Bryce Dessner to Perform With Sydney Symphony Orchestra Later This Year

Grammy-winning composer and The National co-founder Bryce Dessner is bringing his acclaimed orchestral work to Australia for the first time this September.

Best known as a founding member and principal songwriter of The National, Dessner has spent the past decade carving out an equally acclaimed career in the classical world, earning Grammy Awards across both disciplines and collaborating with artists ranging from Taylor Swift to Bon Iver and Paul Simon. 

The Australian performances mark his long-awaited debut with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, forming part of the orchestra’s 2026 season, with concerts taking place at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, City Recital Hall, and Melbourne Recital Centre. 

Tickets are on sale now here. 

The first program, Dessner’s Trembling Earth, will run across September 19th and 20th at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall under conductor Umberto Clerici. The performances mark the Australian premiere of the program, written for acclaimed cellist Anastasia Kobekina.

Co-commissioned by the Sydney Symphony, it explores the relationship between soloist and orchestra through sweeping, emotionally charged arrangements inspired by the natural world. Dessner will also perform on electric guitar during "St. Carolyn by the Sea", a cinematic piece blending post-rock textures with orchestral instrumentation. 

The program additionally features György Ligeti’s "Concert Românesc" and Antonín Dvořák’s "Symphony No. 8". 

Later in the month, Dessner will shift into a more intimate setting for 'Bryce Dessner & the Sydney Symphony', taking place September 24th at City Recital Hall before heading to Melbourne Recital Centre on September 25th.

That program is devoted entirely to Dessner’s own compositions, including "Aheym", "Lachrimae", and "Impermanence", the latter written in response to the Australian bushfires. Originally commissioned in 2021 by the Australian String Quartet and Sydney Dance Company for Rafael Bonachela’s dance production of the same name, "Impermanence" later won Best Classical Record at the Libera Awards.

The performances conclude with "Garcia Counterpoint", a work inspired by Jerry Garcia that layers electric guitar with pre-recorded soundscapes, further highlighting Dessner’s ability to move between contemporary classical composition and rock experimentation.

For complete tour and ticket information, see here.