As a student at the Leipzig Conservatory from 1851–54, Dessoff studied composition, piano and conducting with some of the foremost teachers of the day, including Ignaz Moscheles for piano and Moritz Hauptmann and Julius Rietz for composition.
During his time as a student at the Leipzig Conservatory from 1851 to 1854, Dessoff received instruction in composition, piano, and conducting from some of the most respected teachers of the era, including Ignaz Moscheles for piano and Moritz Hauptmann and Julius Rietz for composition.