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Benjamin Dwyer is a world renowned classical guitarist, composer, improviser, researcher and educator. While he excels in each of these specific disciplines, it is in the dynamic and interanimating combination of them that defines his philosophy as a musician. He is also deeply committed to cross-disciplinarity and brings his creative musical energies into innovative collaborations with dance, film, theatre and literature.
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Dwyer is an elected member of Aosdána (the Irish Government-sponsored Affiliation of Creative Artists), an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, London (ARAM), and a recipient of the Villa-Lobos Centenary Medal (Brazilian Government). For twelve years he was Professor of Music at Middlesex University, London.
As a classical guitarist, Dwyer has performed with all the major Irish orchestras, and with the Neubrandenburg Philharmonic Orchestra (with whom he made his international concerto debut performing Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez), the Santos Symphony Orchestra, the VOX21 new-music ensemble, and the Callino and Vogler String Quartets. While his repertory includes all the major composers for his instrument, Dwyer has distinguished himself as a leading exponent of 20th- and 21st-century music with a particular emphasis on new Irish works.
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Dwyer's compositions are performed worldwide by leading orchestras, ensembles and soloists such as the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the Goiánia Philharmonic Orchestra (Brazil), the Orchestra of Experimental Repertory (São Paulo), the Fidelio Trio, violist Garth Knox, bassist Barry Guy, violinist Maya Homburger, and guitarists Smaro Gregoriadou, Fabio Zanon, Xuefei Yang and Craig Ogden, among many others.
​As an improviser, Dwyer has worked with leading exponents in the field including Peter Evans, Paul Lytton, Garth Knox, Agustí Fernandez and Charlotte Hug among others. For eleven years, he has been a member of Barry Guy’s Blue Shroud Band: one of the world’s leading free improvisation ensembles. Working with the Blue Shroud Band has had a deep impact on Dwyer’s performance and compositional practices, resulting in works such as KnowingUnknowing for improvised music, film and dance; and what is the word—a setting of Beckett texts for small ensemble (Dwyer, Guy and Homburger) and narrator (Conor Lovett, Gare St Lazare Ireland).
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Since publishing his first monograph on Irish composer John Buckley (2011), Dwyer has been strongly committed to research. His further four book publications, book chapter and numerous journal articles focus on a broad range of research areas including Irish Art Music from the 18th century to the present, Irish modernisms in music, the music of Benjamin Britten and György Ligeti, and the burgeoning arena of free improvised music. ​​​​
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On 20 CDs, Dwyer's composed music, classical guitar playing and improvisations have been featured on the Farpoint, Diatribe, Nottwo, Intakt, Aldilà and Divine Arts record labels.