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 Singakademie, 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, Norwegian Soloists' Choir, MDR Rundfunkchor, Netherlands Radio Choir, Choeur de Radio France, Flemish Radio Choir, SWR Vokalensemble, Hungarian Radio Choir, Vocalconsort Berlin, Warsaw National Philharmonic Choir and the New Israeli Vocal Ensemble.

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

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

Engagements have taken him to numerous major concert halls and festivals such as the Berliner Festspiele, Schwetzinger Festspiele, Bachfest Leipzig, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Eclat Festival Neue Musik Stuttgart, Thüringer Bachwochen, BR Musica Viva, ION Nuremberg and to the Ruhrtriennale, within the framework of which he has created numerous contemporary music theatre productions and various other projects. In addition to a cappella projects, Florian Helgath's focusses on performances of choral symphonic and symphonic repertoire.

Florian Helgath's discography includes numerous highly acclaimed albums such as Carré/Chorbuch with ChorwerkRuhr 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 CD Tigran Mansurian's Requiem with the RIAS Kammerchor under with the München Chamber Orchestra on ECM Records was nominated for a Grammy in 2018 (Best Choral Performance).

In October 2020, Florian Helgath was appointed professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne where he teaches choral conducting in the Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes. His passion for teaching is also evident in his masterclasses and coaching for the Forum Dirigieren of the German Music Council, among others.

Florian Helgath gained his first musical experiences in his home town with the Regensburger Domspatzen and later at the University of Music and Theatre in Munich. Michael Gläser, Stefan Parkman and Dan Olof Stenlund were among his most 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 in Sweden, and the Competition For Young Choral Conductors 2007 in Budapest and the Choral Conductors' Forum of the Bavarian Radio 2007.

Season 2023-24