Sydney Festival is a major arts festival in Australia's largest city, Sydney that runs for three weeks every January, since it was established in 1977. The festival program features in excess of 100 events from local and international artists an ...

, eighth blackbird,

Sō Percussion Sō Percussion is an American percussion quartet formed in 1999 and based in New York City. Composed of Josh Quillen, Adam Sliwinski, Jason Treuting, and Eric Cha-Beach, the group is well known for recording and touring internationally and for th ...

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...

, and many others. His work ''Murder Ballades'' was featured on eighth blackbird's album ''Filament'', an album he also produced and performs on, and which won the 2016

Grammy Award for Best Small Ensemble Performance The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by m ...

. Dessner has collaborated with artists such as

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

Steve Reich Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer known for his contribution to the development of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, a ...

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

Sufjan Stevens Sufjan Stevens ( ; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released nine solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nomi ...

Nico Muhly Nico Asher Muhly (; born August 26, 1981) is an American contemporary classical music composer and arranger who has worked and recorded with both classical and pop musicians. A prolific composer, he has composed for many notable symphony orchestras ...

Jonny Greenwood Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood (born 5 November 1971) is an English musician and composer. He is the lead guitarist and keyboardist of the alternative rock band Radiohead, and has written numerous film scores. Along with his elder brother, th ...

Ryuichi Sakamoto is a Japanese composer, pianist, singer, record producer and actor who has pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto inf ...

Alejandro González Iñárritu Alejandro González Iñárritu (; American Spanish: ; credited since 2016 as Alejandro G. Iñárritu; born 15 August 1963) is a Mexican filmmaker and screenwriter. He is primarily known for making modern psychological drama films about the hum ...

Justin Peck Justin Peck (born September 8, 1987) is an American choreographer, director, and dancer associated with New York City Ballet, of which he was appointed Resident Choreographer in July 2014, being the second person in the history of the instituti ...

, Ragnar Kjartansson,

Katia and Marielle Labèque The Labèque sisters, Katia (born 11 March 1950) and Marielle (born 6 March 1952), are an internationally known French piano duo. Biography Education and first performances Katia and Marielle were both born in Bayonne, on the southwest coast ...

, and

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

, among others. Dessner is the founder of the MusicNOW Festival, co-founder of Copenhagen's HAVEN festival, and co-curates the festival Sounds from a Safe Harbour. He is a founding member of the improvisatory instrumental group

Clogs Clogs are a type of footwear made in part or completely from wood. Used in many parts of the world, their forms can vary by culture, but often remained unchanged for centuries within a culture. Traditional clogs remain in use as protective fo ...

and co-founder of

Brassland Records Brassland is an independent record label founded in 2001 by Alec Hanley Bemis, Aaron Dessner, and Bryce Dessner. History In Brassland's early years, Bemis worked as a freelance journalist for ''LA Weekly'' and ''The New York Times''. The Dessners ...

. In 2018, Dessner was named one of eight creative and artistic partners for

San Francisco Symphony The San Francisco Symphony (SFS), founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San Fr ...

as part of incoming Music Director

Esa-Pekka Salonen Esa-Pekka Salonen (; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish orchestral conductor and composer. He is principal conductor and artistic advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and music di ...

's new leadership model for the orchestra from 2020. He has a master's degree in music from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

Early life

Dessner grew up in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

with his twin brother,

Aaron Dessner Aaron Brooking Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band the National, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums; a co-founder of the indie ...

. Dessner was raised as

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

and has

Polish Jewish The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the lon ...

and

Russian Jewish The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest pop ...

ancestry. Dessner attended high school at

Cincinnati Country Day School Cincinnati Country Day School (abbreviated CCDS) is a private, coeducational, independent school located in Indian Hill, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. History Cincinnati Country Day School was founded in 1926 and was inspired by the Country Day ...

and graduated in 1994.

Composer

Dessner's compositions draw on elements from Baroque and folk music, late Romanticism and modernism, as well as minimalism. He composed the cello ensemble for

Fondation Louis Vuitton The Louis Vuitton Foundation ( French: ''Fondation d'entreprise Louis-Vuitton''), previously Louis Vuitton Foundation for Creation (''Fondation Louis-Vuitton pour la création''), is a French art museum and cultural center sponsored by the group L ...

and

Gautier Capuçon With Jean-Claude Casadesus Gautier Capuçon (born 3 September 1981) is a French cellist. Biography Gautier Capuçon was born in Chambéry, Savoie, the youngest of three siblings. His brother is the violinist Renaud Capuçon. He started learni ...

's Classe d'Excellence, which was premiered in June 2019. Concerto for Two Pianos, written for Katia and Marielle Labèque, premiered with

London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony ...

in April 2018; ''Voy a Dormir'' (2018) written for mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor and the

Orchestra of St. Luke's The Orchestra of St. Luke's (OSL) is an American chamber orchestra based in New York City, formed in 1974. Orchestra of St. Luke’s presents over 70 concerts, programs, and events in a variety of diverse musical genres every season, including an ...

and commissioned by Carnegie Hall; ''Skrik Trio'', commissioned by Steve Reich and Carnegie Hall for the Three Generations Series and premiered by Pekka Kuusisto, Nadia Sirota and

Nicolas Altstaedt Nicolas Altstaedt (born 1982) is a German classical cellist. Biography and career Altstaedt was born in Heidelberg, Germany. As a soloist, conductor, and artistic director, he performs repertoire spanning from early music to the contemporar ...

in April 2017 at Carnegie Hall; ''No Tomorrow'' (a ballet by Ragnar Kjartansson, Margrét Bjarnadóttir and Bryce Dessner) which premiered as part of the Sacrifice Festival, April 2017 and winner of Iceland's Griman Award; The soundtrack for ''Death of Marsha P. Johnson'', the Netflix documentary about the LGBT rights activist (2017); ''Wires'', commissioned for the legendary Ensemble Intercontemporain, premiered at the Philharmonie de Paris with and Matthias Pintscher in 2016; ''The Most Incredible Thing'' written for the New York City Ballet, choreographed by Justin Peck with costumes by Marcel Dzama, which premiered February 2016 at Lincoln Center; ''Quilting'' for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which premiered in May 2015 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and was performed by the LA Phil, conducted by

Gustavo Dudamel Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel Ramírez (born 26 January 1981) is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist who is the music director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Paris Opera. Early life Dudamel was bor ...

; ''Wave Movements,'' an orchestral work co-composed with

Richard Reed Parry Richard Reed Parry (born October 4, 1977) is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, best known as a core member of the Grammy Award-winning indie rock band Arcade Fire, where he plays a wide variety of instruments, often switching ...

and featuring visuals by the photographer

Hiroshi Sugimoto is a Japanese photographer and architect. He leads the Tokyo-based architectural firm New Material Research Laboratory. Early life and education Hiroshi Sugimoto was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. He reportedly took his earliest photographs ...

, which premiered at the Barbican Concert Hall in London in the spring of 2015; ''40 Canons'' for the Grammy Award-winning Kronos Quartet, which premiered at the Barbican Concert Hall in London in the spring of 2014; ''Reponse Lutoslawski'' for the National Audiovisual Institute of Poland, which was premiered by the

Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR), is one of Poland's radio orchestra and premier musical institutions. It was founded in 1935 in Warsaw. In 1945 the orchestra was re-established in Katowice and since 2006 it has become a "Nati ...

in Warsaw in fall 2014; ''Black Mountain Songs'' for the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, which premiered at the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

in November 2014 and was released by

New Amsterdam Records New Amsterdam Records is a record label in New York City that was formed in 2008 by Judd Greenstein, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and William Brittelle to promote classically trained musicians who fall between traditional genre boundaries. Often abbrev ...

in March 2017; ''Music For Wood and Strings'' with Sō Percussion, which premiered at

in November 2013; and ''Murder Ballades'' a work inspired by American folk music and written for the multiple Grammy-winning new-music ensemble eighth blackbird. The group premiered the piece in Eindhoven in April 2013 and featured it on their 2015 album "Filament." In addition to his work being featured on "Filament," Dessner produced the album which won the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance in 2016. ''Murder Ballades'' is also used as the score for a ballet of the same name, choreographed by Justin Peck for the L.A. Dance Project. The ballet premiered in Lyon, France in September 2013. In October 2014, the piece was performed by eighth blackbird as a live music accompaniment for a performance by the L.A. Dance Project at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In addition, important past compositions by Dessner include three string quartets for Kronos Quartet (''Aheym,'' ''Tenebre'' and ''Little Blue Something''); ''Tour Eiffel'' for the Brooklyn Youth Chorus; ''O Shut Your Eyes Against the Wind'' for

Bang on a Can All Stars The Bang on a Can All-Stars is an amplified ensemble that was formed in 1992 by parent organization Bang on a Can. Called "a flexible and expert sextet" by ''The New York Times'',

; ''Lachrimae'' for the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Scottish Ensemble, and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra; ''St. Carolyn by the Sea'' for the American Composers Orchestra and Muziekcentrum Eindhoven; and ''El Chan'' for piano quartet or piano duo, and which is widely toured by

. His evening-length oratorio ''Triptych (Eyes of One on Another)'' includes libretto by Korde Arrington Tuttle and poems by Patti Smith and Essex Hemphill, featuring vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth, soprano Alicia Hall Moran, tenor Isaiah Thomas and dancer/choreographer Martell Ruffin, and combining 16th-century madrigals, blues and post-modern musical influences. Produced by ArKtype and directed by Kaneza Schaal, the work was created in partnership with The

Robert Mapplethorpe Robert Michael Mapplethorpe (; November 4, 1946 – March 9, 1989) was an American photographer, best known for his black-and-white photographs. His work featured an array of subjects, including celebrity portraits, male and female nudes, self-p ...

Foundation. It explored the work of the photographer through the lens of its African-American subjects via Tuttle's deeply personal view of the contradictions and inherent racism within the artist's adoration and deification of the Black body, often eluding its humanism. It premiered as a concert version conducted by Sara Jobin with co-commissioner LA Philharmonic at Disney Hall in Los Angeles on March 5, 2019, followed by the full theatrical world premiere with co-commissioner and lead producing partner University Musical Society at the Power Center of Ann Arbor, on March 14, 2019. ''Triptych (Eyes of One on Another)'' was Dessner's first major theatrical work, and among the only rights granted for use of Mapplethorpe's images in performance. Additional co-commissioners included the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Holland Festival, Luminato Festival, Toronto; Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center as part of the Nostos Festival, Athens, Greece; Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati, OH; Stanford Live, Stanford University, Stanford, CA; Adelaide Festival, Australia; John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for performance as part of DirectCurrent 2019; ArtsEmerson: World on Stage, Cal Performances, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA; Texas Performing Arts, University of Texas at Austin; Wexner Center for the Arts, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; the Momentary, Bentonville, AR, Celebrity Series, Boston, MA; and developed in residency with MassMOCA, North Adams, MA. The ballet, ''Frame of Mind'', choreographed by Sydney Dance Company's Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela and featuring Dessner's string quartet compositions ''Aheym'' and ''Tenebre'', has been toured all over the world and has won several Helpmann Awards. In January 2012, Dessner signed to Chester Novello Publishing for his concert music. The first recordings of Dessner's compositions, performed by the Kronos Quartet, were released in 2013 by Anti- Records. The album, "Aheym," features four of Dessner's compositions: ''Tenebre,'' ''Little Blue Something'', ''Tour Eiffel,'' and ''Aheym.'' On March 4, 2014

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

/Universal Music Classics released "St Carolyn By the Sea; Suite from There Will Be Blood." Performed by the

Copenhagen Philharmonic The Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra (Danish language, Danish: Sjællands Symfoniorkester), also known as the Tivoli Symphony Orchestra, is a Danish symphony orchestra which both serves as Danish Regional Symphony Orchestra, Danish Regional Orchest ...

and conducted by Andre de Ridder, the album features three of Dessner's orchestral works (''St. Carolyn by the Sea'', ''Lachrimae'' and ''Raphael'') as well as the suite from ''There Will Be Blood'' by Jonny Greenwood. May 19, 2015 marked the release on

Brassland Brassland is an independent record label founded in 2001 by Alec Hanley Bemis, Aaron Dessner, and Bryce Dessner. History In Brassland's early years, Bemis worked as a freelance journalist for ''LA Weekly'' and ''The New York Times''. The Dessners ...

of ''Music for Wood and Strings'', an album-length work composed by Dessner and performed by Sō Percussion on a set of

experimental musical instruments ''Experimental Musical Instruments'' was a periodical edited and published by Bart Hopkin, an instrument builder and writer about 20th century experimental music design and custom made instrument construction. Though no longer in print, back iss ...

Dessner named "Chord Sticks" and built by Aron Sanchez from

Buke and Gase Buke and Gase (formerly spelled Buke and Gass) ( and ) is a Brooklyn-based musical duo named after the musical instruments invented and built by founders Arone Dyer and Aron Sanchez; the ''buke'' is a six-string former-baritone ukulele and the ...

. The instruments function on the

3rd bridge The 3rd bridge is an extended playing technique used on the electric guitar and other string instruments that allows a musician to produce distinctive timbres and overtones that are unavailable on a conventional string instrument with two br ...

principle, with muting the string attack and let the string resonance swell afterwards. In April 2019,

released the album ''El Chan'' featuring an all-Dessner programme performed by

including ''Concerto for two pianos'', ''El Chan'', and ''Haven'' with Dessner on electric guitar. The album is dedicated to Dessner's friend and collaborator,

, who also designed the album cover. Also in spring 2019, New York's

Metropolitan Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

, for one of its first contemporary installations, featured the song ''Death is Elsewhere'' written by Bryce alongside

, Ragnar Kjartansson, Gyda Valtýsdóttir and Kristín Anna. Dessner now resides in Paris and has been increasingly active composing for major European ensembles and soloists.

Film scores

Dessner has written the score for the major

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

film ''

The Two Popes ''The Two Popes'' is a 2019 biographical drama film directed by Fernando Meirelles and written by Anthony McCarten, adapted from McCarten's play ''The Pope'' which premiered at Royal & Derngate Theatre in 2019. Predominantly set in the Vati ...

'' (2019) directed by

Fernando Meirelles Fernando Ferreira Meirelles (; born 9 November 1955) is a Brazilian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for co-directing the film '' City of God'', released in 2002 in Brazil and in 2003 in the U.S. by Miramax Films, which ...

, recorded with

London Contemporary Orchestra The London Contemporary Orchestra (LCO), founded in 2008 by Hugh Brunt and Robert Ames, is an ensemble of young musicians whose stated aim is "to explore and promote new music to an increasingly wide audience". LCO staged its inaugural season at ...

at London's

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...

. In October 2015, Dessner was tapped along with

and

Alva Noto Carsten Nicolai (18 September 1965), also known as Alva Noto, is a German musician and visual artist. He is a member of the music groups Diamond Version with Olaf Bender (Byetone), Signal with Frank Bretschneider and Olaf Bender, Cyclo with Ryo ...

, to compose the score for the Grammy Award-winning director

film '' The Revenant'' (2015). They received a nomination for Best Original Score in the 2016 Golden Globes and a nomination in the 2017 Grammy Awards for Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media category. Dessner's piece ''Tour Eiffel'' was featured in the 2015

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

winner

Dheepan ''Dheepan'' is a 2015 French crime drama film directed by Jacques Audiard and co-written by Audiard, Thomas Bidegain, and Noé Debré. The film was partly inspired by Montesquieu's ''Persian Letters'', as well as the 1971 film '' Straw Dogs'', w ...

, directed by Jacques Audiard. ''Tour Eiffel'' is performed by the Kronos Quartet and Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Bryce and his brother

co-composed the score for Transpecos, which won the Audience Award at the 2016

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

. They also worked together on the score for 2013 film

Big Sur Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur ha ...

, an adaptation of the 1962 novel of the same name by

Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian a ...

. The film debuted on January 23, 2013 at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

, where it received positive reviews. In 2007, Dessner and Padma Newsome's quartet,

, had their music serve as the soundtrack to the film Turn the River (2007).

Collaborations

Dessner is a frequent collaborator with many respected artists, including Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Alejandro Iñarritú, Paul Simon, Sufjan Stevens, Caroline Shaw, Johnny Greenwood, Bon Iver, Justin Peck, Jennifer Koh, Kelley O'Connor, Ragnar Kjartansson and Nico Muhly.

The Most Incredible Thing

"The Most Incredible Thing" is a ballet created by Dessner, Justin Peck and Marcel Dzama. Based on

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consisti ...

's dark 1870 fairy tale of the same name, the ballet was written for the New York City Ballet and premiered at Lincoln Center in New York on February 2, 2016. The piece was performed throughout the New York City Ballet's 2016 season and was brought to the

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

in March 2016.

Planetarium

''Planetarium'' is a song cycle celebrating the solar system created by Dessner, Nico Muhly, Sufjan Stevens, and James McAlister. The piece was co-commissioned by Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, the

and the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

and had its first run of European shows in March 2012. ''Planetarium'' has been performed at the Barbican Centre in London, Muziektheater in Amsterdam, the

in Australia, Salle Pleyel in Paris and the

in April 2013, where it had a four-night run.

The Long Count

"The Long Count" was a large commission for the BAM Next Wave Festival created by Bryce, Aaron Dessner and visual artist Matthew Ritchie. Together they created a work loosely based on the Mayan creation story 'Popol Vuh' that includes a 12 piece orchestra and four guest singers:

Kim Deal Kimberley Ann Deal (born June 10, 1961) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She was the bassist and the co-vocalist in the alternative rock band Pixies, before forming the Breeders in 1989. Deal joined Pixies in January ...

Kelley Deal Kelley Deal (born June 10, 1961) is an American musician and singer. She has been lead guitarist and co-vocalist of the alternative rock band The Breeders since 1992, and has formed her own side-projects with bands such as R. Ring and The Kelley ...

, and

Shara Worden Shara Nova (previously Worden) is the lead singer and songwriter for My Brightest Diamond. As a composer she is most recognized for her choral compositions and the baroque chamber opera "You Us We All". New music composers Sarah Kirkland Snide ...

. The work had its world premiere on September 11, 2009 at the

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts The Krannert Center for the Performing Arts is an educational and performing arts complex located at 500 South Goodwin Avenue in Urbana, Illinois and on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Herman C. Krannert, an industrial ...

, as part of the Ellnora Festival, and its New York premiere in October 2009 at the

. It has since been performed at the

Holland Festival The Holland Festival () is the oldest and largest performing arts festival in the Netherlands. It takes place every June in Amsterdam. It comprises theatre, music, opera and modern dance. In recent years, multimedia, visual arts, film and archite ...

and the Barbican.

Tunde Adebimpe Babatunde Omoroga Adebimpe (born February 26, 1975) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, actor, director, and visual artist best known as the lead singer of the Brooklyn-based band TV on the Radio. Early life Adebimpe was born into a Nig ...

, a member of the band

TV on the Radio TV on the Radio (TVOTR) is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2001. The band consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops), David Andrew Sitek (guitars, keyboards, loops), Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and Jale ...

joined Dessner, Aaron, and Ritchie for the Barbican Centre performance.

Forever Love

Forever Love, a work with renowned Icelandic performance artist Ragnar Kjartansson, is a blending of visual and performance art with live music. The piece is a collaborative song cycle written and performed with Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner alongside Icelandic artists Gyða and Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir, formerly of the Icelandic band

múm Múm (stylized in lowercase) () is an Icelandic indietronica band whose music is characterized by soft vocals, electronic glitch beats and effects, and a variety of traditional and unconventional instruments. History The band was formed in 1 ...

. It was commissioned by Eaux Claires Festival and made its world premiere in 2015 where it served as the official starting point of the festival on both Friday and Saturday. Forever Love marked a live performance reunion for the Dessner twins and Kjartansson, as both artists had previously collaborated on a six-hour video work
A Lot of Sorrow
which documents The National performing their three and a half minute song, "Sorrow," for six hours in front of a live audience at

MoMA PS1 MoMA PS1 is a contemporary art institution located in Court Square in the Long Island City neighborhood in the borough of Queens, New York City. In addition to its exhibitions, the institution organizes the Sunday Sessions performance series, th ...

Kronos Quartet

Dessner first collaborated with Kronos Quartet in 2009. Founder David Harrington approached him about composing a piece for their performance at the Celebrate Brooklyn! festival in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. The piece Dessner wrote, ''Aheym'', (meaning "homeward" in

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

), was inspired by his

immigrant grandparents who settled near the park when they arrived in Brooklyn. In 2011, Dessner was commissioned by Kronos Quartet to compose a piece for the Barbican Centre's "Reverberations: The Influence of Steve Reich" festival in London. The piece, ''Tenebre'', is based on the traditional

Holy Week Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, w ...

service in which 15 candles are gradually extinguished. Dessner, in his own words, "inverts the service" drawing the listener from darkness into light. ''Tenebre'' premiered May 7, 2011 at LSO St. Luke's and featured the pre-recorded vocals of Sufjan Stevens. In 2012, Dessner wrote and dedicated ''Little Blue Something'' to the ensemble. The piece was inspired by the music of Irena and Vojtech Havel, who blend

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad musical era for the beginning of Western classical m ...

with Czech folk music. It was premiered by Kronos on May 31, 2012 at the Ensems Festival in Valencia, Spain.

Day of the Dead

On March 17, 2016, Bryce and Aaron Dessner announced ''Day of the Dead'', a charity tribute album to the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

released by 4AD on May 20, 2016. ''Day of the Dead'' was created, curated and produced by Bryce and Aaron. The compilation is a wide-ranging tribute to the songwriting and experimentalism of the Dead which took four years to record, features over 60 artists from varied musical backgrounds, 59 tracks and is almost 6 hours long. All profits are helping to fight for AIDS/ HIV and related health issues around the world through the Red Hot Organization. ''Day of the Dead'' is the follow up to 2009's ''Dark Was The Night'' (4AD), a 32-track, multi-artist compilation also produced by Aaron and Bryce for Red Hot. ''Day of the Dead'' features collaborations and recordings from a diverse group of artists including

Wilco Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently dur ...

Flaming Lips Flaming may refer to: * Anything set aflame or on fire * Flaming (Internet), the act of posting deliberately hostile messages on the Internet * Flame maple, the striped figures in maple woodwork prized for their beauty * Fläming, a region in G ...

Bruce Hornsby Bruce Randall Hornsby (born November 23, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. His music draws from folk rock, jazz, bluegrass, folk, Southern rock, country rock, jam band, rock, heartland rock, and blues rock musical traditions ...

Justin Vernon Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon (born April 30, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the primary songwriter and frontman of indie folk band Bon Iver. Known for his distinct falsetto voic ...

, The National, The War on Drugs,

Lee Ranaldo Lee Mark Ranaldo (born February 3, 1956) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, guitarist, writer, visual artist and record producer, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth (guitar and vocals). In 2004, ''Rolling ...

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...

Ira Kaplan Ira Kaplan (born January 7, 1957) is a co-founder, vocalist, guitarist and songwriter in the American indie rock band Yo La Tengo. He is married to the band's co-founder Georgia Hubley. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Kaplan formed Yo La Te ...

Yo La Tengo Yo La Tengo (YLT; Spanish for "I have her") is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, piano, vocals), and James McNew ...

Jenny Lewis Jennifer Diane Lewis (born January 8, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She was the lead singer, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist for the indie rock band Rilo Kiley. Lewis gained prominence in the 1980s as a child a ...

Unknown Mortal Orchestra Unknown Mortal Orchestra (UMO) is a New Zealand psychedelic rock band formed in Auckland, primarily composed of singer, guitarist, and songwriter Ruban Nielson, and bassist Jake Portrait. The band is currently based in Portland, Oregon, United ...

Perfume Genius Michael Alden Hadreas (born September 25, 1981), better known by his stage name Perfume Genius, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Hadreas's music explores topics including sexuality, his personal struggle with Crohn's disease, do ...

Jim James James Edward Olliges Jr. (born April 27, 1978), professionally known as Jim James or Yim Yames, is an American vocalist, guitarist, producer, and primary songwriter of the rock band My Morning Jacket. He has also released several solo albums. ...

My Morning Jacket My Morning Jacket is an American rock band formed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1998. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Jim James, bassist Tom Blankenship, drummer Patrick Hallahan, guitarist Carl Broemel, and keyboardist Bo Koster. The ba ...

, Senegalese collective Orchestra Baobob, composer

Terry Riley Terrence Mitchell "Terry" Riley (born June 24, 1935) is an American composer and performing musician best known as a pioneer of the minimalist school of composition. Influenced by jazz and Indian classical music, his music became notable for it ...

and his son

Gyan Riley Gyan Riley (born 1977) is an American guitarist and composer. He is a son of minimalist composer Terry Riley. They frequently collaborate, including a tour in Europe in September 2016. Gyan Riley studied at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He ...

, electronic artist

Tim Hecker Tim Hecker is a Canadian electronic musician, producer, composer, and sound artist. His work, spanning atmospheric ambient albums such as ''Harmony in Ultraviolet'' (2006), ''Ravedeath, 1972'' (2011) and ''Virgins'' (2013), has been widely cr ...

, jazz pianist

Vijay Iyer Vijay Iyer (born October 26, 1971) is an American composer, pianist, bandleader, producer and writer based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' has called him a "social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, histori ...

and

Bela Fleck Bela may refer to: Places Asia *Bela Pratapgarh, a town in Pratapgarh District, Uttar Pradesh, India *Bela, a small village near Bhandara, Maharashtra, India *Bela, another name for the biblical city Zoara * Bela, Dang, in Nepal * Bela, Janakpur, ...

. Of the 59 tracks on the compilation, many feature a house band made up of Bryce, Aaron, fellow The National bandmates and brothers Scott and

Bryan Devendorf Bryan Devendorf is an American drummer. He is best known as a founding member of the indie rock band The National, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums. Devendorf is also a member of the experimental rock bands Pfarmers and LNZNDRF. In ...

, Josh Kaufman (who co-produced the project), and Conrad Doucette along with Sam Cohen and Walter Martin. The National have a couple of tracks on the album, including "Peggy-O," "Morning Dew" and "I Know You Rider." A ''Day of the Dead'' live performance took place in August 2016 at the second annual Eaux Claires Festival (August 12–13) featuring

, Matthew Houck,

Lucius Lucius ( el, Λούκιος ''Loukios''; ett, Luvcie) is a male given name derived from ''Lucius'' (abbreviated ''L.''), one of the small group of common Latin forenames (''praenomina'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius derives from L ...

Will Oldham Joseph Will Oldham (born January 15, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded in collaboration with dozens of other musicians under variations of Palace (Palace, Palace Flophouse, Palace Br ...

Sam Amidon Samuel Tear Amidon (born June 3, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Musical career In 2001, Amidon self-released ''Solo Fiddle'', an album of traditional Irish fiddle instrumentals. Amidon's first album of ...

, Richard Reed Parry,

, Ruban Nielson and The National.

Other collaborations and commissions

Dessner is a frequent collaborator with many of the most creative and renowned musicians working today, such as

, Bang on a Can All-Stars, and

Glenn Kotche Glenn Kotche (born December 31, 1970 in Roselle, Illinois, United States) is an American drummer and composer, best known for his involvement in the band Wilco. He was named the 40th greatest drummer of all time by Gigwise in 2008. Prior to w ...

. Dessner served as the musical director for Matthew Ritchie's 'The Morning Line' installation, collaborating with Ritchie and a number of contemporary composers, including

and

Evan Ziporyn Evan Ziporyn (b. Chicago, Illinois, December 14, 1959) is an American composer of post-minimalist music with a cross-cultural orientation, drawing equally from classical music, avant-garde, various world music traditions, and jazz. Ziporyn h ...

. In 2011, Dessner collaborated with Ritchie again, composing a song entitled "To The Sea," which was used for Matthew Ritchie's performance art piece 'Monstrance.' 'Monstrance' was performed in November 2011 on Venice Beach in Los Angeles, California. The performance was accompanied by a multi-media exhibition at L&M Arts, LA. On July 2, 2009, Dessner performed Steve Reich's "

2×5 2×5 is a composition by Steve Reich written in 2008. It is scored for five musicians and pre-recorded tape, or two identical quintets on rock instruments, in total: 2 drum sets, 2 pianos, 4 electric guitars, 2 bass guitars. It is described as a ...

" premiere alongside Reich at the Manchester International Festival. On Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

and Friday, January 27, 2012 at Carnegie Hall, Dessner performed the world premiere of David Lang's new composition "death speaks" with Nico Muhly,

, and

Owen Pallett Michael James Owen Pallett (born September 7, 1979) is a Canadian composer, violinist, keyboardist, and vocalist. Under their erstwhile moniker of Final Fantasy, Pallett won the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for the album ''He Poos Clouds''. Pallet ...

. Dessner is also featured on the "death speaks" record, which he produced. Dessner and

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...

performed "The Music Of Jonny Greenwood And Bryce Dessner" as part of the 2012

. For the performance, Bryce composed a piece entitled "Lachrimae" as well as performed two other pieces with his brother Aaron Dessner and the Amsterdam Sinfonietta. The program was performed at the

Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ (English language, English: "Music Building on the IJ") is the main concert hall for contemporary classical music on the IJ (Amsterdam), IJ in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The building opened in 2005 and is located above the IJt ...

in Amsterdam and the Muziekgebouw Frits Philips in Eindhoven. Dessner also recently collaborated with

The Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member S ...

on Parry's album "Music for Heart and Breath." In 2020, Bryce composed orchestrations for

's eighth studio album, ''Folklore'', which was produced and co-written by his brother Aaron Dessner. In 2020, he also collaborated with Swift on her ninth studio album, ''Evermore'', with the song "Coney Island" with his band The National.

Curator

Dessner is the founder and curator of the annual Cincinnati-based MusicNOW Festival. He was recently tapped to curate 'Mountains and Waves,' a weekend celebration of his music at the Barbican in London, May 2015, with guests including Steve Reich, eighth blackbird, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Sō Percussion, Caroline Shaw, and the Britten Sinfonia. In September 2015, Dessner curated a weekend of performances at the

Cork Opera House Cork Opera House is a theatre and opera house in Cork in Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the Nort ...

, Ireland. He is also the co-founder and co-curator of Crossing Brooklyn Ferry. In March 2010, Dessner co-curated the

Big Ears Festival The Big Ears Festival is an annual music festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, created and produced by AC Entertainment. History The festival was founded in 2009 by Ashley Capps, founder of AC Entertainment. The festival was originally organized b ...

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

MusicNOW Festival

The MusicNOW Festival was founded by Dessner in April 2006. The festival is an annual showcase of the best in contemporary music, featuring musicians from around the world, and is held in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, Ohio. The first festival was held at the small downstairs room at the Cincinnati CAC and featured performances from

's Glenn Kotche,

The Books ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, Erik Freidlander, Bell Orchestre, Burmese drummer Kyaw Kyaw Naing, and the Clogs. The following year the festival was moved to the Cincinnati Memorial Hall, which would become its home for the next several years. As the festival grew and established itself as an important annual cultural event, Dessner continued to curate line-ups that featured risk-taking artists who do not fit neatly into genre-defined categories. MusicNOW celebrated its ten-year anniversary of the festival in 2015. To mark this special occasion the festival expanded to include five nights of performances in three venues. The year's festival included performances from Lone Bellow,

Mina Tindle Pauline de Lassus Saint-Geniès (born 9 April 1983 in Paris), better known by her stage name Mina Tindle, is a French folk and new wave singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She released her debut EP with Sauvage Records, and in March 20 ...

, The National, Sō Percussion, Butt Nothings,

Will Butler William Pierce Butler (born October 6, 1982) is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer who is best known as a former member of the indie rock band Arcade Fire. He plays synthesizer, bass, guitar and percussion. He is known for his spon ...

, and many others. Continuing the tradition from last year, the

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its primary concert venue is Music Hall. In addition to its symphony concerts, the orchestra gives pops concerts as the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. The Cincin ...

was featured throughout the weekend. In honor of the ten-year anniversary the festival also released "MusicNOW – 10 Years," a compilation album collecting live recordings of some of the best performances the series has seen over the past decade. The festival returns to Cincinnati for its twelve season in January 2017. Past festivals have featured festival-only collaborations, such as one between David Cossin and

; new music from Sufjan Stevens,

(of

Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member S ...

); and performances by

Tinariwen Tinariwen (Tamasheq: , with vowels , pronounced ''tinariwen'' "deserts", plural of ''ténéré'' "desert") is a collective of Tuareg musicians from the Sahara Desert region of northern Mali. Considered a pioneer of desert blues, the group's guita ...

, Steve Reich,

, The National (band),

Grizzly Bear (band) Grizzly Bear is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002. For most of its tenure, the band has consisted of Edward Droste (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Daniel Rossen (vocals, guitar, banjo, keyboards), Chris Taylor (bass, back ...

Joanna Newsom Joanna Newsom (born January 18, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Northern California, Newsom was classically trained on the harp in her youth and began her musical career as a keyboardist in the San Francisc ...

, Kronos Quartet and many, many more.

Sounds from a Safe Harbour

Dessner curated a brand new festival of music and art called Sounds from a Safe Harbour. The festival took place in Cork, Ireland, from September 17 to 20, 2015 and featured new commissions, collaborations and performances in venues throughout the city. The inaugural weekend featured performances by Shara Worden's

My Brightest Diamond My Brightest Diamond is the project of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Shara Nova. The band has released five studio albums and a remix album, five studio EPs and four remix EPs, and made several tours across the United States. Histo ...

, celebrated English organist James McVinnie, Sō Percussion, and

. It also featured a collaboration between Bryce, Aaron Dessner, Marcel Dzama, Lisa Hannigan, members of internationally renowned new music group Crash Ensemble and virtuosic Canadian violinist, Yuki Numata Resnick. After a year off in 2016, Sounds from a Safe Harbour returned to Cork from the 14th to the 17th of September, 2017. The National kicked off their world tour, in support of the new album

Sleep Well Beast Sleep is a sedentary state of mind and body. It is characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, reduced muscle activity and reduced interactions with surroundings. It is distinguished from wakefulness by a ...

, at the festival on September 16 at the Cork Opera House. Other marquee acts were Lisa Hannigan and Aaron Dessner with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra on September 14, and

Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, ''For Emma, Forever Ago,'' independently in July 2007. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon ...

on September 15th, both also at the Cork Opera House. A myriad of other musicians played in venues around the city across the weekend, as well as the festival featuring Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson presenting his piece "Guilt Trip" at the Crawford Art Gallery from the 14 to the 16th of September.

Michelberger Music Festival

Michelberger Music was a not-for-profit, one-off gathering of artists at the Funkhaus in Berlin for a weekend-long festival of music curated and produced by Bryce along with his brother Aaron Dessner, Justin Vernon, Vincent Moon, André de Ridder, Brandon Reid, Ryan Olson and Berlin's Michelberger Hotel. The festival took place October 1–2, 2016 in the historical radio recording studios of the former GDR. Before the festival, all the artists spent a week together in Berlin, rehearsing and working in the spaces where the shows took place. The festival featured 80 artists, including Bon Iver, Mouse on Mars' Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner, Erlend Øye, My Brightest Diamond's Shara Nova, Lisa Hannigan, Damien Rice, Woodkid, Boysnoize, Beirut and many more.

PEOPLE Festival

On August 18 and 19, 2018, Bryce returned with the Michelberger Music Festival makers for a second edition, which was now called PEOPLE. This time 200 artists created across 30 Studios and performed across 8 stages over 170 unique performances at the historic Funkhaus in Berlin. Once again, all artists met one week prior to discover new music and engage with each other. PEOPLE was a non-hierarchical gathering put together by the artists with full creative freedom. There were no sponsors or brands. No line up. No artist fees. 100% of the ticket costs went towards the production. In addition to the artists of the 2016 edition, musicians like Leslie Feist, Moses Sumney, Arcade Fire's Richard Reed Parry, Lambchop's Kurt Wagner, Deerhof's Greg Saunier, Sigur Rós' Kjartan Sweinsson, Jenny Lewis, Adam Cohen, Greg Fox, Shahzad Ismaily and many more joined in.

Crossing Brooklyn Ferry

Crossing Brooklyn Ferry is a music festival curated by Aaron and Bryce Dessner. The festival showcases bands, composers, singer-songwriters and filmmakers from all corners of the New York music scene. The inaugural festival took place May 3–5, 2012 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and included performances by

the Walkmen The Walkmen is an American indie rock band. Active from 2000 to 2013, they are known as part of the 2000s-era post-punk revival in New York City, particularly for their critically acclaimed single "The Rat (song), The Rat." The band is made up o ...

St. Vincent Saint Vincent may refer to: People Saints * Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr * Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia * Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305) ...

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

, The Antlers, yMusic and

Jherek Bischoff Jherek Brandon Bischoff (born September 11, 1979) is an American composer, arranger, producer, and multi-instrumental performer. He has released over a dozen studio albums as a solo artist and band member and has credits as a musician, arranger, p ...

, as well as newly commissioned films by

Jonas Mekas Jonas Mekas (; December 24, 1922 – January 23, 2019) was a Lithuanian-American filmmaker, poet, and artist who has been called "the godfather of American avant-garde cinema". Mekas' work has been exhibited in museums and at festivals worldwi ...

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (; born February 17, 1981) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his leading performances ...

and

, among others. The second season took place April 25–27, 2013 at BAM and included performances by

The Roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...

Solange Solange (died 10 May, c. 880) was a Frankish shepherdess and a locally venerated Christian saint and cephalophore, whose cult is restricted to Sainte-Solange, Cher. Saint Solange was the patron of the traditional Province of Berry, of which C ...

, Phosphorescent and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. The event also featured a curated program of film shorts and a visual art installation by Andrew Ondrejcak.

HAVEN

Dessner is co-curator of HAVEN, Copenhagen's annual festival "for the senses, merging experiments in art, music, beer and food". The festival, which launched in 2017, explores the ways in which the art forms intersect, providing the opportunity to discover new tastes, sounds and sights. Its inaugural year saw performances from the likes of Arcade Fire, Ariel Pink, and Kamasi Washington.

Producer

Dessner has produced and orchestrated tracks on The National's two most recent albums, ''

High Violet ''High Violet'' is the fifth studio album by The National, which was released on May 10, 2010 in Europe and on May 11, 2010 in North America via 4AD. The band produced the album themselves, assisted by Peter Katis with whom they worked on their ...

'' (2010) and ''

Trouble Will Find Me ''Trouble Will Find Me'' is the sixth studio album by American indie rock band The National, released on May 17, 2013, on 4AD. Produced by band members Aaron and Bryce Dessner, the album features appearances from St. Vincent, Sharon Van Etten, ...

'' (2013). Outside of his work with The National, Dessner produced eighth blackbird's "Filament" (2015), which won Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance in the 2016 Grammy's. He also produced Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang's album ''Death Speaks'' (2013), Pedro Soler and Gaspar Claus' album ''Barlande'' (2011) and Richard Reed Parry's album ''Music for Heart and Breath,'' which was released on classical label Deutsche Grammophon. Additionally, Bryce orchestrated tracks on

Local Natives Local Natives is an American indie rock band based in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California, Silver Lake, Los Angeles. The band consists of Taylor Rice (vocals, guitar), Kelcey Ayer (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Ryan Hahn (guitar, backing vocals), ...

' ''Hummingbird'' (2013) and

Sharon van Etten Sharon Katharine Van Etten (born February 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released six studio albums, the latest of which is '' We've Been Going About This All Wrong'' (2022). Early life Van Etten was born in Belleville, N ...

's ''Tramp'' (2012), both of which were produced by his brother Aaron Dessner.

Dark Was the Night and Day of the Dead

In 2009, Bryce and Aaron produced an extensive AIDS charity compilation, ''Dark Was the Night'', for the

Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...

. The record features exclusive recordings and collaborations from a long list of artists including

David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...

, Sufjan Stevens, Feist,

Sharon Jones Sharon Lafaye Jones (May 4, 1956 – November 18, 2016) was an American soul and funk singer. She was the lead singer of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, a soul and funk band based in Brooklyn, New York. Jones experienced breakthrough succe ...

Cat Power Charlyn Marie "Chan" Marshall ( ; born January 21, 1972), better known by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and model. Cat Power was originally the name of her first band, but has become her stage name as a ...

Grizzly Bear The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horri ...

, Antony Hegarty,

, and

Spoon A spoon is a utensil consisting of a shallow bowl (also known as a head), oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery (sometimes called flatware in the United States), especially as part of a place setting, it is used primarily for ...

. ''Dark Was the Night'' has raised over 1.6 million dollars for AIDS charities. On May 3, 2009, 4AD and Red Hot produced Dark Was the Night – Live, a concert celebrating the newest Red Hot album. The show took place at

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...

and featured several of the artists that contributed to the compilation. In 2016, ''Day of the Dead,'' the follow-up to ''Dark Was the Night'' was released. Bryce and Aaron also produced this album, and again, all profits will go to the Red Hot Organization's mission to fight HIV/AIDs around the world.

Clogs

Clogs is a mostly-instrumental improvising quartet led by Dessner and Padma Newsome. Since 2001, they have released five widely acclaimed albums on

, and have toured with

in the UK and played at the

. Clogs' music served as the soundtrack to the

Chris Eigeman Christopher Eigeman (born March 1, 1965) is an American actor and film director. Eigeman is best known for roles in films written and directed by Whit Stillman: '' Metropolitan'' (1990), ''Barcelona'' (1994), and ''The Last Days of Disco'' (199 ...

film '' Turn the River''. Clogs' musical style and approach is hard to categorize. Although the band members all play classical instruments (they met at the

Yale School of Music The Yale School of Music (often abbreviated to YSM) is one of the 12 professional schools at Yale University. It offers three graduate degrees: Master of Music (MM), Master of Musical Arts (MMA), and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), as well as a joi ...

), their writing process is more akin to that of a rock band or a jazz quartet. Drawing upon a vast variety of styles and influences, the group members bring basic ideas and riffs into rehearsals, which, through group improvisations they then develop into complex, larger-scale pieces. Their music is often influenced by

minimalism In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...

, folk and rock music,

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

and

Indian classical music Indian classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as '' Hindustani'' and the South Indian expression known as '' Carnatic''. These traditions were not ...

Brassland

Alongside

Alec Hanley Bemis Alec Hanley Bemis is a writer and manager of cultural projects who lives in Brooklyn, New York. History In 2001, Bemis co-founded Brassland with Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner who are known for their prominent role in American independent music ( ...

and Aaron Dessner, Bryce founded Brassland Records, a label that has released early albums from The National, Clogs,

Doveman Thomas Bartlett (born October 13, 1981), also known as Doveman, is an American pianist, producer, and singer. He has released four solo albums as Doveman, four albums as a member of The Gloaming, duo albums with the composer Nico Muhly and the ha ...

and Nico Muhly.

Personal life

Dessner is married to French singer

, who has provided vocals to several of The National's albums.

Works

* ''Memorial'' commissioned by the

New York Guitar Festival The New York Guitar Festival is a music festival founded by radio host and author John Schaefer and musician, producer and curator David Spelman, who serves at the festival's Artistic Director. Since 1999, the festival "has been examining virtually ...

and

92nd Street Y 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a cultural and community center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, at the corner of East 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Founded in 1874 as the Young Men's Hebrew Association, the ...

, 2006. *''Turn the River'' score for the independent

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, co-composed with Padma Newsome as Clogs, and commissioned by Mr. Nice Film Productions, 2007. *''Quintets'' commissioned by the Kitchen and

American Composers Forum The American Composers Forum is an American organization that works for the promotion and assistance of American composers and contemporary classical music. It was founded in 1973 as the Minnesota Composers Forum and is based in Saint Paul, Minn ...

through a grant from the Jerome Foundation, 2007. *''Raphael'' commissioned by the Kitchen and

through a grant from the Jermone Foundation, 2007. *''Propolis'' co-composed with David Sheppard and

, and commissioned by Thyssen Bornemisza Art Contemporary, 2008. *''Lincoln Shuffle'' commissioned by the Rosenbach Library for Abraham Lincoln's Bicentennial, 2009. *''Aheym'' commissioned by the

for the Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, 2009. *''The Long Count'' co-composed with

, and commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music Next Wave Festival, 2009. *''O Shut Your Eyes Against the Wind'' commissioned by the People's Commissioning Fund and

Bang on a Can Bang on a Can is a multi-faceted contemporary classical music organization based in New York City. It was founded in 1987 by three American composers who remain its artistic directors: Julia Wolfe, David Lang, and Michael Gordon. Called "the cou ...

for the Ecstatic Music Festival, 2010. *''Tour Eiffel'' commissioned by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, St. Ann's Warehouse, the Kaufman Center, the Manhattan New Music Project and the Ecstatic Music Festival, 2010. *''Tenebre'' commissioned by the Kronos Quartet and the

, 2010. *''Long Winter'' written for cellist Zachary Miskin, and commissioned by

Naive Records Naivety (also spelled naïvety), naiveness, or naïveté is the state of being naive. It refers to an apparent or actual lack of experience and sophistication, often describing a neglect of pragmatism in favor of moral idealism. A ''naïve'' may b ...

, 2010. *''To the Sea'' premiered during the "Monstrance" installation collaboration with

Matthew Ritchie Matthew Ritchie (born 1964) is a British artist who currently lives and works in New York City. He attended the Camberwell School of Art from 1983 to 1986. He describes himself as "classically trained" but also points to a minimalist influence. ...

at L&M Arts Los Angeles, 2011. *''St. Carolyn by the Sea'' commissioned by the

American Composers Orchestra The American Composers Orchestra (ACO) is an American orchestra administratively based in New York City, specialising in contemporary American music. The ACO gives concerts at various concert venues in New York City, including: * Zankel Hall at ...

and Muziekcentrum Eindhoven, 2011. *''Lachrimae'' commissioned by the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, the Scottish Ensemble, and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, 2012. *''Little Blue Something'' written for the Kronos Quartet, 2012. *''Murder Ballades'' commissioned by eighth blackbird and Luna Park, 2013. *''Music for Wood and Strings'' commissioned by

, 2013. *''Reponse Lutoslawski'' commissioned by the National Audiovisual Institute (Poland), 2013. *''Black Mountain Song'' commissioned by Brooklyn Youth Chorus and

, 2013. *''40 Canons'' commissioned by the Kronos Quartet, 2014. * ''Quilting Symphony'' commissioned by the

, 2014. *''Wave Movements'' co-composed with Richard Reed Parry, commissioned by Barbican Centre, EIF,

, and St. Denis Festival, 2015. *''Ornament and Crime'' commissioned by Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ,http://Muziekgebouw_aan_%27t_IJ 2015. * ''Delphica'' commissioned by Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, 2015. *''Garcia Counterpoint'' commissioned by

, 2015. * ''Median Organs'' commissioned by the Southbank Centre, 2015. *''Tuusula'' commissioned by Meidän Festivaali, Sounds from a Safe Harbor, and National Sawdust, 2015. * ''The Most Incredible Thing'' commissioned by the

, 2016. *''El Chan'' commissioned by

Britten Sinfonia Britten Sinfonia is a chamber orchestra ensemble based in Cambridge, UK. It was created in 1992, following an initiative from Eastern Arts and a number of key figures including Nicholas Cleobury, who recognised the need for an orchestra in the ...

and

Wigmore Hall Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadin ...

, 2016. *''Gift'' commissioned by Jennifer Koh with the generous support of Justus Schlichting to whom this music is dedicated, 2016. *''Wires'' commissioned by Ensemble Intercontemporain and NTR Zaterdag, 2016. *''Suite for Harp in three movements'' 2nd movement developed in collaboration with Yuki Numata Resnick, 2016. *''On a Wire'' commissioned by Lavinia Meijer, 2016. *''Death of Marsha P. Johnson'' soundtrack for the Netflix documentary about the LGBT rights activist (2017). *''No Tomorrow'' (a ballet by Ragnar Kjartansson, Margrét Bjarnadóttir and Bryce Dessner) premiered as part of the Sacrifice Festival, April 2017. The ballet won the Griman Award, Iceland's highest performance award. *''Skrik Trio'' commissioned by Steve Reich and Carnegie Hall for the Three Generations Series, and premiered by Pekka Kuusisto, Nadia Sirota and

in April 2017 at Carnegie Hall. *''Voy a Dormir'' (2018) written for mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor and

and co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall. *''Concerto for Two Pianos'' (2018) written for Katia and Marielle Labèque, premiered with London Philharmonic Orchestra in April 2018. *''Cyrano'' (2018) stage musical with music composed with Aaron Dessner, lyrics by Matt Berninger and Carin Besser, and book by Erika Schmidt. Later adapted into a

score in 2021. *''Triptych (Eyes for One on Another)'' (2019) premiered by

Roomful of Teeth Roomful of Teeth is a vocal ensemble founded in 2009 by Brad Wells. Its stated mission is to "mine the expressive potential of the human voice".

in Los Angeles, integrating the work of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, with co-commissioners including the LA Philharmonic, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Barbican, Holland Festival, Adelaide Festival, University of Michigan, Edinburgh International Festival. *''Violin concert'' (2021)

Discography

Albums

* ''Tower of Babel'' (Project Nim) * ''Where the Nothings Live'' (Project Nim) * ''Evenings Pop and Curve'' (Project Nim) * '' The National'' (October 30, 2001) (The National) * ''

Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers Sadness is an emotional pain associated with, or characterized by, feelings of disadvantage, loss, despair, grief, helplessness, disappointment and sorrow. An individual experiencing sadness may become quiet or lethargic, and withdraw themse ...

'' (September 2, 2003) (The National) * ''

Alligator An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additiona ...

'' (April 12, 2005) (The National) * ''

Boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

'' (May 22, 2007) (The National) * ''

'' (May 10, 2010) (The National) * ''

'' (May 17, 2013) (The National) * ''Aheym'' (November 5, 2013) (Kronos Quartet) * ''St Carolyn by the Sea''; Suite from ''There Will Be Blood'' (March 4, 2014) (

) * ''Music for Wood and Strings'' (May 4, 2015) (Sō Percussion) * ''Filament – Murder Ballades'' (September 11, 2015) (eighth blackbird) * ''

'' (September 8, 2017) (The National) * '' I Am Easy to Find'' (May 17, 2019) (The National) * ''El Chan'' (April 5, 2019) (Dessner- Labèque)

EPs

* '' Cherry Tree EP'' (July 20, 2004) * '' The Virginia EP'' (May 20, 2008)

Singles

* "Abel" (Beggars Banquet Records, March 14, 2005) * "Secret Meeting" (Beggars Banquet Records, August 29, 2005) * "Lit Up" (Beggars Banquet Records, November 14, 2005) * " Mistaken for Strangers" (Beggars Banquet Records, April 30, 2007) * " Apartment Story" (Beggars Banquet Records, November 5, 2007) * "

Fake Empire "Fake Empire" is a song by Brooklyn-based indie rock band The National from their fourth studio album, '' Boxer''. The song was released in June 2008 as the album's third and final single. Production "Fake Empire" was written by Bryce Dessner o ...

" (Beggars Banquet Records, June 23, 2008) * " Bloodbuzz Ohio" (4AD, May 3, 2010) * "Anyone's Ghost" (4AD, June 28, 2010) * "Terrible Love" (4AD, November 22, 2010) * "Think You Can Wait" (March 22, 2011) * "Conversation 16" (4AD, March 29, 2011) * "Exile Vilify" (April 19, 2011)

Film scores

* ''

'' (2013) with Aaron Dessner * '' The Revenant'' (2015) as additional score * '' Transpecos'' (2016) with Aaron Dessner * '' The Professor'' (2018) with Aaron Dessner * ''

The Kitchen The Kitchen is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary avant-garde performance and experimental art institution located at 512 West 19th Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was founde ...

'' (2019) * ''

'' (2019) * '' Irresistible'' (2020) * ''

Jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

'' (2021) with Aaron Dessner * ''

Cyrano Cyrano may refer to: Astronomy * 3582 Cyrano, a small main belt asteroid * Cyrano (crater), a lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon Stage and film * ''Cyrano'' (Damrosch), a 1913 opera by Walter Damrosch * ''Cyrano'', a 195 ...

'' (2021) with Aaron Dessner * '' C'mon, C'mon'' (2021) with Aaron Dessner * ''

Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths ''Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths'' ( es, Bardo, falsa crónica de unas cuantas verdades), or simply ''Bardo'', is a 2022 Mexican epic black comedy -drama film co-written, co-composed, edited, produced, and directed by Alejandro ...

'' (2022) with Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Session work

*"VII Freeform Winds/String Drones" ''Music For Heart and Breath'' (Deutsche Grammophon, 2014) David Lang *''death speaks'' (Cantaloupe, 2013)

" ''

Double Sextet/2×5 The album consists of two works composed by Steve Reich, ''Double Sextet'' and ''2×5''. ''Double Sextet'', which won the Pulitzer Prize, 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Music, is written for two identical sextets of flute, clarinet, vibraphone, piano, vi ...

'' (

Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly called Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, Non ...

, 2010)

Erik Friedlander Erik Friedlander is an American cellist and composer based in New York City. A veteran of New York City's experimental downtown scene, Friedlander has worked in many contexts, but is perhaps best known for his frequent collaborations with sax ...

*''

Grains of Paradise ''Aframomum melegueta'' is a species in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, and closely related to cardamom. Its seeds are used as a spice (ground or whole); it imparts a pungent, black-pepper-like flavor with hints of citrus. It is commonly ...

'' (Tzadik, 2001)

Further information

Stereogum photos

First four years retrospective at Each Note Secure

References

External links

*
Official site
of The National *
Official site
of Clogs
Official site
of Post Hoc Management {{DEFAULTSORT:Dessner, Bryce American experimental guitarists American male guitarists Living people 20th-century American Jews Jewish songwriters American people of Polish-Jewish descent American people of Russian-Jewish descent American rock guitarists 21st-century classical composers Deutsche Grammophon artists American film score composers American male film score composers Contemporary classical music performers Musicians from Brooklyn American indie rock musicians 1976 births The National (band) members Twin musicians Musicians from Cincinnati 21st-century American composers Guitarists from Ohio Guitarists from New York (state) 21st-century American Jews