Guitar Biography

Since his European debut playing Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez with the Neubrandenburg Philharmonic Orchestra (Germany), Benjamin Dwyer has been regarded as one of Ireland's leading musicians. A recipient of the prestigious Villa-Lobos Centenary Medal, he has appeared as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the Santos Symphony Orchestra (Brazil) as well as the new music ensemble VOX21 and the renowned Vogler String Quartet (Germany). Dwyer performs regularly throughout Ireland and has given recitals in the UK, the United States, Germany, Austria, Finland, Canada, Spain, Italy and the Caribbean.

As well as having a vast solo repertoire, Dwyer has explored the area of chamber music extensively from Schubert's Die Schöne Müllerin (complete) to new chamber works especially written for him by Ireland's leading contemporary composers. He has formed duos with some of Europe's foremost instrumentalists and singers including tenor John Elwes, soprano Sylvia O'Brien, saxophonist Kenneth Edge, flautist Susan Doyle, jazz guitarist Mike Nielsen and Italian classical guitarist Dario Macaluso.  

Dwyer has in more recent years expanded his performance horizons beyond classical music and has recently made a CD of free-improvisation (Evolution) with jazz guitarist Mike Nielsen. His latest CD Twelve Etudes for solo guitar was described by renowned Brazilian guitarist Fabio Zanon as 'the summation of an entire guitar epoch'. 

This year, Dwyer was nominated by the Royal Academy of Music (London) for the award of Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM). This prestigious honor is bestowed upon those former students deemed “to have made a significant contribution to the music profession.” Dwyer is on the Guitar Faculty at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin.