Born in 1961 in Białystok, Polish composer. In 1980–86 she studied composition with Włodzimierz Kotoński at the Fryderyk Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw. She continued her studies with Louis Andriessen at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague (1986–88). She participated in numerous composition courses organised in Poland (including in Kazimierz) and Germany (Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt), where her teachers included Iannis Xenakis, Witold Lutosławski, Thomas Kessler, and François-Bernard Mâche.
Since 1989 she has been working as a freelance composer, receiving numerous commissions and scholarships. Since 1992 she has been living in Warsaw and Arnhem in the Netherlands. In 1990 she was guest composer on a DAAD scholarship in Berlin. During 1999/2000 she was composer-in-residence at the Het Gelders Orkest in the Netherlands. She has given lectures at festivals such as the Other Minds 10 in San Francisco (2004) and Soundstream in Canada (2005). In 2007 she was visiting professor and composer at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya in Barcelona.
She has been a jury member in a number of prestigious international competitions, including the Munich Biennale (1995), International Gaudeamus Music Week (2002), Orpheus–Luciano Berio International New Chamber Opera Competition (2003–4) and International Contemporary Chamber Music Competition in Cracow (2005, 2007).
She has received many prestigious awards including the 1st Prize at the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers for her Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra (2005).
Hanna Kulenty’s compositions have been performed at leading festivals including Huddersfield, Schleswig-Holstein, Munich Biennale, Warsaw Autumn, and Musica Polonica Nova in Wrocław. Soloists who have performed her works include Isabelle van Keulen, Elżbieta Chojnacka, Krzysztof Bąkowski, Marco Blaauw, and Frank Peters, and conductors David Porcelijn, Antoni Wit, Peters Hirsch, Ingo Metzmacher, Renato Rivolta, and Ronald Zollman. The Dutch ensemble de ereprijs includes her works in its repertoire. Recently she recived a commission Kronos Quartet for whom she wrote her String Quartet no. 4 and String Quartet no. 5. Her works are published by the Dutch publishing house Donemus.

Major works (from 1995): Going Up for violin and double bass (1995), Third Circle for piano (1996), Sierra for violin and cello (1996), Blattinus, saxophone quartet (1996), Violin Concerto no. 2 (1996), Certus for chamber orchestra (1997), Elfen, ballet music for ensemble (1997), Waiting for... for voice and piano (1997), Rapidus, saxophone quartet (1998), Stretto for flute, clarinet, cello and guitar (1998), Part One for symphony orchestra (1998), Harmonium for harmonium (1999), m–m Blues for two pianos and two percussions (1999), Decimo for six-voice choir (2000), Drive Blues for piano (2000), Crossing Lines for violin, clarinet and piano (2001), Symphony no. 3 (2000), Flute Concerto no. 1 for amplified flute with delay and chamber orchestra (2001), Asjaawaa for mezzo-soprano, flute, harp, piano, percussion and electronics (2001), Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra (2002), Piano Concerto no. 3 (2003), Brass no. 1 for trumpet (2004), Brass no. 2 for horn and trumpet (2005), Hoffmanniana, opera in two acts to a libretto by Erick Aufderheyde after Andrei Tarkovsky (2003), Rainbow 3 for piano and two woodwinds (2003), Run for flute and piano (2004), Postcard from Europe for ensemble (2004), Mezzo Tango for brass (2004), Mezzo Tango 2 for ensemble (2005), Brass no. 3 for solo horn or trumpet (2005), Island, stage work for trumpet, voice, ensemble and tape (2006), Tell Me About It 1 for clarinet, cello, trombone and double bass (2006), Tell Me About It 2 for bass clarinet, cello, trombone and double bass (2006), Brass no. 4 for tuba (2007), String Quartet no. 3 Tell Me About It (2007), String Quartet no. 4 A Cradle Song (2007), Prelude and Psalm for harmonium or other keyboard instrument (2007), Prelude, Postlude and Psalm for cello and accordion (2007), Kisses & Crosses for piano and percussion (2007), Lost & Found – Twenty-Five, ballet music for tape (2008), Sugar-Fela Tango for piano and four instruments (2009), Waltz in A for piano (2009), GGConcerto for harpsichord and string orchestra (2009), G for G for harpsichord (2009), Music for Roy for string orchestra, boys’ choir, percussion and piano (2010), Twenty-Five for large orchestra (2010), E-motions for accordion, string orchestra and percussion (2011), String Quartet no. 5 (2011), Cembalo Uno for harpsichord (2012), Smokey Eyes for double trio (2013), String Quintet no. 5 Five for Five (2013), Viola-Viva for viola and chamber orchestra (2013), Emotionsolo for accordion (2013), Van... for piano four hands / two pianos (2014).