FILM MUSIC COMPOSER
SONGWRITER
About.
Ella Malherbe is a Swiss-Irish composer and singer-songwriter based in Switzerland.
A songwriter at heart, Ella co-founded the duo Marzella in 2009, which is broadcast globally across the country’s radio stations, as well as on BBC 6 Music, BBC Ulster and BBC 5 live, and has performed in major venues such as the O2 Shepherd’s Bush London, Montreux Jazz Festival, Estivale, Gurten Festival, and Zermatt Unplugged.
Over the past five years, Ella has composed for a variety of productions ranging from contemporary dance companies to film projects. She joined the Swiss Film Academy in 2023 for her co-composition of the soundtrack for the award-winning documentary Cascadeuses (2022). She was also nominated for Best Sound Design at the One Fluid Night Festival 2024 in London for the short film Lungs by Adrianna Polcyn, for which she also composed the original score. For the documentary web-series Dünns Iis (2023, Laura Weber), she recorded her compositions with the Synchron Stage Orchestra in Vienna (Dune, American Fiction, Call The Midwife, The Crown).
In 2024, she spent a month in South Korea after being admitted to the Shared Campus Summer School in Seoul, and was also selected the same year to develop an inter-university project in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the Yared School of Music. In March 2025, she spent two weeks in Marseille, having composed for the orchestral residency Regards Croisés at the Festival Musique et Cinéma Marseille.
Trained at the British & Irish Institute of Modern Music in London in Creative Musicianship & Music for Moving Image for her Bachelor's degree, and at MDH in Los Angeles in Respiratory Coordination, she holds Master of Arts in Composition for Film, Theatre and Media at the prestigious Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).
Music.
film soundtrack
song
song
song
film soundtrack
film soundtrack
dance piece
film soundtrack
film trailer
Portfolio.
2025
HIDE AND SEEK, LaSalle Singapore
Creative writing, Ella Malherbe
For book and online publication : ERROR IN EXIT by Alexis Kate Labto Malaa
CE QUE CACHENT NOS SILENCES, dir Elena Avdija
Music by Ella Malherbe, 53’ watch here until march 2026
DANS LA JUNGLE D’EMILIENNE, dir. Elena Avdija
Additional music by Ella Malherbe, watch here (my music is in the end scene)
REGARDS CROISÉS, Music & Cinéma Marseille
Residency and Orchestral re-scoring of BEURK! by Loic Espuche
with Ida Nørby, Stella Lopez & Noa Defos du Rau
DYSFONC, Tactic Dance Company
Music By Ella Malherbe, in creation
2024
ALICE GUY x MARZELLA, Les Culturateurs
Co-composer and performer on tour
SEOUL NOTEBOOK, Kote Art Space, Seoul
Residency and Open Studio with Shared Campus Summer School
August 2024
ÉCHO, dir. & choreography Sara Buncic
Dance composer & sound designer, 40’ 2024-2025
LUNGS, dir. Adrianna Polcyn, Short Film
Music & Sound Design by Ella Malherbe
Best Sound Design at One Fluid Night Festival, Nominee Ella Malherbe
BALADE SONORE, Amalgame Yverdon
Bespoke immersive concert creation, 30’
with Plume Ducret, Marzia Celii, Fabian Tharin, Emilie Chassot, Steve Cabaset et Yassin Paparelli (Chozo) et Sylvain Ehinger (Xewin).
YARED SCHOOL OF MUSIC, Addis Abeba
Exchanges and collaborations with ZHdK
January 2024
2023
PRISMA, Marzella, Album
11 songs written, performed & produced by Ella Malherbe & Marzia Celii
Radios : BBC radio 6 , RTS La 1ère, Couleur 3, Option Musique, Rouge FM & more
Press : Femina Cover, 24 Heures …
"A hit in the making” - RTS La 1ère
DÜNNS IIS, dir. Laura Weber, Webserie
4 episodes + trailer
Music by Ella Malherbe
Orchestra recorded by Synchron Stage Orchestra Vienna
TANDEM PROJECT, Kulturmarkt Zürich
Research on adaptive visuals with Max for Live alongside Nadja Zela
2022
CASCADEUSES, dir. Elena Avdija, Feature Film
Produced by Bande à Part Films, Alter Ego, ARTE, RTS
Music by Ella Malherbe & Marzia Celii
Swiss Film Awards - Best Documentary Winner - 2023
ZFF / Zurich Film Festival - Golden Eye Winner - 2022
Solothurner Filmtage - official selection 2023
IDFA / International Documentary Festival Amsterdam - official selection 2022
LA JOIE DE VIVRE, dir. Haesup Sin, Short Film
Lyrics, voice, guitar & vocal coaching by Ella Malherbe
Currently in post production
2021
Sofiane Pamart - SOLITUDE Solo ft. Montreux Jazz Festival, dir. Mei Fa Tan, online video
Produced by Montreux Media Ventures Production
Sound Design & foley by Ella Malherbe
1mio + views Youtube
Solothurner Filmtage - official selection
PERCEPTIBLE, dir. Marie Camille Loutan & Valentine Coral, Short Film
Original song theme : by Ella Malherbe & Marzia Celii
2019
IN BETWEEN, The Shamanics, Album
9 songs written, performed & produced by Ella Malherbe & Sylvain Ehinger (Xewin)
Radio : Couleur 3, GriFF, Lausanne FM
SEASONS OF LIFE, Marzella, EP
4 songs written, performed & produced by Ella Malherbe & Marzia Celii
Radio : RTS La 1ère, Amazing Radio US, Amazing Radio UK, Couleur 3, SRF Virus, Rete 3, RTR, Rouge Fm, Lfm, GRRIF, Radio Vinci France
Spotify playlists : New Music Friday Schweiz, Oracle, Diner Entre Amis, Viral 50 France
TV : TV5monde 12:30, RTS Deux, La Télé
AWESOME WAVE, The Shamanics, EP
3 songs written, performed & produced by Ella Malherbe & Sylvain Ehinger (Xewin)
Radio : Couleur 3, GriFF, Lausanne FM