BIO

Paula Ralph Birkett’s presentations are equal parts heartfelt sincerity and earthy, dreamy sound to empower the soul!

As a vocalist Paula has played venues big and small including the Schomburg Library for Black Culture, the Apollo Theater, The Greene Space at WNYC, and the United Nations. She has toured as a featured vocalist with choral ensembles throughout Europe and is currently the featured vocalist in the progressive jazz group Tyrone Birkett | Emancipation.

As speaker, she uniquely employs the dramatic arts as an envelope of illustration for her concept Perception to Decisions: How we see ourselves is how we will be ourselves. This grant winning concept is embedded in her presentations of positive self-perception and empowerment. She’s presented at several conferences and events including including TEDx Deer Park.

As a playwright, Paula won the 2023 Howard Gilman Foundation Bronx Council on the Arts | Bronx Cultural Visions Fund award for her stage play Black American Working Woman.   Recently, she received a 2026 Support for Artists grant from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support her creative work.

Paula crafts performances and presentations for people going through transition - building a business, recovering from a loss, creating a family, starting over again no matter what stage of adult life. She believes everyone has a champion inside that could use some reinforcement saying, "Every superhero needs inspiration and encouragement to win!" Join her as she explores stories of trials and triumph to help audiences imagine their own path of possibilities.

Paula is currently accepting bookings and can be found on Instagram and Bandcamp. 

Visit her at https://paularalphbirkett.com/.

"THANK YOU…for your fantastic performance! You and your voice are a gift from God to empower all of us"
~ Dorcas Meyer, Founder ROC-A-NATURAL Hair Expo

“Paula…, your insights helped us discover truths that we might not always recognize or acknowledge, but are close to our hearts. Your music needs to be shared and enjoyed.”
~ Patty Karlowitsch, School of Business, The College of New Jersey

“Thank YOU! This is hands down one of my favorite events we've had at Parkchester Library. The patrons came up to us after to tell us how moved they were by your performance and the conversations it started.”
-Nina Maness, Adult Librarian NYPL

 "...the lush voice of [Paula] Ralph-Birkett is a pure joy. With the emotion that she puts into her singing one is pulled into the music to the point that you almost have the feeling that you are sitting in the same room with her, hanging on every word and phrase.”
~ Jazz Improv - Jazz Improv Magazine

" Paula Birkett's vocal is revelatory. She has a voice rich and powerful, and she demonstrates her ownership of the material every time she opens her mouth."
~Jack Goodstein, BLOGCRITICS.ORG

“...Paula Ralph-Birkett... Hers is a voice that can soar, can snap time with the best of them, and sing from the heart in a manner that not only is communicative but also deeply spiritual.”
~ Grady Harp - Amazon.com Customer Review