Paula of Malmborg Ward

Paula of Malmborg Ward

Text and music with humor and seriousness resting in the idiom of jazz.

Paula is a composer and musician. Born and raised in Stockholm, she played the piano, composed, arranged and sang her way through her upbringing. Different bands, different sets, different styles but with the heart and residence in bossa nova, salsa and jazz.
During the 1980s, Paula trained as a music teacher, sang with Bosse Parnevik at the Chinateatern, was a presenter in TV's "Klingande fredag" together with the great composer Sven-Erik Bäck, and for a couple of years was the conductor at Skottes Musikteater in Gävle, where the longing after full-time musical theater composition began to take shape.

Paula moved to Gothenburg in 1992, at the same time as she began composition studies in Malmö. Made his debut as an opera composer with the graduation work Bombpartyt, commissioned by and premiered at the Gothenburg Opera in 1998 and has since been a full-time freelance composer, i.a. with several operas under his belt as well as artistic residencies at the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to operas, orchestral works, choral works, chamber music, Paula has recently taken up her musicianship, e.g. resulting in two double albums featuring a selection of 37 songs from the 1980s, released on Imogena Records in 2022-23.
Feel free to listen to "Pållan's songs - to the end, from the beginning" and "MERA Pållan's songs" on Spotify. Paula plays piano and sings and the band includes Per Strandberg guitar/vocals, Martin Bjurek Svanström sax, Ludvig Ward synth, Olle Linder bass/vocals alt. Arvid Jullander bass/vocals and Ossian Ward drums/vocals. Musicians who like Paula like variety, swing and high ceilings.

Paula is a board member of the Royal Academy of Music and a member of FST and SKAP.
Is one of the initiators of Kalvfestivalen and Frontside Gothenburg International Chamber Music Festival. Love to sing. And play. And talk.
Thinking: being a musician must be the finest of professions.
Then I think: but they must have something to play too.

Prices (selection)
The Association of Swedish Composers' Composer Award Rosenberg Prize
Gothenburg City's badge of merit
1st prize Prix Italia for the radio opera Hittekvinnan
The Carin Malmlöf-Forssling prize
Expressen's music prize Spelmannen

Votes for "Pållan's songs - to the end, from the beginning":
A fun, refreshing and different album. The craft, the characters and the co-stars are top notch, the main character is an excellent singer, everything flows as smoothly as possible - 
Sydsvenska Dagbladet, Alexander Agrell

Extreme, playful, swinging. Not at all the way you'd think an art music composer would dare to let out. And what living Swedish composer could come up with these vocal elements?! The lyrics and performance are of the same high and original quality as the music. - imusiken, Per-Åke Byström

Thanks for the wonderful plate! I'm on my second listen - happy in my whole body - Helena Wessman, rector Royal Academy of Music, former director Berwaldhallen, Gothenburg Symphony

http://upward.se

Image: Dan Holmqvist