Bryce Dessner

Bryce Dessner is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist best known as a founding member of the band The National. Dessner was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1976 and started playing guitar at the age of 11. He studied classical guitar and composition at Yale University and earned a Masters of Music from the Yale School of Music in 2004.

Dessner has released several critically acclaimed solo albums, including Aheym (2013), St. Carolyn by the Sea (2014), Music for Wood and Strings (2015), and El Chan (2017). He has also composed for film, theater, and dance, and collaborated with other musicians such as Sufjan Stevens and composer Steve Reich.

The National have released several notable albums, including Alligator (2005), Boxer (2007), High Violet (2010), and Sleep Well Beast (2017). Notable singles include “Bloodbuzz Ohio” (2010), “Terrible Love” (2010), and “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness” (2017).

An interesting fact about Bryce Dessner is that he is a board member of the MusicNOW Festival, a contemporary classical music festival in Cincinnati. The festival focuses on new and experimental works, and Dessner has been involved since its inception in 2006.