[1] Academically, Dykstra studied composition at CalArts with Michael Pisaro, Wolfgang von Schweinitz, and Ulrich Krieger; privately with Daníel Bjarnason,[2] Chiyoko Szlavnics, and at Wesleyan University with Alvin Lucier.
Trey Edward Shults), which received the NYT Critic's Pick from A.O.
His composition work with Frontline documentaries includes Mstyslav Chernov's 20 Days in Mariupol (which won the Audience Award for Best World Cinema Documentary[8] at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and won the 2024 Academy Award for Best Documentary[9]) and Plot to Overturn The Election, while his work as a music consultant includes the 2023 Peabody Award Winning[10] Michael Flynn's Holy War, American Insurrection,[11] and the Documenting Hate[12] series.
Dykstra was a session violist and string director for Dirty Projectors' 2009 album Bitte Orca and has performed at venues worldwide including MOCA, Los Angeles, CA,[13] the RISD Museum in Providence, RI,[14] the Portland Art Museum in Portland, OR,[15] Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland,[16] and at the Syros Institute in Ano Syros, Greece.
[17] In 2024 Dykstra received a BMI Award for his score for 20 Days in Mariupol.