ABOUT

Florian Helgath has established himself as one of the leading choral conductors of the younger generation. As artistic director and conductor of Chorwerk Ruhr and the Zürcher Sing-Akademie, he shaped the ensembles into top international choirs of the highest calibre, both with cappella music as well as in the field of choral symphonies.

From 2009 to 2015 Florian Helgath conducted the Danish Radio Choir in Copenhagen and led the Via Nova Choir Munich from 2008 to 2016. With this ensemble he has conducted numerous world premieres and has been awarded national and international prizes.

Florian Helgath is a regular guest with the RIAS Kammerchor, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, SWR Vokalensemble, MDR Rundfunkchor Leipzig, The Norwegian Soloists' Choir, Netherlands Radio Choir,  Flemish Radio Choir and Croatian Radio Symphony & Choir.

Further ahead are return visits with Choeur de Radio France and his debuts with Coro da Música Porto and Slovenian Philharmonic & Choir apart of his projects with his own vocal ensembles.

He has also worked with orchestras such as the Gulbenkian Orchestra, Aarhus Symphony, South Denmark Philharmonic, Stavanger Symphony, Brussels Philharmonic, Odense Symphony, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, WDR Orchestra, Munich and Bochum Symphony Orchestra, Dortmund and Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Zurich Chamber Orchestra as well as Ensemble Resonanz.

In the field of historical performance practice he has realized projects with Freiburg Barockorchester, Orchestra La Scintilla of the Zurich Opera, Concerto Köln, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and B'Rock Orchestra.

Engagements led him to major concert halls and festivals such as Berlin Festspiele, Schwetzingen Festspiele, Bachfest Leipzig, Donaueschingen Musiktage, Eclat Festival Neue Musik Stuttgart, Thüringen Bachwochen, BR Musica Viva, ION Nuremberg and partitularly to Ruhrtriennale with contemporary opera performances and numerous manifold projects. In addition to a cappella projects, Florian Helgath focusses on performances of choral symphonic and symphonic repertoire.

Florian Helgath's discography includes numerous highly acclaimed albums such as Carré/Chorbuch with Chorwerk Ruhr on the Coviello Classics label (Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik 2022), the album Geistliche Gesänge with works by J.S. Bach, Reger, Knut Nystedt with the MDR Rundfunkchor (ICMA Award 2017) or Da Pacem: Echo of the Reformation with the RIAS Kammerchor and Capella de la Torre (ECHO Klassik 2017). The album of Tigran Mansurian's Requiem with the RIAS Kammerchor with Munich Chamber Orchestra by ECM Records was nominated for a Grammy in 2018 (Best Choral Performance).

In October 2020, Florian Helgath was appointed as professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne. Since April 2024, he has been Professor of Choral Conducting at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München.

Florian Helgath gained his first musical experience with Regensburg Domspatzen and at Hochschule für Musik und Theater Munich. Michael Gläser, Stefan Parkman and Dan Olof Stenlund were among his important teachers who had a decisive influence on his development as a conductor.

Further important steps in his career was international success as a prize-winner in competitions such as the Eric Ericson Award 2006, the Competition For Young Choral Conductors 2007 in Budapest and the Choral Conductors' Forum of Bavarian Radio 2007.

Season 2024/25