Composer
Musician
Composer
Musician
One of Sweden’s most distinguished opera composers
One of Sweden’s most distinguished opera composers
CV
Paula af Malmborg Ward is a Swedish composer and musician with a penchant for musical drama. Born in Stockholm in 1962. Composes music in a former coal tower in the old harbour area Nya Varvet, Gothenburg where she lives since 1992. Timing and text are key words in both opera creating, works for orchestra and choir, solo and ensemble and music for TV and radio.
With operas commissioned by The Royal Opera, Stockholm, Gothenburg Opera and Vadstena Academy, orchestral pieces commissioned/performed by Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, the Swedish radio orchestra and collaborations with conductors like Gustavo Dudamel, Neeme Järvi and Kent Nagano, Paula´s musical field is of great variation in different genres.
Her chamber music is commissioned/performed by Trio Poseidon, Norrbotten Big Band, Duo Ego, Gilda Lyons, The Miller-Porfiris Duo, Bohuslän Big Band, Stockholm Saxophone Quartet, Duo Gelland, Erik Westbergs vocal ensemble and Hans Davidsson among others.
She loves to sing. And play. And conduct. And talk.
Thinks: being a musician must be the finest of professions.
Then thinks: but they must have something to play too.
Latest News
TIMESTUCK for organ and saxophone quartet was premiered within GIOA and their astonishing Gothenburg International Organ Festival, Octobre 2025. "Visionary soundscapes" are now touring in [...]
Finally! Starting up the work with "Tistou" with two intense weeks at Visby International Center for Composers. Thanks to financial supports from Cultural Council (Kulturrådet), [...]
A true joy visiting Eskilstuna Theatre, within Sweden´s most important cultural-political event "Folk och kultur", held every year in Eskilstuna. On February 4 we played [...]
The 7th edition of Frontside Gothenburg International Chamber Music Festival took place in January. This years theme: Beyond the stars. I had great fun meeting [...]
UPCOMING EVENTS
08/03/2026
Welcome to Älvsborg church on International woman's day. A musical program with female composers of all times will be performed by a singers Amanda Flodin, [...]
22/03/2026
The thing is...when your music is played over and over again, it grows. I am SO grateful to be a part of the project "Visionary [...]
26/04/2026
When the commissioning choir loves to rehearse your work, the composer is happy. They sing about their, and our own lives. Neither more nor less. [...]
MEDIA
Video
Pållans band 28/9 2024
A little selfmade video-try-out from our really nice gig at Sockerbruket Arena, Gothenburg.
Thank you everyone!
On stage:
Per Strandberg guit/voc
Martin Bjurek Svanström sax
Ludvig Ward bass
Johan Björklund drums
Paula af Malmborg Ward piano/voc/lyrics/musicSom solen och månen
Children´s choir from Adolf Fredriks music school, Stockholm Saxophone Quartet, Fredrik Winberg, piano. Cond: Lina Sandborgh. First perfomance Folkoperan Stockholm May 7, 2022. Happy to be a part of the wonderful and important project ”Singing children” which encourages schools, teachers, composers, students to sing and work without new, unheard music as a natural part of everyone’s musical life.
Growing, coming, filling up
Piece for Anders Paulsson, soprano saxophone solo. My contribution to Anders´ project ”Solitary poems”.
Kärlekskriget
Ivonas aria (Shanowny pan!).
Amelia Jakobsson sopran
Musik Paula af Malmborg Ward
Libretto Mathias Clason
Urpremiär 2017 med Vattnäs konsertladas orkester under ledning av Fredrik Burstedt.
Sound Clips
Spår vägar (Paths traces), extract
Vocal symphony, extract 1 ”Chaos continuum”
Gothenburg symphony vocal ensemble, Gothenburg symphony orchestra
Cond. Ingar Bergby
Gothenburg concert hall Dec 2023Mytomania, extract
Act 1, Nelly’s aria ”Älskade man” (beloved man)
Kerstin Avemo, Gothenburg opera choir and orchestra
Cond. Andreas Hansson
Gothenburg opera Oct 2023In time – a fanfare for organ
Ligita Sneibe, organ
Engelbrekt church 2024Spår vägar (Paths traces), extract
Vocal symphony, extract 2 ”Welcome/Network of cracks”
Gothenburg symphony vocal ensemble, Gothenburg symphony orchestra
Cond. Ingar Bergby
Gothenburg concert hall Dec 2023Mytomania, extract
Act 2, ”The disclosure”
Åker Zetterström, Kerstin Avemo, Gothenburg opera choir and orchestra
Cond. Andreas Hansson
Gothenburg opera Oct 2023
