Michaela Polakova

I’m a Czech born composer, singer, songwriter and pianist based in Essex. I studied songwriting, pop music and contemporary classical composition at The Prague Conservatoire, University of East London and King’s College London.

I composed all the music and co-produced ‘Ellis Island’ album for my singer Natalie Kocab, released by Warner Music in 2016. It’s featuring guitarist Nick McCabe (The Verve) on 8 tracks and Fernando Saunders (Lou Reed) on bass.

I previously worked on several albums for Sony Music, as a singer, songwriter, composer and string orchestra arranger.

My work includes music for a theatre play ‘Bliss’ written by Fraser Grace, a multi-award-winning playwright. The play was produced by Menagerie Theatre Company in Cambridge. It was on repertoire at Finborough Theatre in London in 2022. I also composed music for a theatre play ‘The Night Before The Funeral’ for Prague’s Svanda Theatre, which was five years on their repertoire – 2017 – 2022. I scored a short film ‘Lurker’ by an Australian director Charlotte George (BBC, Channel 4 director). The script has won ARRI Trinity/ Directors UK one shot challenge.

I acted and sang in ‘Excalibur’ musical in the Ta Fantastika theatre in Prague for three years and I featured as a singer on music for ‘The Unusual Pleasure of Living II’, a ballet staged by the Kosice State Theatre in Slovakia.

I compose classical contemporary music as well. ‘Awakening’, a composition for six instruments, was performed by Lontano Ensemble, ‘Moravian Prelude’, composed for harpsichord and performed by Jane Chapman at the King’s Miscellany concert and ‘Waves And Shades’, for violin and piano, was performed in June 2014 in Notting Hill, London.

Some of my tracks were played on UK radio stations, for example on Soho Radio London. I performed my songs on the Czech TV as well. XS Noize premiered the lyric video for ‘These Years’ track from ‘Ellis Island’ album.

Reviews:

“A spirited highlight of the piece is the delightful music composed by Michaela Polakova”. London Pub Theatres Magazine

“There was a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack by Michaela Polakova”. The Cambridge Critique

“The accompanying music (Michaela Polakova) adds to the play’s authenticity”. Close Up Culture

“Essex based composer Michaela Polakova and singer/lyricist Natalie Kocab have united as a formidable musical force, transcending genres and cultural differences to construct a genuinely breath-taking album, one, which though shrouded in shadow, is staggeringly beautiful and affecting.” Essex TV