Sebastian Zawadzki

Sebastian Zawadzki (born 14 October 1991) is a Polish-born jazz pianist, composer and film composer living in Copenhagen who has been releasing albums since 2014 as well as composing and arranging music for a wide array of media including TV and films. In his works he incorporates elements of classical, electronic and jazz music.

Sebastian Zawadzki
Sebastian Zawadzki in Copenhagen
Background information
Born	14 October 1991 (1991-10-14) (age 33) Toruń, Poland
Origin	Polish
Genres	jazz, experimental, classical, ambient, minimalism
Occupation(s)	Composer, pianist
Instrument	Piano
Years active	2012–present
Website	www.sebastian-zawadzki.com

Early life and career

Sebastian Zawadzki, a highly talented pianist, composer, and producer, was born in Poland and has been residing in Denmark since 2010. He belongs to the younger generation of artists and is known for his exceptional productivity. At 19, he was accepted into Syddansk Musikkonservatorium in Odense, where he studied piano. He also studied at conservatories in Kraków, Poland and Rytmisk Musikkonservatorium in Copenhagen. He took part in the ASCAP Film Scoring workshop with Richard Bellis in Los Angeles before returning to Syddansk Musikkonservatorium as a soloist. His skills were honed under the guidance of Oscar-winning Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, where he fully orchestrated his work, "Symfonia bez Końca," and created orchestrations for various film productions. Sebastian also worked as an orchestrator for the prestigious Danish Orchestra, Copenhagen Phil, and regularly wrote orchestrations for the 60 Minutes festival. Furthermore, he collaborated with Bartosz Chajdecki, a renowned film composer, recording piano for several popular Polish films, including Chce się Żyć and "Bogowie." Sebastian is a well-regarded sideman in Copenhagen's vibrant jazz scene and has toured and recorded in numerous countries. He has released several albums under his name and as a sideman. Sebastian has had the privilege of performing with many acclaimed artists on stage, such as Simon Thorsen, Larry Grenadier, Jordan Jackson, Marcin Wasilewski, Grzech Piotrowski, Maciej Kitajewski, Klanglys, Ole Kock Hansen, and many others. With his extensive educational background and experience as a performer and recording artist, Sebastian has established a unique voice as a pianist, composer, and producer. He has successfully established his recording studio in Copenhagen. Apart from his work as a pianist, Sebastian is an accomplished film composer. One of his significant accomplishments is creating music for the film Cent'anni, which received the Docs-in-Progress Award at the Cannes Film Fair. Co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, this Slovenian-Italian-Polish production showcases Sebastian's talent in crafting memorable and moving musical scores, and the original soundtrack was awarded at Cannes Festival, and was directed by Maja Prelog.

Solo works

Zawadzki started out his music career as a jazz pianist at the young age. His first album was released by Polish record label For-tune Records – first of them Luminescence (2014) includes minimalistic improvised solo piano compositions that were recorded in RecPublica Studios in Poland. The second album Euphony (2015)) is written for an expanded ensemble consisting of string quartet and jazz piano trio. Zawadzki was influenced by improvised music and classical music from a young age. As a result of his studies he wrote classical pieces - one of them is "Concerto for Bassoon and Chamber Orchestra" (2016), that had its premiere at IX Festiwal Nowego Miasta in Warsaw (2016). Sebastian, having completed various music academies and courses in Denmark, Poland, and the United States, made the decision to settle in Denmark, where he started recording his own music. His first album, Between the Dusk of a Summer Night (2018), was a sparse work that featured the Budapest Symphony Orchestra and soloists, and marked Sebastian's foray into contemporary classical and minimalism. Shortly thereafter, Sebastian recorded Piano Works Vol.1 (2018) in a studio in Copenhagen, where he explored the vast possibilities of the grand piano, improvisation and preparation. Following this, he released Norn (2018), a soundscape for string quartet, synthesizers, and piano. Piano Works Vol.2 was released in 2019 and is considered a landmark work in Sebastian's discography. It was recorded on an old upright piano located in the Royal Academy in Copenhagen's breathtaking concert hall, as well as on the grand piano. It is one of Sebastian's most popular works on Spotify, with the first song alone garnering nearly three million streams. Sebastian continued to explore new musical territory with his subsequent album, Songs about Time, which blends voice, piano, and string quartet into a beautiful, peaceful soundscape that evolves gradually over time. He also released Entropy, one of his most popular songs on YouTube. In 2021, Sebastian released Spirituality, a thought-provoking album that highlights his ability to create moods and captivate listeners. In 2021, Sebastian released Far Away, a single made for a jazz trio that also amassed nearly three million streams on various streaming services. Sebastian's latest releases, Viridian (2022) and Altair (2022), are indicative of a new chapter in his musical journey. Viridian is a collection of melodious improvised solo piano pieces, recorded in Tall Pine Records in Kolbudy, Poland, while Altair is a long-playing album created for a symphony orchestra, mallets, and piano. In addition to recording albums, Sebastian is an active touring artist who has performed his music in countries around the world, including Poland, Denmark, Sweden, the United States, Kazakhstan, Germany, and Italy. His live performances, such as Sebastian Zawadzki - FORTE ARTUS FESTIVAL | Full Performance (Toruń, 2017) with a small orchestra performing his compositions, and Sebastian Zawadzki Trio "Better Light" - Live from Metronomen (Copenhagen, 2021), are a testament to his vision for blending classical music, improvisation, and jazz.

Collaborations

Zawadzki also works as a film composer, arranger and conductor. His work can be found on several film productions. He also collaborated with Copenhagen Philharmonic (Danish Symphony Orchestra) from whom he got a commission to rearrange music of other bands for a full symphonic orchestra (among others music of bands When Saints Go Machine Den Sorte Skole, Lowly). He collaborated as well with an oscar-winning composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek – he used to orchestrate his film music and concert music.

Discography

Solo albums

• Vibrations (2023, Sebastian Zawadzki Music)
• Altair (2022, Sebastian Zawadzki Music)
• Viridian (2022, Sebastian Zawadzki Music)
• Spirituality (2022, Sebastian Zawadzki Music)
• Songs about Time (2020, Sebastian Zawadzki Music)
• Piano Works Vol.2 (2019, Sebastian Zawadzki Music)
• Norn (2018, Sebastian Zawadzki Music)
• Piano Works Vol.1 (2018, Sebastian Zawadzki Music)
• Between the Dusk of a Summer Night (2018, Sebastian Zawadzki Music)
• Euphony (2015, For-tune Records)
• Luminescence (2014, For-tune Records)

Film Scores

• Cent'anni by Maja Prelog (PL, 2023)
• Aurora Vega by Sicilla Luna (DK, 2018)
• Mr. Genovese by Daniela Arguello (US, 2018)
• How You See Me by Kathryn Harriman (US, 2017)
• Living the Mountain by Sinjun Balabanoff (US, 2017)
• Knyttet til Helvede. Paradis by Sicilla Luna (DK, 2017)
• 1984 by Mads Mengel (DK, 2016)
• Nu Vandrer Livet by Sicilla Luna (DK, 2016)
• United, We Save by Iben Ravn (DK, 2015)

Collaborations

• Faith (2016, Paweł Wszołek Quintet, For-tune Records)
• Choice (2014, Paweł Wszołek Quartet, Fresh Sounds Records)
• Tåge (2013, Zawadzki/Praśniewski/Wośko Trio, Multikulti Records)
• Tone Raw (2012, Tone Raw, Song of Songs Records)

Awards

• DJBFA Danish grant recipient for the album "Norn" (2018)
• DJBFA Danish grant recipient for the album "Between the Dusk of a Summer Night" (2017)
• Art Scholarship granted by Voivodship Marshal in Torun (Poland) (2010-2015)
• Selected as one of 12 participants in "ASCAP Film Scoring Workshops 2016 with Richard Bellis" in Los Angeles (2016)
• First prize winner in the Transatlantyk Film Festival contest "Instant Composition" in Lodz (2016)
• Composer of the bassoon concerto performed by soloist Leszek Wachnik and Orchestra at Festiwal Muzyki Polskiej in Warsaw (2016)
• Second award received for the concerto for violin and string orchestra at the composition contest during II Violin International Festival in Torun (Poland)
• Grand Prix winner with his ensemble Jazzpocalypse at the "European Jazz Contest" in Rome, with an individual prize for piano skills for Sebastian Zawadzki
• Scholarship recipient for recording the CD of Tone Raw, awarded at the "Jazzowy debiut Fonograficzny 2012" contest organized by IMIT (Instytut Muzyki i Tanca)
• Second Individual Prize at Tarnow Jazz Contest in the solo category without age limit
• Individual Prize winner at Jazz Juniors 2011 in Krakow
• Second Prize at Przeglad Mlodych Zespolow Jazzowych in Gdynia
• Grand Prix winner at Novum Jazz Jazz Festival 2011
• Special Prize winner at Novum Jazz Jazz Festival 2009

External links

• Official Website
• Sebastian Zawadzki at IMDb
• Interview with Sebastian Zawadzki at klubfilmowy.com