Born on a lettuce farm in rural New South Wales, Australian-British Mezzo Soprano, Helen Sherman trained at The Sydney Conservatorium of Music and The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM); she was the first person to receive the International Artists Diploma in Opera, from the RNCM. In 2011 Helen was presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace, ahead of their last Royal Tour to Australia. Helen has represented Australia at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition and at the Francisco Viñas International Singing Competition and was a soloist in the opening ceremony of the Tour de France, ‘Le Grand Depart’. She was nominated for a Helpmann Award (best female performer in an opera) for her portrayal of Poppea, ‘L’incoronazione di Poppea’, for Pinchgut Opera and was a prize winner at the prestigious Wigmore Hall International Song Competition. Helen is an alumnus of the Young Classical Artists Trust and The Samiling Instituit for Young Artists. 

 

Recent career highlights include Irene in 'Theodora' at the Sydney Opera House in a co-production between Opera Australia and Pinchgut Opera, Flora Bervoix in 'La Traviata' for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Tamiri in Vivaldi’s ‘Farnace’ for Pinchgut Opera, Dorabella ‘Cosi fan Tutte’ for Teatru Manoel, Malta, the title role in ‘Carmen’ for the State Opera of South Australia, Octavian ‘Der Rosenkavalier’ and Cherubino ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ for Opera North, The Title role in ‘Giulio Cesare’ for Bury Court Opera as well as Donna Elvira ‘Don Giovanni’ and Sesto ‘La Clemenza di Tito’ for Classical Opera and The Mozartists. Helen’s recordings include ‘Mozart in London’ for Signum Records, ‘The Coronation of Poppea’ and ‘Bajazet’, both for Pinchgut Live.

 

Helen’s concert appearances include performances at Wigmore Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Cadogan Hall, St John’s Smith Square and Milton Court; Handel’s Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall, The Sydney Opera House, QPAC Hall, Middle Temple Hall and The Sage Gateshead. Other appearances include performances at Festspiele Zurich, Cheltenham Festival, Cambridge Summer Music Festival, and with The Australian Haydn Ensemble. Helen has performed with The Queensland and Sydney Symphony Orchestras, The BBC National Orchestra of Wales and The London Mozart Players. She has featured on ABC Classic FM, BBC Radio4 Women’s Hour, BBC Radio3, Lucy Worsley’s, ‘Mozart’s London Odyssey’, for BBC4 and recorded with The Orchestra of the Antipodes, Classical Opera and The Mozartists, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra.

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Future engagements include Dorabella in 'Cosi fan Tutte' for Opera Australia, Sesto in 'Julius Caesar' for Pinchgut Opera, Pergolesi's 'Stabat Mater' on tour with the Australian Haydn Ensemble, 'Ode to Joy' a concert of Beethoven and Smyth, at the Sydney Opera House with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and Handel's Messiah with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. 

 

Helen is grateful for the support of The Richard Carne Trust, Leslie Macleod-Miller, The Ian Potter Cultural Trust, Classical Opera Company, The Young Classical Artists Trust, The Kohn Foundation, The Royal Overseas League, The Wingate Trust, The Tait Memorial Trust, Independent Opera, The Australian Music Foundation, The Elizabeth Harwood Memorial Trust, The Dame Joan Sutherland Society, Ars Musica Australis, The Opera and Arts Support Group Sydney, The Simon Fletcher Charitable Trust and International Opera Productions.