Bryce David Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American composer and guitarist based in Paris, and a member of the rock band the National . Dessner's twin brother, Aaron is also a member of the group. Together, they write the music in collaboration with lead singer and lyricist Matt Berninger .
93-410: Dessner is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Aaron Dessner (born 1976), American songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer Bryce Dessner (born 1976), American composer and guitarist, twin brother of Aaron Jeff Dessner (born 1977), American ice hockey player [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with
186-419: A 1959 Fender Champ , a 1960s Fender Princeton , a 1970s Music Man , an Ampeg Gemini, and a Fender Bassman . Dessner married Stine Wengler around 2016. They have three children, one of whom is named Robin. Taylor Swift's song of the same name is speculated to be about him. Dessner is a keen soccer fan and an avid supporter of Liverpool F.C. Bryce Dessner In addition to his work with
279-710: 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 , Flaming Lips , Bruce Hornsby , Justin Vernon , The National, The War on Drugs , Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth , Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo , Jenny Lewis , Unknown Mortal Orchestra , Perfume Genius , Jim James of My Morning Jacket , Senegalese collective Orchestra Baobob, composer Terry Riley and his son Gyan Riley , electronic artist Tim Hecker , jazz pianist Vijay Iyer and Bela Fleck . Of
372-707: A Panic Attack , released in 2016 via Atlantic Records , was also produced by Dessner. Dessner produced the Lone Bellow's 2020 album Half Moon Light and co-wrote several tracks on it. He also co-wrote and produced the acclaimed debut of UK songwriter Eve Owen, Don't Let the Ink Dry , released in 2020. In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic , Dessner was approached by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift to collaborate on music, and he subsequently produced and co-wrote her eighth studio album, Folklore . It
465-704: A Safe Harbour Festival (Cork, Ireland), Sydney Festival , eighth blackbird , Sō Percussion , New York City Ballet , and many others. His work, Murder Ballades, was featured on eighth Blackbird's album Filament , an album he also produced and performed on, which won the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Small Ensemble Performance . Dessner has collaborated with artists such as Philip Glass , Steve Reich , Paul Simon , Sufjan Stevens , Nico Muhly , Jonny Greenwood , Ryuichi Sakamoto , Alejandro González Iñárritu , Terry Riley , Justin Peck , Ragnar Kjartansson , Katia and Marielle Labèque , and Taylor Swift , among others. Dessner
558-472: 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 , celebrated English organist James McVinnie , Sō Percussion, and Mina Tindle . It also featured
651-409: 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 , at
744-430: A collaboration led by composer Nathalie Joachim with Yvonne Lam and Nicholas Houfek, a multi-disciplinary installation by Ash Fure, and culminating in a new evening length theatrical work composed by Dessner and conceived in collaboration with director Kaneza Schaal slated for premiere in 2026. Dessner is the founder and curator of the annual Cincinnati-based MusicNOW Festival. He was tapped to curate 'Mountains and Waves,'
837-562: A concert celebrating the newest Red Hot album. The show took place at Radio City Music Hall and featured several of the artists that contributed to the compilation. Dessner is a frequent collaborator with a wide range of musicians, including his brother and bandmate Bryce Dessner . In August 2008, Aaron and Bryce performed a collaborative concert with David Cossin, and Luca Tarantino as a part of Soundres, an international residency program for contemporary music and art in Salento, Italy and at
930-608: 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 Jenny Lewis, Matthew Houck, Lucius , Will Oldham , Sam Amidon , Richard Reed Parry , Justin Vernon, Bruce Hornsby , Ruban Nielson and The National. Forever Love is a collaboration between Aaron and Bryce Dessner, renowned Icelandic performance artist Ragnar Kjartansson and Gyða and Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir, formerly of
1023-466: 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 . Dessner first collaborated with Kronos Quartet in 2009. Founder David Harrington approached him about composing
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#17327727562551116-579: 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-song "Sorrow" for six hours in front of a live audience at MoMA PS1 . The Long Count was a large commission for the BAM Next Wave Festival in 2009. Dessner and his brother, Bryce, worked alongside visual artist Matthew Ritchie , creating
1209-546: A live webcast, which featured two musical sets and a political discussion. The event was produced by Head Count, a non-partisan organization that uses live music events to promote voter registration and awareness. In May 2012, the National's performance of "Rains of Castamere" played during the closing credits of season two episode nine. In December 2012, Dessner curated a day of Other Voices, an Irish music festival that aired live on RTÉ Two in Ireland. The performances took place in
1302-656: A not-for-profit gathering of artists in Berlin for a weekend-long festival of music curated and produced by Aaron Dessner along with his brother Bryce Dessner, Bon Iver , Berlin's Michelberger Hotel and others. The first festival took place October 1–2, 2016, under the name "Michelberger Music" in the Funkhaus, the historical radio recording studios of the former GDR. Boston Calling is a music festival co-curated by Dessner. Debuting in May 2013, Boston Calling previously took place twice
1395-757: A piece for their performance at the Celebrate Brooklyn! festival in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. The piece Dessner wrote, Aheym , (meaning "homeward" in Yiddish ), was inspired by his Jewish 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 ,
1488-418: A second studio album How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? on August 27, 2021. The album was produced by Dessner and featured many guests and many of his previous collaborators, including Ben Howard , Sharon Van Etten , and Taylor Swift . Dessner worked with singer Sharon Van Etten on her album, Tramp (2012). Van Etten and Dessner spent over fourteen months working in his studio, finally releasing
1581-501: A set of experimental musical instruments Dessner named "Chord Sticks" and built by Aron Sanchez from Buke and Gase . The instruments function on the 3rd bridge principle, with muting the string attack and let the string resonance swell afterwards. In April 2019, Deutsche Grammophon released the album El Chan featuring an all-Dessner programme performed by Katia and Marielle Labèque including Concerto for two pianos , El Chan , and Haven with Dessner on electric guitar. The album
1674-673: A song called "Big Red Machine" for the compilation album Dark Was the Night . Vernon wrote a song to it, interpreting the Big Red Machine title as a heart. After 10 years, the pair formed a band called Big Red Machine , and on August 31, 2018, released a self-titled album . The record was produced by Vernon and Dessner with longtime collaborator Brad Cook and engineered by Jonathan Low primarily at Dessner's studio Long Pond in Upper Hudson Valley, New York. The duo released
1767-503: A tour produced by ArKtype, performing works by Dessner, Chalmin, Glass, Reich and Meredith Monk. Dream House Quartet will release its first recordings with Deustsche Gramaphone as an EP slated for release in April 2023, with full-length album due in 2024. Dessner is a frequent collaborator with many of the most creative and renowned musicians working today, such as Philip Glass , Bang on a Can All-Stars , and Glenn Kotche . Dessner served as
1860-500: A unique arrangement of duo piano and electric guitar. Dessner has since composed several works for the Quartet, as has David Chalmin, with additional commissions written for the Quartet by Caroline Shaw, Timo Andres, Max Richter and many others. New arrangements by Dessner of works by Philip Glass and Steve Reich are also part of the group's growing repertoire. In 2019 the group premiered Thom Yorke's first classical composition "Don't Fear
1953-592: 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 , Ireland. He is also the co-founder and co-curator of Crossing Brooklyn Ferry. In March 2010, Dessner co-curated
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#17327727562552046-874: A work loosely based on the Mayan creation story Popol Vuh . The work included a 12-piece orchestra and a number of guest singers, including Kim and Kelley Deal ( the Breeders , the Pixies ), Matt Berninger (the National), Shara Worden ( My Brightest Diamond ), and Tunde Adebimpe ( TV on the Radio ). The work had its world premiere at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in September 2009 as part of
2139-542: A year, May and September, at City Hall Plaza . Boston Calling moved to the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston in May 2017 and transitioned to one festival per year. Dessner co-founded the record label 37d03d (read: PEOPLE upside down) with Justin Vernon and Bryce Dessner . Alongside Alec Hanley Bemis and Bryce Dessner, Dessner founded Brassland Records , a label that has released albums from
2232-513: 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 . 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
2325-474: 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),
2418-478: Is also featured on the "death speaks" record, which he produced. Dessner and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead performed "The Music Of Jonny Greenwood And Bryce Dessner" as part of the 2012 Holland Festival . 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
2511-402: Is based on the traditional Holy Week 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
2604-550: Is dedicated to Dessner's friend and collaborator, Alejandro González Iñárritu , who also designed the album cover. Also in spring 2019, New York's Metropolitan Museum , for one of its first contemporary installations, featured the song Death is Elsewhere written by Bryce alongside Aaron Dessner , Ragnar Kjartansson, Gyda Valtýsdóttir and Kristín Anna. Dessner now resides in Paris and has been increasingly active composing for major European ensembles and soloists. Dessner has written
2697-505: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Aaron Dessner Aaron Brooking Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American musician. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band The National , with whom he has recorded nine studio albums; a co-founder of the indie rock duo Big Red Machine , teaming with Bon Iver 's Justin Vernon ; and a collaborator on Taylor Swift 's critically acclaimed studio albums Folklore and Evermore , both of which contended for
2790-582: Is the founder of the MusicNOW Festival , co-founder of Copenhagen's HAVEN festival, and co-curator of the festival Sounds from a Safe Harbour. He is a founding member of the improvisatory instrumental group Clogs and co-founder of Brassland Records . In 2018, Dessner was named one of eight creative and artistic partners for the San Francisco Symphony as part of incoming Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen 's new leadership model for
2883-739: The Big Ears Festival in Knoxville Tennessee . 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 , Ohio. The first festival was held at the small downstairs room at the Cincinnati CAC and featured performances from Wilco 's Glenn Kotche, The Books , Erik Freidlander, Bell Orchestre, Burmese drummer Kyaw Kyaw Naing, and
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2976-662: The Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2021 and 2022 , respectively, with the former winning the accolade; as well as The Tortured Poets Department (2024). Dessner has co-written, produced or co-produced songs by Taylor Swift , Ed Sheeran , Michael Stipe , Gracie Abrams , Frightened Rabbit , Ben Howard , Sharon Van Etten , Local Natives , This Is the Kit , Adia Victoria , Lisa Hannigan , Fred Again , Girl in Red , Mustafa
3069-658: The Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ in Amsterdam and the Muziekgebouw Frits Philips in Eindhoven. After the success of Planetarium , Dessner further collaborated with Sufjan Stevens, providing additional guitar tracks on Stevens' " My Rajneesh " and " Make Me an Offer I Cannot Refuse " in 2020. He made a guest appearance on Stevens' tenth album Javelin , playing both acoustic and electric guitar on
3162-658: The Red Hot Organization . That same year, they recorded a song for the album Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy , to help support Polaris frontman Mark Mulcahy who had recently lost his wife. In 2010, the band released High Violet , their fifth full-length album. The album saw both critical and commercial success, debuting at No. 3 on US charts, and going on to sell over 850,000 copies worldwide. The band followed up High Violet by releasing their sixth album, Trouble Will Find Me , on May 21, 2013, via 4AD. Like their previous two efforts, Trouble
3255-411: The surname Dessner . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dessner&oldid=1156478702 " Category : Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description
3348-519: The 2016 South by Southwest . They also worked together on the score for 2013 film Big Sur , an adaptation of the 1962 novel of the same name by Jack Kerouac . The film debuted on January 23, 2013, at the Sundance Film Festival , where it received positive reviews. In 2021, together with his brother, Dessner scored two films – Mike Mills ' C'mon C'mon and Cyrano . On March 17, 2016, Aaron and Bryce Dessner announced Day of
3441-470: 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 winner Dheepan , directed by Jacques Audiard. Tour Eiffel is performed by the Kronos Quartet and Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Bryce and his brother Aaron Dessner co-composed the score for Transpecos , which won
3534-438: 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 , 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
3627-412: The 8-and-a-half-minute track "Shit Talk". Dessner also collaborated with Richard Reed Parry of The Arcade Fire on Parry's album Music for Heart and Breath . In 2020, Bryce composed orchestrations for Taylor Swift '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
3720-512: The Arts , for "his eagerness to seek out opportunities, to really be a thoughtful collaborator, and someone who would encourage every single student at UArts to explore with their peers across disciplines, new opportunities, and new ideas." Dessner, along with his twin brother Bryce , was named the 243rd greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone in 2023. Dessner grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio with his twin brother, Bryce Dessner . Dessner
3813-473: The Audience Award at the 2016 South by Southwest . They also worked together on the score for 2013 film Big Sur , an adaptation of the 1962 novel of the same name by Jack Kerouac . The film debuted on January 23, 2013, at the Sundance Film Festival , where it received positive reviews. In 2007, Dessner and Padma Newsome's quartet, Clogs , had their music serve as the soundtrack to the film Turn
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3906-558: The Church of St James in Dingle, County Kerry. Eaux Claires is a music festival founded and curated by Dessner and Justin Vernon. The inaugural festival took place in July 2015 in Vernon's hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin . Speaking about the festival, Dessner and Vernon said they were driven by the idea that this festival would "encourage music-genre-walls to melt away." PEOPLE Festival is
3999-579: 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
4092-486: The Crawford Art Gallery from the 14 to the 16th of September. 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
4185-527: The Dead , a charity tribute album to the Grateful Dead released by 4AD on May 20, 2016. Day of the Dead was created, curated and produced by both Dessner brothers. 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 will help fight for AIDS/ HIV and related health issues around
4278-525: The Ellnora Festival. In 2009, Aaron and Bryce Dessner produced an extensive AIDS charity compilation, Dark Was the Night , for the Red Hot Organization. Dark Was the Night has raised over 2 million dollars for AIDS charities as of January 2012. In 2009, Dessner contributed a track to the Dark Was the Night compilation. On May 3, 2009, 4AD and Red Hot produced Dark Was the Night – Live,
4371-874: The Guitare Au Palais Festival Perpignan France. They also performed at Matthew Ritchie's Ghost Operator opening at the White Cube Gallery in London. Aaron and Bryce have also collaborated with many world-renowned orchestras. Most recently the brothers played with the Copenhagen Philharmonic in a concert billed as "Sixty Minutes of the Dessners." The program included "St. Carolyn by the Sea," "Lachrimae" and "Raphael," all of which were composed by Bryce Dessner. Bryce and Aaron have also performed "St. Carolyn by
4464-413: The Icelandic band múm . The project is a blending of visual and performance art with live music, all centered around a song cycle written and performed by Aaron and Bryce alongside Gyða and Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir. 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
4557-583: The Light," performed live with Yorke in Paris, London and Berlin along with a new arrangement of Yorke's "Gawpers." In 2022, the Quartet premiered a new commission by Anna Thorvaldsdottir entitled "What Things Become" at London's Southbank Centre. On April 23, 2023, the Quartet made its US premiere at New York City's The Town Hall in a concert benefitting The Kitchen, followed by engagements in Austin, San Diego, Costa Mesa, Los Angeles, Stanford, Toronto, and New Haven in
4650-557: The Lone Bellow 's Then Came the Morning, which was recorded in Dessner's garage as well as in a 19th-century church in upstate New York. The album was released in January 2015 on Descendent Records. That same year, he worked with This Is the Kit for their album Bashed Out , which was released through Dessner's Brassland Records. In 2016, Dessner produced Lisa Hannigan 's album At Swim . The album reached No. 1 in Ireland, No. 7 on
4743-572: 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
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#17327727562554836-535: The National, This Is the Kit , Clogs , Doveman and Nico Muhly . Dessner often plays a 1965 Gibson Firebird purchased on eBay and refurbished. During the Sleep Well Beast recording sessions, he used the Firebird as well as a 1972 Fender Telecaster . During live shows, Dessner usually plays the Firebird and a 1963 Fender Jazzmaster . For the Sleep Well Beast sessions, amplifiers used include
4929-547: The National, Dessner is known for his work as an independent composer. His orchestral, chamber, and vocal compositions have been commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic , ensemble intercontemporain , Metropolitan Museum of Art (for the New York Philharmonic ), Kronos Quartet , Carnegie Hall , BAM Next Wave Festival , Barbican Centre , Edinburgh International Festival , Sounds from
5022-519: The National. "Win Win" directed by Thomas McCarthy closes with "Think You Can Wait," a track written by Dessner and Matt Berninger, recorded by the National with additional vocals from Sharon Van Etten. Dessner also played an important role in the National's contribution to the HBO show Game of Thrones . In March 2012, Dessner, Scott Devendorf and Bryan Devendorf teamed up with Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir for
5115-612: The Performing Arts , as part of the Ellnora Festival, and its New York premiere in October 2009 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music . It has since been performed at the Holland Festival and the Barbican. Tunde Adebimpe , a member of the band TV on the Radio joined Dessner, Aaron, and Ritchie for the Barbican Centre performance. Forever Love, a work with renowned Icelandic performance artist Ragnar Kjartansson ,
5208-572: The Poet , Brian Eno and Lone Bellow , among others. Dessner co-founded and curates three music festivals: Eaux Claires in Eau Claire, Wisconsin , alongside his Big Red Machine partner Vernon; HAVEN in Copenhagen with his brother Bryce, and Boston Calling Music Festival . On May 19, 2022, alongside Questlove , Dessner was awarded a Doctor of Fine Arts honoris causa from The University of
5301-497: The River (2007). 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" is a ballet created by Dessner, Justin Peck and Marcel Dzama. Based on Hans Christian Andersen 's dark 1870 fairy tale of
5394-619: The Sea" and "Raphael" with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta during the Holland Festival . These performances took place at Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ in Amsterdam and Muziekgebouw Frits Philips in Eindhoven. In October 2011, Dessner joined his brother to perform "St. Carolyn by the Sea" with the American Composers Orchestra at The World Financial Center in New York City. Marshall Curry's award-winning documentary Racing Dreams includes music contributed by both Dessner and
5487-528: The Sea; Suite from There Will Be Blood." Performed by the Copenhagen Philharmonic 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 of Music for Wood and Strings , an album-length work composed by Dessner and performed by Sō Percussion on
5580-612: The US Top Heatseekers Albums chart and No. 24 in the UK, and received widespread critical acclaim. The Guardian , which awarded it four out of five stars, commented on the album's "stunningly pretty songs with quietly powerful undertones" and the Evening Standard , which also awarded it four out of five stars, praised the "new-found accessibility" of the album. Frightened Rabbit 's fifth album Painting of
5673-415: The Whiteout , alongside Howard himself, which was released on March 26, 2021. Additionally, Dessner produced Day of the Dead , which was released in 2016, and Dark Was the Night , both of which are AIDS charity compilations for the Red Hot Organization; and Doveman 's 2009 release The Conformist . Dessner and his brother Bryce co-composed the score for Transpecos , which won the Audience Award at
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#17327727562555766-755: The Wind for Bang on a Can All Stars ; 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 Katia and Marielle Labèque . 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,
5859-437: The album to widespread critical success. Dessner produced Local Natives ' second full-length album Hummingbird , in 2013. Dessner was first introduced to the band while on tour with the National. Hummingbird received positive reviews, and Pitchfork praised Dessner's production work especially, saying that he "knows how to make things sound good , and there's plenty of richness and depth to these songs." Dessner produced
5952-425: The album, " The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness ", became the band's first song to reach No. 1 on a Billboards chart after topping the Adult Alternative Songs list in August that same year. The band released their eighth studio album I Am Easy to Find in 2019 alongside a short film by Mike Mills . In 2023, the band released two studio albums, First Two Pages of Frankenstein and Laugh Track , with
6045-407: The ballet's world debut. The song was performed by eighth blackbird in October 2014 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music as live music accompaniment for a show by the L.A. Dance Project. 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
6138-411: The band signed with Beggars Banquet Records . With the new label, they released their third studio album, Alligator , in 2005. The album received a positive response from critics, which exposed the band to a larger audience. In 2007, the band released their fourth album, Boxer , also through Beggars Banquet. Upon release, the album received widespread critical acclaim, and was named to "album of
6231-458: The brothers to join his band the National . With Devendorf and the Dessner brothers were Scott Devendorf , Bryan's older brother, and Matt Berninger . The band's self-titled first album was released in 2001 on Brassland Records, a label Dessner co-founded along with his brother Bryce and Alec Hanley Bemis . The band's second album, Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers , was released in 2003, also on Brassland. After some critical success with Sad Songs ,
6324-450: The cello ensemble for Fondation Louis Vuitton and Gautier Capuçon 's Classe d'Excellence , which premiered in June 2019. Concerto for Two Pianos, written for Katia and Marielle Labèque, premiered with London Philharmonic Orchestra in April 2018. Other compositions include: His work, Murder Ballades, was inspired by American folk music and written for the multiple Grammy-winning new-music ensemble eighth blackbird. The group premiered
6417-608: 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 Glenn Kotche ; new music from Sufjan Stevens, Richard Reed Parry (of Arcade Fire ); and performances by Tinariwen , Steve Reich, Owen Pallett , The National (band), Grizzly Bear (band) , Joanna Newsom , Kronos Quartet and many, many more. Dessner curated
6510-399: The festival expanded to include five nights of performances in three venues. The year's festival included performances from Lone Bellow , Mina Tindle , Perfume Genius , The National, Sō Percussion, Butt Nothings, Will Butler , and many others. Continuing the tradition from last year, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra was featured throughout the weekend. In honor of the ten-year anniversary
6603-422: 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 on September 15, 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
6696-591: 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. 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
6789-457: 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. On August 18 and 19, 2018, Bryce returned with
6882-451: The latter being a surprise album . Dessner has production credits on all of the band's albums since Alligator . The majority of both High Violet and Trouble Will Find Me were recorded in his garage studio behind his house in Brooklyn, and Alligator and Boxer were partially recorded in his attic and in his sister's attic, which is on the same street in Brooklyn. In 2008, Dessner sent Justin Vernon an instrumental sketch of
6975-537: The music of Irena and Vojtech Havel, who blend early music with Czech folk music. It was premiered by Kronos on May 31, 2012, at the Ensems Festival in Valencia, Spain. On March 17, 2016, Bryce and Aaron Dessner announced Day of the Dead , a charity tribute album to the Grateful Dead released by 4AD on May 20, 2016. Day of the Dead was created, curated and produced by Bryce and Aaron. The compilation
7068-570: The musical director for Matthew Ritchie's 'The Morning Line' installation, collaborating with Ritchie and a number of contemporary composers, including Lee Ranaldo and Evan Ziporyn . 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
7161-605: The orchestra in 2020. He has a master's degree in music from Yale University . Dessner, along with his twin brother Aaron , was named the 243rd greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone in 2023. Dessner grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio , with his twin brother, Aaron Dessner . Dessner was raised as Jewish and has Polish Jewish and Russian Jewish ancestry. Dessner attended high school at Cincinnati Country Day School and graduated in 1994. Dessner's compositions draw on elements from baroque and folk music, late Romanticism, and modernism, as well as minimalism. He composed
7254-421: 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 for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance in 2016. Justin Peck's dance with the same name, created for the L.A. Dance Project, also features Murder Ballades as its soundtrack. In September 2013, Lyon, France, hosted
7347-596: The release of Folklore , the documentary film Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions and Evermore , artists such as Maya Hawke , Gracie Abrams , Ed Sheeran , King Princess , and Girl in Red expressed interest in collaborating with Dessner and recording songs at his Long Pond Studio. Dessner stated, "After Taylor, it was a bit crazy how many people reached out. And getting to meet and write songs with people you wouldn't have had access to… I'm so grateful for it." Dessner also co-produced British singer-songwriter Ben Howard 's fourth studio album, Collections from
7440-662: 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 in March 2016. Planetarium is a song cycle celebrating the solar system created by Dessner, Nico Muhly, Sufjan Stevens, and James McAlister. The piece
7533-507: The score for the major Netflix film The Two Popes (2019) directed by Fernando Meirelles , recorded with London Contemporary Orchestra at London's Abbey Road Studios . In October 2015, Dessner was tapped along with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto , to compose the score for the Oscar Award-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu film The Revenant (2015). They received a nomination for Best Original Score in
7626-430: The second annual Eaux Claires Festival (August 12–13) featuring Jenny Lewis , Matthew Houck, Lucius , Will Oldham , Sam Amidon , Richard Reed Parry, Justin Vernon , Bruce Hornsby , Ruban Nielson and The National. In 2018 Dessner's extended collaboration with pianists Katia and Marielle Làbeque formalized into Dream House Quartet with the addition of guitarist and composer David Chalmin of La Terre Invisible, realizing
7719-539: The song "Coney Island" having features from Dessner and The National. In 2022, Dessner began a multi-year residency with the Yale Schwarzman Center as its inaugural Artist-in-Residence in Music, produced in collaboration with ArKtype, commissioning several new works by female composers including a new work for Julia Bullock by Composer Carolyn Yarnell as part of Bullock's History's Persistent Voice series,
7812-545: The work was created in partnership with The Robert Mapplethorpe 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
7905-473: 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 /Universal Music Classics released "St Carolyn By
7998-488: 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 the Dessner brothers for Red Hot. Of the 59 tracks on the compilation, many feature a house band made up of Aaron, Bryce, fellow the National bandmates and brothers Scott and Bryan Devendorf , Josh Kaufman (who co-produced the project), and Conrad Doucette along with Sam Cohen and Walter Martin. The National have
8091-518: The year" lists. Several songs from the album appeared in TV shows and movies. In 2008, then-Senator Barack Obama used an instrumental version of the song "Fake Empire" in a presidential campaign video. Following the success of Boxer , the band began collaborating with other artists on various songs and compilation albums. In 2009, the band participated in Dark Was the Night , a charity album to benefit
8184-411: 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 , Kelley Deal , Matt Berninger , and Shara Worden . The work had its world premiere on September 11, 2009, at the Krannert Center for
8277-473: Was a surprise release that debuted to critical acclaim on July 24, 2020, and won Album of the Year at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2021. Dessner continued his collaboration with Swift on her subsequent albums Evermore (2020), Midnights (2022), and The Tortured Poets Department (2024), as well as her re-recorded albums Fearless (Taylor's Version) (2021), Red (Taylor's Version) (2021), and Speak Now (Taylor's Version) (2023). After
8370-533: Was accompanied by a multi-media exhibition at L&M Arts, LA. On July 2, 2009, Dessner performed Steve Reich's " 2×5 " premiere alongside Reich at the Manchester International Festival. On Wednesday, January 25, 2012, at Stanford University and Friday, January 27, 2012, at Carnegie Hall, Dessner performed the world premiere of David Lang's new composition "death speaks" with Nico Muhly, Shara Worden , and Owen Pallett . Dessner
8463-599: Was co-commissioned by Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, the Barbican Centre and the Sydney Opera House 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 Sydney Opera House in Australia, Salle Pleyel in Paris and the Brooklyn Academy of Music in April 2013, where it had a four-night run. "The Long Count"
8556-427: Was named to several year-end best-of lists. The album was nominated for Best Alternative Album at the 56th Grammy Awards . Later that year, Dessner and the rest of the band were featured in the documentary Mistaken for Strangers , which followed the band's tour for High Violet and early recording of Trouble . In 2017, the band released Sleep Well Beast , their seventh full-length album. The lead single from
8649-755: Was raised as Jewish and has Polish Jewish and Russian Jewish ancestry. Dessner has said that his Jewish background influences his music: "My brother and I have always been fascinated by liturgical religious melodies in Judaism ;... I don't like major chords. I like the meditative patterns in certain prayers, and I like music that repeats itself." Dessner attended high school at Cincinnati Country Day School and graduated in 1994. Dessner went on to study Modern European History at Columbia University . Aaron Dessner and his twin brother Bryce were childhood friends with Bryan Devendorf . In 1998, after Dessner's earlier band, Project Nim, broke up, Devendorf invited
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