Bio

Zuzanna Koziej

Composer and arranger. A graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, she continued her training at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica ‘Giuseppe Verdi’ in Turin. She studied with composers such as Ēriks Ešenvalds, Ko Matsushita, Paweł Łukaszewski, Miłosz Bembinow, Stanisław Moryto, Magdalena Cynk, and Giuseppe Elos. Zuzanna Koziej is a scholarship holder of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage (‘Young Poland’ programme, 2021) and Marshal of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (2022). She has won many awards in composition competitions. In 2015, she triumphed at competition for the Final Work as part of the International Festival of University Choirs ‘Universitas Cantat’ in Poznań, and her competition piece Arion was then performed by a total of seven choirs from around the world together with the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of the Polish Radio conducted by Agnieszka Duczmal. In 2019, she received two second places in the ‘Sacra/Profana’ composers’ competition in California for the pieces Deus meus and Trahe me post te. In 2022, she won the II prize in the International Girls’ Choir Composition Competition in Latvia for the piece Laus Trinitati. She is a finalist of composition competitions such as AERCO – My First Fifty Years (Italy, 2020), Arcady-RBC (Canada, 2021), HerVoice (the US, 2021). In 2022, she won the composition competition in the United States, and thus her piece The Lamb will released on an album by Ensemble Altera The Lamb’s Journey in Spring 2024.

In February 2023 she released her first monographic album Music of Trust, consisting of her choral a cappella compositions for mixed choir, a Stabat Mater for female choir and her Mass of Trust for soprano, choir and orchestra. The CD was recorded and published by CD Accord Music Edition. Her music was performed by the Choir of National Forum of Music in Wrocław, along with Kameralna N-Harmonia orchestra, conducted by Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny.

Her music is performed by ensembles in Poland and internationally, often gathering over a hundred performers of various nationalities on stage during various international music events, e.g. the Polish-German Zaufanie-Vertrauen project in Wrocław and Berlin, an anniversary of the Singing Poland programme at the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic, or a joint project of the Polish National Youth Choir and the Bundesjugendchor. Zuzanna Koziej has also collaborated with such ensembles as Neuer Kammerchor Berlin (Germany), Coro de la Universidad de Guayaquil (Ecuador), State Choir Latvija (Latvia). Her pieces are performed, among others, in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ecuador, Serbia, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Estonia, Italy, Hungary, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Awards:

II prize of the International Competition for Girls’ Choir Compositions organized by Latvian Section of ISCM and Latvian Composers Unionin Riga, Latvia – for the choral piece Laus Trinitati, 2022
III prize in the composer’s competition „Ludowo na novo”, Poland, 2022
winner of the International Competition The Lamb’s Journey organized by Ensemble Altera – for the piece The Lamb, USA, 2022
awarded with the grant of Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship for artistic activity, 2022
III prize in the 4^th Alexander Kastalsky International Competition for Choral Writing, Moscow – for the piece Ubi caritas for choir and ensemble, 2021
Honorable Mention in the Arcady-RBC Emerging Artist Composer Competition in Canada (2021)
Honorable Mention in the Composer’s Competition HerVoice in United States (2021)
Awarded with a grant “Młoda Polska” of Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and Sport in Poland for outstanding achievements, dedicated for a realisation of a project of releasing a CD (2021)
A finalist (4^th position) of the AERCO International Competition for Choral Composition, awarded with a performance of the piece by Youth Choir Kamer from Latvia; Italy (2020)
Double II prize in an international composer competition Sacra/Profana in San Diego, California for the pieces: „Deus meus” and „Trahe me” (2019)
Award „Composer in Residence of Poznan Chamber Choir” in Composer’s Competition „Opus 966” (2016)
Honorable Mention in the Composer’s Competition „Opus 966” (2016)
Winner of the Composer’s Competition for Final Concert of the 12th International Festival of the University Choirs „Universitas Cantat” 2015. The world premiere was performed by all participants jointly; choirs from Poland, Ecuador, Ukraine, Serbia, Argentina, Republic of South Africa, Philippines, Brazil, Puerto Rico and Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio conducted by Agnieszka Duczmal, on 27 June 2015
I Prize in the II Piotr Perkowski Competition for Composers, Toruń (2015)
II Prize and Audience Award in the International Competition for Composers “In modo di Lutosławski” and world premiere of the composition in Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio, Warsaw (2013)
Award of the Toruń Mayor for artistic activity (2010, 2013)
III Prize in Competition for Composers in Stalowa Wola (2012)
I Prize and Audience Award in the I Piotr Perkowski Competition for Composition, Toruń (2012)
Honorable Mention in the Competition for Composers, Bydgoszcz (2010)