About Tanja.
Photo together with Philip Glass and Aaron Diehl.
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“Tanja Zapolski’s talent is impossible to ignore. She is a natural talent and a pure generator of musical energy.”
– Jyllands-Posten Tanja Zapolski is an internationally acclaimed pianist known for her expressive depth, artistic range, and magnetic stage presence. Born in Ukraine, she gave her orchestral debut at age 8 and moved to Denmark as a child. She studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Music with Anne Øland and Amalie Malling, with further studies with Dina Yoffe and Dmitri Bashkirov. Her open-minded artistic approach has led her far beyond the traditional concert stage – from rock festivals and electronic releases to performing with the legendary composer Philip Glass at his portrait concert. Her career has unfolded across international stages, prestigious collaborations, and genre-crossing performances. She had the great honor of performing Hans Abrahamsen’s Double Concerto for Piano and Violin with Carolin Widmann – first with the Royal Danish Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle, and recorded it on ECM Records with the Munich Chamber Orchestra in 2025. A passionate and prolific chamber musician, Tanja has played with countless musicians from around the world and toured extensively from Tokyo to Los Angeles. Tanja is widely known from Danish television, where she appears as both expert and co-host – including the popular primetime show Piano on TV2 and The Classical Music Quiz on DR. She serves as a jury member in the country’s leading chamber music competitions, including the P2 Chamber Music Competition at DR and the Jacob Gade Chamber Music Competition. Her latest solo album Timeless, recorded with Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, has been praised for its clarity, sensitivity and emotional resonance. She has received numerous prizes and awards throughout her career – both in competitions and as honorary recognitions – including the Victor Borge Prize, the Sonning Scholarship, the Danish Freemasons’ Music Award, the Gladsaxe Music Prize, and the Wilhelm Hansen Foundation Prize. Early in her career, she won 1st Prize at the Nordic Talent Competition in Oslo and top prizes at piano competitions such as the Steinway & Sons Competition and the Greta Erikson Nordic Piano Competition. 
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