Hania Derej (18.01.2005) – composer, pianist, conductor. She is a student at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam(jazz composition and arrangement) and the Music Academy in Cracow (symphonic conducting). She is the author of more than 120 compositions, some of which have been recorded on 9 CDs, including at the recording studio of the Polish Radio in Katowice. Hania creates music in various styles, including jazz, illustrative, chamber and electronic music. Hania’s music stimulates the imagination, is characterized by melodiousness and carries an emotional message. Hania is the recipient of many awards, including the Main Prize of the “Jazz Talents” competition within the 21st edition of the Jazz Spring Zakopane 2025, Triton Award for the greatest artistic personality of the 54^th edition of FAMA Festival 2024 in Świnoujście (Poland), a special award for compositions and arrangements at the Junior Jazz Festival 2023 in Wadowice (Poland), and the “Young Composer 2023” award funded by the Polish Composers’ Union in Warsaw during the International Piano Forum in Sanok (Poland). Within this Piano Forum, Hania also received piano awards, such as an distinction for the performance of a concert with the National Polish Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra and a concert with the Lviv Chamber Orchestra “Akademy.”  As a conductor, Hania has had the opportunity to lead concerts with the National Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra (Poland), Elblag Chamber Orchestra (Poland), Lviv Chamber Orchestra “Akademia” (Ukraine) and the Moravian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra (Czech Republic), among others. Hania also participates in international music projects in Europe, such as FAMES Orchestra, The Playground Residence, Sync Camp and International Jazz Platform. She has also participated in music business programs such as Music Export Academy in Poland, Global Conservatory and Eastern European Music Export Academy. At concerts, she performs in various instrumental lineups, depending on the compositions presented. She has played at the many international jazz and film festivals, such as the Summer Jazz Festival in Cracow, the FAMA Festival in Świnoujscie, Jazz in the Runes Festival in Gliwice (Poland), the Film + City Festival in Katowice (Poland), the Two Shores Film Festival in Kazimierz Dolny (Poland), the Junior Jazz Festival in Wadowice (Poland), the Coal Film Festival (Poland), Band Night at CvA, (Amsterdam) and others.
Hania has also qualified for and participated in international music projects in Europe, such as: FAMES Orchestra in Macedonia (Skopje) – specialized music workshops and concerts, The Playground Residence – artist residencies in Germany (Berlin) and the Netherlands (Nijmegen), International Jazz Platform in Norway (Oslo), Poland (Lodz) and Netherlands (Amsterdam). She also qualified for and participated in music business programs such as Music Export Academy (Poland), Global Conservatory (Netherlands) and Eastern European Music Academy (Ukraine).
As part of Music Export Poland, she participates as a delegate in international art and “networking” missions – “Iceland Airways networking mission” in Iceland (Reykjavik), ESNS Showcase Festival & Conference – in Groningen, the Netherlands, and Jazzahead 2025 in Bremen (Germany).
She has received scholarships from the Rafał Brzoska Foundation, the National Institute of Music and Dance in Warsawand the Podkarpackie Foundation for Cultural Development, the Marti Keuning Eckhardt Foundation (the Netherlands) and is a laureate of the Bielsko-Biala Mayor’s Award.
In the JAZZTOP2024 music critics’ survey of the international magazine JAZZFORUM, Hania Derej won first place in the “New Hope” category and fifth place in the “New Hope – Ensemble” category as the Hania Derej Quintet and scored in the “Piano” categories.
In April 2025, Hania was awarded a distinction in the nationwide “Young Promoter of Poland” Contest, under the Honorary Patronage of the Wife of the President of the Republic of Poland, for young Poles whose activities contribute to the popularization of knowledge about Poland and building a positive image of Poland in the world.