For more than two decades, Bryce Dessner has occupied a unique place in modern music. Best known as guitarist and principal composer for The National, he has also established himself as one of the most respected contemporary classical composers of his generation. Now, Australian audiences will have the rare opportunity to experience both worlds collide when Dessner joins the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for a special concert celebrating his richly textured body of work.
Far from a conventional orchestral performance, the concert will see Dessner step onto the stage as guitarist, performing a program of compositions that blur the boundaries between indie rock, minimalism and contemporary classical music. It’s an approach that has defined much of his career, moving effortlessly between intimate chamber works, expansive orchestral commissions and the emotionally resonant songwriting that has made The National one of the most influential alternative bands of the past two decades.
Beyond his work alongside twin brother Aaron Dessner and vocalist Matt Berninger in The National, Bryce Dessner has become a sought-after composer whose works have been commissioned by organisations including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Kronos Quartet, Carnegie Hall, Barbican Centre and Sydney Festival. His acclaimed composition Murder Ballades contributed to the Grammy Award-winning album Filament, while his growing catalogue for film recently earned him his first Academy Award nomination for the 2026 feature Train Dreams.
His collaborative résumé is equally remarkable. Over the years Dessner has worked with Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Jonny Greenwood, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Nick Cave, Paul Simon, Sufjan Stevens, Taylor Swift and Alejandro González Iñárritu, establishing himself as an artist equally at home in concert halls, recording studios and festival stages.
That openness to collaboration has long been central to his work. Whether composing for orchestras or crafting intricate guitar arrangements for The National, Dessner’s music consistently searches for common ground between genres, creating works that are both intellectually ambitious and emotionally immediate.
For longtime fans of The National, the performance offers a rare opportunity to hear the composer’s orchestral voice up close. For classical audiences, it is a chance to experience one of contemporary music’s most adventurous composers performing his own work alongside one of Australia’s leading orchestras.
Go HERE for tickets.
