ABOUT
Florian Helgath is emerging as one of the leading choral conductors of the young generation. Since 2011 Florian Helgath has been Artistic Director of the Chorwerk Ruhr. Since 2017 he is also Artistic Director of the Zürcher Sing-Akademie. With these vocal ensembles he creates choir music of all periods on the highest level both in A cappella and with orchestras.
Florian Helgath has held the position as conductor of the Danish National Choir from 2009 to 2015. In addition he was Artistic Director of the Via Nova Choir Munich from 2008 to 2016. With this ensemble he has conducted numerous acclaimed first performances and has been awarded with international prizes.
Florian Helgath is also a regular guest conductor of the SWR Vokalensemble, RIAS Kammerchor, MDR Leipzig Radio Choir, Choir of the Bavarian Radio, Vocalconsort Berlin, Netherlands Radio Choir, Choeur de Radio France, Flemish Radio Choir, Norwegian Soloists’ Choir, Warsaw Philharmonic Choir among others and collaborates with orchestras as Concerto Köln, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, B’Rock Orchestra, Orchestra La Scintilla, Orchestra & Chor Gulbenkian Lisbon, Aarhus Symphony & Choir, Stavanger Symphony & Choir, South Denmark Philharmonic & Choir Brussels Philharmonic, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, WDR Funkhausorchester, Münchner Symphoniker, Bochumer Symphoniker, Dortmunder Philharmoniker, Berner Kammerorchester, Odense Symphony, Danish Chamber Orchestra and Ensemble Resonanz.
Concerts led him to major concert halls and festivals as the Berliner Festspiele, Schwetzingen Festival, Audi Summer Concerts, Eclat Festival Stuttgart, Thüringer Bachwochen and particularly to the Ruhrtriennale with contemporary opera performances and numerous manifold projects. In addition to A cappella projects, Florian Helgath's focus is increasingly on performances of choral and symphonic repertoire.
Upcoming highlights include guest conducting with South Denmark Philharmonic & Chor, Bochum Symphony & Chorwerk Ruhr, Slowenian Philharmonic, RIAS Kammerchor, Choeur de Radio France, Hungarian Radio Choir, Israeli Vocal Ensemble, Netherlands Radio Choir, concerts with Chorwerk Ruhr at Muziekgebouw Amsterdam among others.
Florian Helgath’s discography includes a number of prize-winning recordings as Praetorius & Italy with RIAS Kammerchor, Capella de la Torre for Sony Classical/deutsche harmonia mundi, Mozart Requiem (version Michael Ostrzyga 2019), Brahms Requiem (piano version) with Chorwerk Ruhr for Coviello Classics, the album Sacred Songs with works by J.S. Bach, Reger, Knut Nystedt with MDR Leipzig Radio Choir, (ICMA Award 2017), Da Pacem: Echo der Reformation with RIAS Kammerchor and Capella de la Torre (ECHO Klassik 2017), Three choirs A cappella by Walter Furrer with Zürcher Sing-Akademie at SRF2 Kultur, music by Palestrina and Wagner with MDR Leipzig Radio Choir, J.S. Mayr Missa in c – Stabat Mater with Orpheus Vokalensemble and Concerto Köln as well as Contemporary A A cappella music with Via Nova Chor. The recording of Tigran Mansurian's Requiem with RIAS Kammerchor prepared by Florian Helgath and the Munich Chamber Orchestra for ECM Records had been nominated for a Grammy in 2018.
In October 2020 Florian Helgath has been appointed as professor at the University of Music and Dance in Cologne, where he teaches choral conducting in Bachelor and Master programmes.
Florian Helgath’s initial experience started as a chorister in his native city with the Regensburger Domspatzen. He studied choral conducting at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich and graduated in 2008 with a Masters Degree. Among his most important teachers are Michael Gläser, Stefan Parkman, Dan-Olof Stenlund who influenced him largely in his career as conductor.
As a prizewinner and finalist of the Eric Ericson Award 2006 and Competition for Young Choral Conductors in Budapest 2007, Florian Helgath had drawn the attention of the international choral music scene.
Season 2022/23
