Grażyna Pstrokońska-Nawratil was born in Wroclaw in 1947. She studied composition with prof. Tadeusz Natanson at the State Higher School of Music in her native town, where she began to work after graduation in 1971. In 1978 she attended lectures conducted by Olivier Messiaen and Pierre Boulez (Paris Conservatory, IRCAM) and a seminar on the music of Iannis Xenakis in Aix-en-Provence. She also worked at the experimental studio in Marseille. She is a prizewinner of several competitions, including the Young Composers’ Competition of the Polish Composers’ Union, the Grzegorz Fitelberg Competition and the International Competition for Women Composers in Mannheim. Her piece Icarus for orchestra was awarded a prize at the UNESCO International Composers’ Rostrum in Paris (1987). She also received the Wroclaw City Award and the Prime Minister’s Award for her works for young people (1989). In 1998 she was granted the Adam Chmielowski (Brother Albert) Award, Music Award of the City of Wroclaw (2002), Music Award of Polish Composers’ Union and Music Award of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage (2006 and 2018), Gloria Artis silver medal for her merits for Polish culture (2013). Since 1993 she has been a Professor of Composition at the Wroclaw Academy of Music and the head of the Department of Composition and Theory of Music; from 1998 to 2009 she was also a Professor of Composition at the Poznan Academy of Music. She was a member of the Repertoire Committee of the Warsaw Autumn International Festival of Contemporary Music during four editions and the artistic director of Musica Polonica Nova Festival of Polish Contemporary Music in Wroclaw (2000 -2008).

Her compositions are ordered by famous solists, chamber ensambles and symphonic orchestras, published by PWM Edition and recorded by Polish Radio. She is a jury member of Polish and international competitions for composers and performers.
She has composed several dozen works, predominantly organised in cycles. The most important include the frescoe cycle – REANIMATION for orchestra (1972) – Man and Life, EPITAPHIOS for orchestra (1976) – Man and Death, IKARUS for orchestra (1979) – Man and Dreams, ALLA CAMPANA for piano and orchestra (1985) – Man and Memory, ETERNEL for soprano, boys’choir, mixed choir and orchestra (1989) – Man and Faith, PALINDROM for string orchestra with amplified harpsihord (1994) – Man and Nostalgy, URU ANNA for lyric tenor, large mixed choir and large symphony orchestra (1999) – Man and Light; the cycle for percussion: Ostinato for percussion quartet (1974), Canon for motoric group (1975), Studio per violino et Tam - Tam (1975), BIS* – JOKE for percussion and piano (1985), TRIANGLE! for percussion sextet (2nd version 1990); the ecomusic cycle: Eco per flauti (1980), Landscape with a Water Ouzel for soprano and 3 violins (1986), In the Kingdom of Autumn Leaves, ballet (1989), Le soleil, concerto for percussion and orchestra (1991), TERRA for male choir and piano (1995), Bartokiana for 2 cellos and piano (1995), Bartokiana, version for marimba and chamber orchestra (2000), Bartokiana, version for flute, saxophone and piano (2015), Lydian Music for chamber orchestra (2002), Streamlet and the Sun for incrustated piano (2007), Rain Forest for flutes and orchestra (2013), Galaktikos α for flute and organ (2015). Galacticos β for two flutes and organ (tryptich) (2017); ). Assisi for cello, children choir and large orchestra (2016/17). The thinking of Vivaldi cycle: El Condor for 2 marimbas and string orchestra (1996, Spring), Como el sol e la mar for flute and chamber orchestra (2008 Summer); the madrigal cycle: In Search of Wandering Echo for two violins (2000), An Algorithm of the Dream of a Great City for marimba solo (2001), Madrigale for two pianos (2011), Birds on the Twilight Horizon for clarinet, trombone, cello and piano (2006); the cycle of reportages: Palm Sunday in Nazareth for saxophones, percussion and organ (2009), ICE – LAND. Rainbow Bridges over Dettifoss for chamber orchestra (2011), FIGURES ON THE SAND. Migration of the Eternal Scarab for flute, violin, viola and cello (2014). Ring of Tara for percussion oktet (2018). AoTeaRoa for harpsichord and chamber orchestra (2019). LandmannalaugarSonata for two flutes and harpsichord (2019), The Nightingale and the Stone for two pianos and two percussion (2020). Other independent positions include Wratislaviae Cantati Bugle – call - Hallelujah (1993), Arabesca for string quartet (1979), Lydian Quartet- string quartet (1994), Magnificat MM for soprano, mixed large choir and large orchestra (2005) and HARMONIES for orchestra (2014).