is an American composer and guitarist based in Paris. He has won Grammy Awards both as a classical composer and as guitarist and arranger in The National, whose latest album won the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album. As a classical composer, he is in demand from today’s finest ensembles and institutions, from Ensemble Intercontemporain to the New York Philharmonic, Kronos Quartet and Carnegie Hall. Dessner collaborates across multiple art forms and musical genres and has worked with some of the world’s most creative and respected artists, including Philip Glass, Paul Simon, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Katia and Marielle Labèque, and Steve Reich, who named Dessner a “major voice of his generation.” Dessner is also very active as a curator and is regularly called upon to program festivals and events around the world. He co-founded and curates the festivals: MusicNOW in Cincinnati; HAVEN in Copenhagen; Sounds from a Safe Harbour in Cork; and 37d03d.