Zbigniew Ryszard Pniewski was born on August 27, 1946, in Wermelskirchen, Germany. He is a Polish composer, educator, and organizer of amateur musical movements. Pniewski graduated from the Faculty of Composition and Music Theory at the State Higher School of Music in Gdańsk, where he studied under Konrad Pałubicki, obtaining his diploma in 1971. His initial attempts at composition began during his education at the Gdańsk Music High School, where he studied violin under Stefan Herman and received his first composition lessons from the renowned Gdańsk composer Henryk Jabłoński. Encouraged by Jabłoński, Pniewski pursued composition studies at the Gdańsk State Higher School of Music.

Pniewski's first major success came shortly after graduation, when he won first prize at the National Young Composers Competition in 1972 for his work "Music for Strings, Choir, Flute, Harpsichord, and Percussion." This piece was performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra in Warsaw under the direction of Zygmunt Rychert and received a favorable review from Stefan Kisielewski. Another notable achievement was the premiere of his composition "Gravitations" for orchestra, conducted by Witold Rowicki and later by Kazimierz Kord.

Throughout his career, Pniewski was deeply involved with the amateur artistic movement. Between 1974 and 1975, he worked at the Gdańsk Song Studio of the "SSAK" Club, where he composed songs for children and youth, as well as pieces of "sung poetry" using texts by poets like Gałczyński and Tuwim. These works were published in the Methodical Bulletin "Ziemia Gdańska" in 1975. In 1975-1976, Pniewski studied in Paris on a French Government scholarship, awarded for his first-place win in the Young Composers Competition in Warsaw. During this time, he studied with Nadia Boulanger and explored concrete and electroacoustic music with J. S. Pequeño at the Experimental and Electroacoustic Music Studio.

His contact with Witold Lutosławski, to whom he presented his compositions, led to a private scholarship from Lutosławski, allowing him to continue his studies in Paris. Pniewski became acquainted with the works of composers such as Messiaen, Boulez, and Xenakis. Upon returning from France, he served as the music director of the Border Protection Troops' "Granica" Entertainment Ensemble from 1977 to 1978, composing songs and instrumental pieces. Under his leadership, the ensemble won third prize at the Polish Army Entertainment Ensemble Festival in Połczyn. For his contributions, Pniewski was awarded the Border Protection Troops' "For Merits in Defending the Borders of the People's Republic of Poland" medal and the Ministry of National Defense's bronze medal "For Merits in National Defense." During this period, he composed several pieces for the Polish Army Concert Orchestra.

From 1978 to 1983, Pniewski taught music at the Gdańsk Youth Palace, and from 1983 onwards, at the Youth Cultural Center in Sopot. His compositions initially spanned two distinct genres: artistic music, with a preference for instrumental