Bryce Dessner

Bryce Dessner, foreground, Aaron Dessner background; photo by Keith Klenowski

Bryce Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is a Brooklyn based composer, guitarist, and curator primarily known as a member of The National. In addition to his work with The National, he is a founding member of Clogs, and the founder of the MusicNOW Festival. Bryce has a master's degree in classical guitar from Yale University. He is the twin brother of Aaron Dessner.

Aaron and Bryce Dessner

Main article: Aaron and Bryce Dessner

Aaron and Bryce write and play guitar for The National. The brothers both graduated from Cincinnati Country Day School in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1994. The brothers are co-founders, alongside Alec Hanley Bemis, of Brassland Records, a label that was home to artists including the early releases from The National, the Clogs catalog and releases by Doveman and Nico Muhly.

The two Dessners also write, produce, and perform contemporary music internationally in collaboration with many artists. 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 the Guitare Au Palais Festival Perpignan France. They also performed at Matthew Ritchie's Ghost Operator opening at the White Cube Gallery in London.

Dark Was the Night

Main article: Dark Was the Night

In 2009, brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner produced an extensive AIDS charity compilation, Dark Was the Night, for the Red Hot Organization. The record features exclusive new recordings and collaborations from a long list of artists including David Byrne, Arcade Fire, Sufjan Stevens, Feist, Sharon Jones, Cat Power, Grizzly Bear, My Morning Jacket, and Spoon. Dark Was the Night has raised over 1.5 million dollars for AIDS charities as of January 2011.

On May 3, 2009 4AD and Red Hot produced Dark Was the Night - Live, a concert commemorating 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.

Kronos Quartet

Main article: Kronos Quartet

Following the production of Dark Was the Night, Bryce was commissioned by the internationally renowned, Grammy Award-winning Kronos Quartet, to compose a piece in honor of Steve Reich’s 75th birthday. That piece, “Aheym”, Yiddish for “homeward”, premiered March 12, 2009 at the MusicNOW Festival, and July 18, 2009 in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

In 2011, Bryce was commissioned by Kronos Quartet to compose a piece for Barbican Centre's “Reverberations: The Influence of Steve Reich” festival in London. That piece, “Tenebre”, 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.

Clogs

Main article: Clogs (band)

The Clogs is an improvising quartet that has toured with The Books in the UK and at the Sydney Festival. Clogs' music served as the soundtrack to the Chris Eigeman film Turn the River.

The Long Count

The Long Count was a large commission for the BAM Next Wave Festival that found Bryce Dessner working alongside his brother Aaron 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, Matthew Berninger, and Shara Worden. The work had its world premiere on September 11, 2009 at The Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, as part of the Ellnora Festival. The work had its New York premiere in October 2009 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and was performed at the Holland Festival in June, 2011. It will also be performed at the Barbican, London from the 2-4 February 2012.

Other collaborations

Bryce Dessner is also a frequent collaborator with artists including Philip Glass, Bang on a Can All-Stars, and Glenn Kotche. Dessner served as the musical director for Matthew Ritchie's The Morning Line installation, collaborating with Ritchie and a number of contemporary composers, including Lee Ranaldo, Evan Ziporyn. He founded and serves as the artistic director of the MusicNOW Festival, an annual showcase of the best in contemporary music held in Cincinnati, Ohio. On July 2, Bryce performed Steve Reich's "2x5" premiere alongside Reich at the Manchester International Festival, and is composing a piece for Kronos Quartet in honour of Reich's 75th birthday. In March 2010, Dessner co-curated the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville Tennessee.

On Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at Stanford University and Friday, January 27, 2012 at Carnegie Hall, Bryce performed the world premiere of David Lang's new composition "Death Speaks" with Nico Muhly, Shara Worden, and Owen Pallett.

Commissions

• "Memorial" for the 2006 New York Guitar Festival
• "An evening of music" for the Kitchen, NYC, March 2007
• "Propolis" for The Morning Line, co-composed with David Sheppard and Evan Ziporyn, 2008
• "Lincoln Shuffle" for the 21st Century Abe Project, 2009
• "Aheym" for the Kronos Quartet at Celebrate Brooklyn, 2009
• "The Long Count" for the 2009 Brooklyn Academy of Music Next Wave Festival
• "O Shut Your Eyes Against the Wind" for Bang on a Can All-Stars, 2010 Ecstatic Music Festival
• "Tour Eiffel" for the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, 2010
• "Tenebre" for Kronos Quartet, 2010
• "Long Winter" for cellist Zachary Miskin, 2010

Each commission is linked to a larger story or inspiration. For the "Lincoln Shuffle" Dessner visited the Rosenbach Museum & Library and used historical material to inspire the set of pieces, "Long Summer", "Rose of Lincoln", "Lincoln's Dixie", "Uncle Bob Ledbetter", "Uncle Bob's Union Guitars", and "Lincoln's Triumph (A Funeral March)."

MusicNOW Festival

The MusicNOW Festival was founded by Bryce Dessner in April 2006 in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. A variety of contemporary musicians from around the world have performed at the annual festival. The festival is held at the 100-year old Hamilton County Memorial Hall where artist Karl Jensen has created an art installation for the event. Each year's festival has included world premieres of new works commissioned by the festival. These include a collaboration between David Cossin and Glenn Kotche, new arrangements for string quartet from Sufjan Stevens, new work from Clogs and new music by Richard Reed Parry (of Arcade Fire).

2006 edition

The 2006 Festival was held at the Contemporary Arts Center and featured Awadagin Pratt, CelloProject, Bell Orchestre, Glenn Kotche, David Cossin, Kyaw Kyaw Naing, Erik Friedlander.

2007 edition

The 2007 festival featured Amiina, My Brightest Diamond and more. Vincent Moon documented performances from the 2007 festival for a Take-Away Show on the French website La Blogothèque in a 30 minute video special.

2008 edition

In 2008, Andrew Bird, fresh from recording shared many of the songs from his recent release. The first evening of festival featured world premieres from Doveman and Aaron Dessner, Nico Muhly, and Sufjan Stevens.

2009 edition

For 2009, the Kronos Quartet was in residence. Acclaimed kora player, Toumani Diabate performed a solo concert at the Cincinnati Zoo. The Books made a return appearance previewing material from their 2010 release. Festival commissions included two pieces for the Kronos Quartet, one from Richard Reed Parry and one from Tyondai Braxton.

2010 edition

The fifth annual event featured three nights of music including performances from Robin Pecknold, Joanna Newsom, yMusic, St. Vincent, Colin Stetson, and Justin Vernon

2011 edition

In its sixth year, the MusicNOW Festival featured performances from The National, Sharon Van Etten, Little Scream, Owen Pallett, Tim Hecker, Shara Worden & yMusic, and Sounds of the South, a collaboration between Megafaun and Fight the Big Bull.

2012 edition

In its seventh year, the 2012 MusicNOW Festival will be held March 28th-30th and will feature performances by Sandro Perri, eighth blackbird with Philip Glass, Sam Amidon, Pedro Soler and Gaspar Claus, and a workshop presentation of a new song cycle from Nico Muhly, Sufjan Stevens, and Bryce Dessner.

Further information

• Stereogum photos
• First four years retrospective at Each Note Secure

External links

• (official site of the National (band))
• (official site) of Clogs
• The Morning Line
• (official site) of MusicNOW Festival
• (official site of PostHoc Management