Michala Østergaard-Nielsen, drummer/percussionist and composer, lives in Tisvilde, a small Village near by Copenhagen.
Michala is a highly interesting musician with a personal voice on the nordic music scene today and is described as "having an almost zen-like attitude towards drumming, improvisation and music”.
Starting out as a pianist, shifting to drums at the age of 20, she´s been studying mainly jazz and improvisation but also different modern classical composition techniques.
Michala is to be heard in the fields of jazz and improvisation, modern art-projects, electronica and indie-music, both as a bandleader, collective-leader and sideman. In 2018 Michala Østergaard-Nielsen received the finest Swedish JazzAward “Jazzkannan” who goes to musicians who made innovative efforts in jazzmusic:“This years “Jazzkanna” goes to a spirituel and sensitive composer and musician, who´s univers is full of poetic vibrations that create instant love.“
2018 she was also nominated by the Swedish Radio to the Award “Jazzkatten” in the Category “Musician of the Year”.
Her latest Album “More Stories from the Village” with her own group “Østergaard Art Quartet” came to two “best of the year”- lists (one Swedish and one European) of best Jazz Releases 2016.
Michala is playing/has been playing with:
Bob Moses (US), Marc Ducret (FR), Per Jørgensen (NO), Louis Sclavis (FR), Pamelia Kurstin (AU), Adrian Belew (US), Lotte Anker, Ingrid Jensen (CA/US), Tineke Postma (NE), Linda Oh (US), Kari Ikonen (FI), Maggi Olin (SE), Jonas Kullhammar (SE), Lindha Kallerdahl (SE), Fabian Kallerdahl (SE), Sofie Norling (SE), Mika Forsling (SE), Lisen Rylander (SE), Lisa Nordström, Nils Berg (SE), Josef Kallerdahl (SE), Mathias Landæus (SE), Mattias Ståhl (SE), Andreas Hedén (SE), Nina de Heney (SE), Lisa Ullén (SE), Markus Reuter (D), Denys Baptiste UK), Luca Calabrese (I), Kasper Tranberg, Flemming Agerskov, Kresten Osgoods Alpenglow 06, Jan Kaspersen, Jesper Zeuthen, Josefine Cronholm, Morten Carlsen, Laura Toxværd, Thommy Andersson, Marc Bernstein, Sture Ericsson, Jesper Løvdal, Kathrine Windfeld, Søren Kjærgaard, Nils Davidsen, Anders Banke, Marianne Mortensen, Henriette Groth, Maria Faust, Maria Bertel, Qarin Wikström, Katrine Amsler, Samuel Hällkvist, among others.
Extended CV with info about education, teaching experience, scholarships and other additional info, please be in contact.
A member of BoogiePost Recordings since 2009.
By Eyal Hareuveni in “The Free Jazz Collective” (2016):
“One of the best-kept secrets of the vibrant Danish jazz scene is drummer Michala Østergaard-Nielsen. A unique musician that can shape the course or the mood of any musical texture with her unique, serene and economic touch. She can blend organically with the vocal jazz quartet David’s Angels, the art-rock trio Nuaia (both with Swedish vocalist Sofie Norling), or the electronics meets free-improvisation of the Swedish Midaricondo duo. Her second album with her own quartet, the Østergaard Art Quartet, follows the acclaimed debut Stories from the Village (BoogiePost Recordings, 2011), and highlights her other talents, that of being a leader of strong-minded musicians and a master improviser.”
By Hrayr Attain in “All About Jazz” about “Østergaard Art Quartet” releases:
“With each release Østergaard-Nielsen delivers a gem. Much like the precious stones her albums are small, compact and brilliant. Having put together a band that shares her artistic vision she puts forth thematically unified sublime works that crackle with free flowing originality and imagination.”
Motivation by the Swedish Jazz Association - Swedish JazzAward “Jazzkannan”, received @ the National Jazz Gala in Halmstad (2018):
“Michala Østergaard-Nielsen personifies in many ways the heart of improvised music with her rare talent of highlighting the musical meeting in the room. Michala knows of both fellow musicians and the audience and takes it into her body, processes it and gives back in highly personal and storytelling sounds. It creates both recognition and completely new combinations that make the listener curious to want more. This years “Jazzkanna” goes to a spirituel and sensitive composer and musician, who´s univers is full of poetic vibrations that create instant love.“
“Drummers-list” by Ra Kalam Bob Moses (2020):
Most grateful for being mentioned on a “drummers-list” by the great and inspiring drummer Ra kalam Bob Moses: “As a child I grew up in the same building as Max Roach, Art Blakey and Elvin Jones. I also heard up close Roy Haynes, Edgar Bateman, Rashied Ali, Pete La Roca, Milford Graves, Billy Higgins, Tony Williams, Ed Blackwell and many other greats. So I don't use the term great drummer too loosely. Here is a very partial list of some great, extraordinarily creative, visionary drummer/percussionists from all over the globe, that inspire me to keep evolving and go deeper on my instrument. I encourage you to check these people out and show them some appreciation and respect while they are still here: Billy Elgart, James Zitro ,Tony Oxley ,Franklin Kiermyer ,Francisco Mela ,Sadhu Bhav Tony Falco ,Peter Bruun ,Ahued Audra Menconi ,Simon Barker ,Peter Zeldman ,Chris Cutler ,Pedro Melo Alves ,Vladamir Tarasov ,Thomas Praestegaard ,Tupac Mantilla ,Christopher Garcia ,Michala Ostergaard-Nielsen ,Billy Drummond ,Michel Lambert
Apologies to those I've forgotten. Love Always Hu Ra Kalam”
A quote/review of a concert @Kerava Jazzfestival with “Kullhammar/Kalima/Zanussi/Østergaard-Nielsen”: “A real surprise was the magnificent drummer Østergaard-Nielsen. Is it possible that it was her brilliantly balanced, facile and when needed furious intensity which pushed the masculine veterans of free jazz into lightened flow state?”