SAMA is honored to partner with Seattle Theater Group (STG) to bring the Polish Pianist, Hania Rani back to Seattle. On her last visit to the city Haniaâs venue had to change due to high demand. Donât wait on this one.
Hania Rani is a multi-talented artist who has gained international acclaim as a pianist, composer, and singer. Her debut album, âEsjaâ, released in 2019 on Gondwana Records, is a captivating collection of solo piano pieces that earned Rani four prestigious Fryderyk Awards, including âBest Debut Albumâ, âBest Alternative Albumâ, and âBest New Arrangementâ. The album was also recognized as the âDiscovery of the Year 2019â in the Empik Bestseller Awards, while Rani was awarded the Sanki Award for the âNew Face of Polish Musicâ.
In 2020, Rani released her sophomore album, âHomeâ, on Gondwana Records. The album is an expansive and cinematic work that showcases Raniâs growth as an artist. In addition to the solo piano pieces, Rani adds vocals and subtle electronics to her music, and is accompanied by bassist Ziemowit Klimek and drummer Wojtek Warmijak. The album earned Rani the notable accolade of âBest Composerâ, a further acknowledgement from Fryderyk, and was included in Rough Tradeâs essential âAlbums of the Yearâ.
đ· Aleksandra Zaborowska
In 2021, Rani signed her publishing rights to Wise Music Group, joining names such as Olafur Arnalds, Dustin OâHalloran, Hildur GuðnadĂłttir, and Ludovico Einaudi. That same year, she released âMusic for Film and Theatreâ, a personal selection of recent compositions for film, theatre, and other projects on Gondwana Records.
Later in October, Rani released her duo album âInner Symphoniesâ, recorded in the beautiful Szczecinâs Philharmonic Hall with Dobrawa Czocher, and released by prestigious Deutsche Grammophon. The album contains ten arrangements of Grzegorz Ciechowski tracks mixed with five original compositions written by Hania. To complement the duoâs release, they also released a remastered LP edition of their album from 2015 called âBiaĆa Flagaâ.
In 2022, Rani released the EP Live From Studio S2, which includes rearrangements of her favourite songs, such as âHawaii Osloâ, âGlassâ, âLeavingâ, and âBukaâ. She was also the subject of an in-depth portrait in the BBC Radio 4 Profile series, which explored her background, inspirations, and motivations.
Raniâs accomplishments extend beyond her musical career, as she has also composed music for movies, theatre, and other projects. Her song âEdenâ was used as the soundtrack to the short movie by MaĆgorzata Szumowska for Miu Miuâs movie cycle âWomenâs Talesâ. Her âWhale Songâ was used in a Louis Vuitton commercial, and multiple tracks were placed in the Netflix series âLast Chance U: Basketballâ. Rani also composed music for the documentary movie âVenice: Infinitely Avantgardeâ, and her music has been used in other films and plays.
Rani has performed sold-out concerts across Europe, North America, Japan, Israel, Turkey, and Russia, in prestigious venues such as NOSPR in Katowice, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Funkhaus in Berlin, and The Roundhouse in London. In 2022, she was invited to Paris to perform recorded live shows for ARTE and Cercle.
Rani draws inspiration from a wide range of sources, including classical music, jazz, electronics, and visual arts. Her fatherâs background as an architect and her own experiences in places like Berlin, Iceland, and Bieszczady, Southeast Poland, have influenced her