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
Finally, it happened! Kerstin Perski´s and my Mytomania became reality! Thank you all wonderful people involved: Soloists Kerstin Avemo, Joachim Bäckström, Åke Zetterström, Anki Jones, [...]
The festival OrganSpace is over. Thank you dear organists Hanne Kuhlmann (DK) and Sarah Kim (FRA) who performed In time for the first time - [...]
I had a nice talk to journalist Sofia Nyblom for Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter (DN), on Mytomania. The articles highlights the "mythomaniac phenomenon" in our [...]
New Edition Suecia release: A magnificent songbook with poems set to music by the poet, Nobel laureate, musician, human Tomas Tranströmer. As one of 28 [...]
UPCOMING EVENTS
26/10/2023
Me and the band are happy to play at GO club - a cosy night at the Opera with friends, food, drinks, talks and music. [...]
28/10/2023
PAO Trio´s come back in the dark woods of Västra Götaland! We are happy to announce that "Pållan´s musical menu" with Arvid Jullander bass/voc, Ossian [...]
02/11/2023
Me and the band will get together one more time this autumn - celebrating Utopia jazz clubs new GRAND PIANO! Wow, looking forward to play [...]
04/11/2023
Happy to be a part of soprano saxophonist Anders Paulsson´s wonderful project Solitary poems. And honored that my contribution "Growing, coming, filling up" made it [...]
MEDIA
Video
Som 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.Vill ni ha ett frostigt päron?
Mosters aria, Tove Dahlberg mezzosopran
Musik Paula af Malmborg Ward
Libretto Magnus Nilsson
Vadstena-Akademiens orkester under ledning av Olov Boman
Foto: Staffan Gustavsson
Sound Clips
Sambal Dente, extract
Gothenburg symphony orchestra (GSO)
Cond: Neeme JärviGuido la guida
3rd mvt Il gallo cortonese, sinfonia concertante – extract
Helsingborg symphony orchestra (HSO)
Cond: Bramwell ToveyOperatic extract
Gothenburg symphony orchestra (GSO)
Cond: Gustavo DudamelHittekvinnan utdrag: Psykvårds-cha-cha (The Foundling Woman extract: Mental care cha-cha)
1st prize Prix d´Italia 2006
Voices: Maria af Malmborg Linnman, alto, Susanna Levonen, mezzo soprano, Mikael Samuelsson, baritone
Swedish Radio orchestra (SRSO) – Cond: Mats RondinDjävulsknuten – (The devil´s knot)
Music for SVT´s Christmas calendar 2005, En decemberdöm (A december dream)
Mixed ensemble from Gothenburg symphony orchestra (GSO), Bohuslän Big Band and Gothenburg wind orchestra (GWO)
Piano and conductor: Paula af Malmborg Ward
Recording: Nilento Studio
LATEST WORKS
5 soloists, orchestra, choir, stage ensembles
(2023)
4 soloists (s,a,t,b,) mixed choir, trumpet, string orchestra
(1999)
Organ solo
(2023)
Vocals, saxes, guit, piano, synth, bass, drums
(2022)
4 tpts
(2021/2023)
vlc, perc, vocals, porter bottles
(2022)
VOCALS, ENSEMBLE
(1979 - 2022)
