Anna-Maria Helsing has gained an outstanding reputation with leading Scandinavian orchestras and opera houses. From 2010 to 2013 Anna-Maria Helsing was Chief Conductor of the Oulu Symphony – the first-ever female conductor at the head of a Finnish symphony orchestra.
Within a short time the Finnish conductor has conducted all the major Finnish and Swedish orchestras including the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish National Opera Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony and Royal Swedish Opera Orchestra. She also conducted the Philharmonia Orchestra, Iceland Symphony, Royal Danish Opera Orchestra, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony, Odense Symphony, Jena Philharmonic Orchestra, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra among others.
Anna-Maria Helsing gave her debut at the Finnish National Opera with Adriana Mater by Kaija Saariaho in 2008. She has led a number of world premieres, most recently Momo at the Royal Danish Opera and Magnus-Maria by Karólína Eiríksdóttir on tour in Scandinavia. She has also performed established operas by Mozart, Cimarosa, Puccini, Mascagni, Madetoja and Bernstein at the Tampere Opera and Savonlinna Opera Festival to name but a few.
Anna-Maria Helsing feels a special affinity with the sound and style of modernism and contemporary music. Major upcoming highlights include her debuts with the Malmö Symphony and Orchestra of the Göteborg Opera and return visits to the Finnish Radio Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony, Iceland Symphony, Norrköping Symphony, Nordic Chamber Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta among others.
Anna-Maria Helsing began her career as a violinist (with diplomas from the Conservatory of Jakobstad and the Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz), leading chamber orchestras before serving as Artistic Director of the Pietarsaari Sinfonietta and conductor of the Wegelius Chamber Orchestra. She has attended masterclasses with Jorma Panula, Vladimir Jurowski and John Carewe.
Just after finishing her studies in the class of Leif Segerstam at the Sibelius Academy, the Finnish conductor was chosen to take part in the International Conductor’s Academy of the Allianz Cultural Foundation under the guidance of among others Esa-Pekka Salonen and Gustavo Dudamel.
In 2011 Anna-Maria Helsing became the first conductor to be awarded the Louis Spohr Medal in Seesen (Germany). In 1999 she won the First Prize in the International Competition for 20th Century Music for Young Artists in Warsaw.
Season 2017/18
Read moreAnna-Maria Helsing gives her debut with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra on April 26 with the Scandinavian premiere of „Absent Illusions" for violin, viola and orchestra by Fredrik Högberg, Franz Berwald's "Estrella di Soria - Overture" and Edward Elgar's "Enigma Variations".
Anna-Maria Helsing conducts the Gävle Symphony Orchestra in two concerts on 12 and 13 April featuring a Swedish-Finnish programme with works by Einojuhani Rautavaara, Emmy Lindström and Franz Berwald.
Anna-Maria Helsing conducts the Nordic Chamber Orchestra in Sundsvall and Harnosänd in Sweden on 1 and 2 March. The programme features Tobias Broström's Cello Concerto, Uuno Klami's Suite for small orchestra and Mozart's Symphony No. 41 Jupiter.
Anna-Maria Helsing conduct the Pori Sinfonietta in Pori (Finland) on 8 February presenting following programme: Andrea Tarrodi: Camelopardalis, Reinhold Glière: Harp Concerto op.74 and Einojuhani Rautavaara: Autumn gardens.
On 12 January Anna-Maria Helsing is at the rostrum of the Jena Philharmonic to conduct works by Brahms, Erik Esenvalds and Einojuhani Rautavaara
Anna-Maria Helsing conducts the New Year's concert at the Gothenburg Opera on 5 January with a complete Leonard Bernstein programme featuring Overture Candide and excerpts of Wonderful town, Candide and West Side Story.
Anna-Maria Helsing conducts the premiere of Svitlana Azarova's Momo and the time thieves (direction: Elisabeth Linton) at the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen. Further performances: 22.10., 29.10., 05.11.,19.11., 26.11., 03.12. and 10.12.2017.
Anna-Maria Helsing leads a concert performance of Le Nozze di Figaro with Västeras Sinfonietta, Camerata InCantus choir and soloists in Västeras on 7 September.
Anna-Maria Helsing conducts four performances of Le Nozze di Figaro with the Västeras Sinfonietta and Swedish singers in Marienhamn (Aland islands) from 18 - 21 August directed by Laura Ruohonen.
Anna-Maria Helsing conducts the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra at Summer Sounds Festival in Porvoo Finland on 1 July. The programme features works by Eva Dahlgren and Emma Salokoski.
Anna-Maria Helsing returns to the Norrköping Symphony on 21 October to conduct Brahms' Symphony No. 1, Lalo's Cello Concerto and Britta Byström's "Segelnde Stadt".
Anna-Maria Helsing conducts the Tapiola Sinfonietta in Espoo on 16 and 17 November with the first performance of Outi Tarkiainen's saxophone concerto (soloist: Jukka Perko), Einojuhani Rautavaara's 'Cantus Arcticus' and Shostakovitch's Chamber Symphony in F op. 73a.
Anna-Maria Helsing gives her debut with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra in Oslo on 4 May with Rachmaninov's The Rock, Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 and Symphony No. 7.
Anna-Maria Helsing conducts the new production of Leevi Madetoja’s opera “The Ostrobothnians” at the Tampere Opera (stage direction: Tuomas Parkkinen) on 10 February. Further performances: 12, 15, 18, 22, 25 February.
Anna-Maria Helsing conducts the Iceland Symphony Orchestra on 19 January in Reykjavik with Jean Sibelius' Rakastava, Kaija Saariaho's Clarinet Concerto (soloist: Kari Kriikku) and Tchaikovsky's
Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique".
Read moreAnna-Maria Helsing conducts the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra in Kokkola on 17 December with works by Arcangelo Corelli, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Jean Sibelius and Peteris Vasks among others.
Anna-Maria Helsing gives her debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra at Royal Festival Hall on 10 November within the series 'Music of Today'. The programme includes
Johannes Schollhörn Fantasia (UK premiere), Harrison Birtwistle Virelai, Edmund Finnis in situ and Betsy Jolas Lassus Ricercare (UK premiere).
Read moreAnna-Maria Helsing conducts the new production of Fredrik Högberg's chamber opera Stilla min eld with the Pitea Chamber Opera and Swedish chamber ensemble Norrbotten in Pitea on 15 October. Further performances: 18.10. Lulea, 22.10. Umea, 27.10. Sundsvall.
Anna-Maria Helsing conducts the Gävle Symphony Orchestra on 25 August with Franz Berwald Estrella de Soria, Saint-Saens Cello Concerto No. 1 and Mozart Symphony No. 25 g minor KV 183.
Anna-Maria Helsing returns to the Gothenburg Symphony on 12 March to conduct the programme 'Heaven and Earth' with works by Haydn, Beethoven, Wagner, Sibelius, Charles Ives etc.
Anna-Maria Helsing gives her debut with the orchestra of the Norrlands Opera in Umea (Sweden) on 21 January to conduct Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Leevi Madetoja’s Symphony No. 3
Anna-Maria Helsing conducts the Pori Sinfonietta in Pori (Finland) on 21 April with Jacques Ibert’s Hommage à Mozart, Mozart’s Symphonie Nr. 38 Prague as well as Saint-Saens‘ Violin Concerto No. 1 and Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso.
Anna-Maria Helsing conducts the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra at the Nobel Prize Ceremony in Stockholm on 10 December in Stockholm.
Anna-Maria Helsing returns to the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra on 7 and 8 October in Stockholm to conduct Ravel’s Bolero, Benjamin Britten's The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra and Johan Williams' The Raiders March.
Anna-Maria Helsing returns to the Helsingborg Symphony on 18 June with Jean Sibelius En Saga op. 9 , Carl Nielsen Aladdin Suite op. 34 and Sibelius Finlandia.
Anna-Maria Helsing conducts the orchestra of the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm on 6 June at the Swedish National Day with works by Bernstein, Gershwin, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Bizet, Minkus, C.M. Bellman and Gustav Nordqvist.
Anna Maria Helsing is at the podium of Iceland Symphony Orchestra in Reykjavik on 12 March . The programme includes works by Sibelius, Lindberg and Rodrigo.
Anna-Maria Helsing conducts the new production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide at the Vaasa Opera in Finland on 9 January. Further performances take place on 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30 and 31 January, 6 and 7 February.
Anna-Maria Helsing conducts the Swedish Västeras Sinfonietta on 6 November in a programme which contrasts Nordic pieces as Lotta Wennäkoski’s Hava and Sibelius’ Pelléas and Mélisande with Richard Strauss Le bourgeois gentilhomme.
The Finnish conductor Anna-Maria Helsing gives her debut with the Kammerakademie Potsdam on 11 October conducting Jean Sibelius’ Suite Rakastava, Mendelssohn’s
Symphony No. 1 c minor and Mozarts Piano Concerto C major KV 457 in Potsdam.The concert will be recorded and broadcasted on 20 November at 20.04 hrs on rbb-Kulturradio.
Read moreAnna-Maria Helsing gives her debut with the Gävle Symphony Orchestra. The programme of the special concert for subsribers and invited guests on September 3 includes a dance suite from Hilding Rosenberg's Ballet op. 75, Mozart's Violin Concerto No 3 and Shostakovich's Ballet Suite No 1.