Sebastian Zawadzki is a Nordic jazz pianist, contemporary classical composer and film composer based in Copenhagen, Denmark. His music blends modern classical composition, Nordic jazz, cinematic soundscapes, neoclassical piano and improvisation, creating immersive listening experiences for concert halls, films and audiences around the world. His catalogue spans contemporary orchestral music, chamber works, solo piano recordings, cinematic compositions, Nordic jazz projects and experimental instrumental releases. Through projects ranging from symphony orchestra and string quartet to jazz trio, solo piano, electronics and music for film and TV, Zawadzki continues to explore the space between composition, improvisation and storytelling. Born in Poland and based in Denmark since 2010, Zawadzki began his musical journey at an early age and quickly developed a distinctive voice as both pianist and composer. At the age of 19, he was admitted to the Syddansk Musikkonservatorium in Odense, Denmark, where he continued his development as a pianist. He later studied at conservatories in Kraków, Los Angeles and Copenhagen, including the Rytmisk Musikkonservatorium, expanding his musical language across jazz, classical music, film scoring and contemporary composition. His artistic development has been shaped by encounters with musicians from different traditions. He studied and worked in contexts connected to artists such as Brad Mehldau, Jakob Bro and Marcin Masecki, each of whom contributed to his understanding of improvisation, form, sound and artistic freedom. These experiences helped shape Zawadzki’s approach as a Nordic jazz pianist and contemporary classical composer, combining technical discipline with emotional openness and a strong sense of musical narrative. One of the important moments in his development as a film composer came through his participation in the ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop in Los Angeles with Richard Bellis. Selected from hundreds of applicants worldwide, Zawadzki had the opportunity to work within one of the most influential environments in film music. During the workshop, he visited Hans Zimmer’s Remote Control Productions and conducted his own orchestral composition at the legendary 20th Century Fox Newman Scoring Stage, working with some of the finest musicians in Los Angeles. His work in film music has continued through collaborations with established composers and filmmakers. Zawadzki worked as an arranger and orchestrator for Academy Award-winning composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, including orchestration work connected to Symfonia bez Końca and film music projects such as Paul, Apostle of Christ. He has also recorded piano parts for major Polish film productions including Bogowie, Chce się Żyć, Moje Córki Krowy and Powstanie Warszawskie. His music for the film Cent’anni received recognition at the Cannes Film Festival, further establishing his connection to music for visual storytelling. As a creator of music for film and TV, Zawadzki continues to develop original music for visual media. He collaborates with the Copenhagen-based publisher A New Story, part of Upright Music, creating contemporary instrumental and cinematic music for sync licensing, film, television and media productions. This work reflects his ability to move between concert music, cinematic composition and emotionally driven sound worlds created for screen. Alongside his own projects, Zawadzki remains active on the European jazz and contemporary music scene. He is a member of the Adam Bałdych Quintet and appears on recordings released by ACT Music, one of Europe’s leading jazz labels. His work has brought him together with internationally acclaimed musicians including Adam Bałdych, Anders “AC” Christensen, Felix Pastorius, Larry Grenadier, Marcin Wasilewski, Jordan Jackson, Simon Thorsen, Grzech Piotrowski, Maciej Kitajewski, Klanglys, Ole Kock Hansen and many other artists from the contemporary jazz, classical and improvised music scenes. Zawadzki has released numerous albums under his own name, developing a broad and personal discography. His debut album Between the Dusk of a Summer Night introduced his interest in contemporary classical music, minimalism and orchestral writing. Performed by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra and soloists, the album combines symphonic writing, voice, electronics and nature sounds in a post-classical sound world inspired by poetry, atmosphere and emotional contrast. Shortly after, he recorded Piano Works Vol. 1 in Copenhagen, exploring the possibilities of solo piano, improvisation and prepared piano. This was followed by Norn, a contemporary classical work for string quartet, synthesizers and piano, combining chamber music with electronic textures and Scandinavian-inspired atmosphere. In 2019, Zawadzki released Piano Works Vol. 2, a milestone in his discography and one of his most widely streamed solo piano works. Recorded partly on an old upright piano in the concert hall of the Royal Academy in Copenhagen, the album explores minimalism, resonance and emotional simplicity. Its first track has reached millions of streams, bringing Zawadzki’s contemporary piano music to a global audience. Zawadzki continued to expand his musical language with Songs About Time, a chamber work combining piano, upright piano, string quartet and voices. The album creates a peaceful, slowly evolving sound world shaped by memory, reflection and the passing of time. He later released Entropy, a minimalist composition for solo upright piano that became one of his most popular works on YouTube. His later releases opened another chapter in his artistic development. Altair is a large-scale contemporary classical album written for symphony orchestra, mallets and piano, reflecting Zawadzki’s interest in modern orchestral composition, cinematic soundscapes and emotionally direct symphonic writing. Pax Elysium explores a more atmospheric electronic language, combining synthesizers, piano textures and cinematic sound design. Vibrations presents his Nordic jazz trio sound, shaped by original compositions, lyrical improvisation and contemporary ensemble interaction. In 2023, acclaimed violinist Adam Bałdych invited Zawadzki to record with his new quintet in Otwock and to perform music connected to legendary Polish composer Henryk Mikołaj Górecki. This collaboration led to further international performances and recordings. In January 2025, the Adam Bałdych Quintet album Portraits, featuring Sebastian Zawadzki on piano, was released by ACT Music. The album was later nominated for a Fryderyk Award, Poland’s most prestigious music award, in the category Jazz Album of the Year. Zawadzki is also an active touring and performing artist. He has presented his music in Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Italy, the United States, Kazakhstan and many other countries. His performances include solo piano concerts, trio projects, contemporary classical works, chamber music and large-scale productions combining piano, strings, woodwinds, electronics and ensemble writing. His music has been performed in prestigious venues including Berliner Philharmonie, where he performed on invitation from the Berliner Philharmoniker, the legendary Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen, Jassmine in Warsaw and numerous concert halls and festivals across Europe, North America and Central Asia. He has also performed in large concert halls during tours in Kazakhstan, including a 2024 tour organized in collaboration with Baykanat Concerts. Live performance remains an essential part of Zawadzki’s artistic identity. Projects such as Forte Artus Festival in Toruń, where he presented original music for a small orchestra, and Live in Astana, a live performance featuring string ensemble, woodwinds, double bass and original compositions, reflect his vision for blending contemporary classical music, improvisation and cinematic sound. In Copenhagen, Zawadzki regularly performs at Epicurus following an invitation from renowned Danish pianist Niels Lan Doky. This residency allows him to continue developing his voice as an improviser and pianist in one of the city’s distinctive musical environments. Throughout his career, Zawadzki has also worked as an orchestrator, educator and collaborator. He has written orchestrations for Copenhagen Phil as part of the 60 Minutes Festival, performed as a substitute pianist with Aarhus Jazz Orchestra and contributed to numerous interdisciplinary and recording projects. His work as a pianist, composer, producer and orchestrator has allowed him to build a wide-ranging artistic practice rooted in both performance and composition. He has received numerous awards, grants and scholarships supporting his artistic development. These include Danish grants connected to his trio projects, DJBFA support for the recording of Norn and Between the Dusk of a Summer Night, artistic scholarships in Poland and recognition from film, jazz and composition competitions. In 2016, he was selected for the ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop in Los Angeles and also won first prize at the Transatlantyk Film Festival’s Instant Composition contest in Łódź. His bassoon concerto was performed at the Festiwal Muzyki Polskiej in Warsaw, and his concerto for violin and string orchestra received recognition at the International Violin Festival in Toruń. His jazz credentials include awards from the European Jazz Contest in Rome with International Jazzpocalypse, Jazz Juniors in Kraków, Tarnów Jazz Contest, Novum Jazz Festival and other competitions supporting young jazz artists. These early distinctions helped establish him as an active pianist and improviser before his artistic path expanded further into contemporary classical composition, film music and orchestral writing. Today, Sebastian Zawadzki continues to develop a personal musical language that connects contemporary classical composition, Nordic jazz, cinematic piano music and storytelling. Whether performing solo piano concerts, leading his own ensembles, composing for orchestra, creating chamber works or writing music for film and television, his work remains rooted in emotion, atmosphere, improvisation and a constant search for new artistic forms.