The German choral conductor, Florian Helgath, started his initial experience 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 prize-winner and finalist of the Eric Ericson Award 2006 and Competition for Young Choral Conductors in Budapest 2007, Florian Helgath has already drawn the attention of the international choral music scene.
Florian Helgath has held the position as conductor of the Danish National Choir from 2009 to 2015 and was Artistic Director of the Via Nova Chor Munich from 2008 to 2016 and has conducted numerous highly acclaimed first performances. Since 2011, he has been Artistic Director of the ChorWerk Ruhr. Within the past years he presented choir music of various periods on the highest level both in A cappella and with orchestras. From 2017-2018 he is also Artistic Director of the Zürcher Sing-Akademie.
Florian Helgath is also a regular guest conductor of the SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, RIAS-Kammerchor, MDR Rundfunkchor Leipzig, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Choeur de Radio France among others and collaborates with the Munich Radio Orchestra, Bochum Symphony, Danish Chamber Orchestra, Münchner Symphoniker, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Concerto Köln and Ensemble Resonanz. Concerts have led him to major concert halls and festivals as the Berliner Festspiele, Audi Sommerkonzerte, Eclat Festival Stuttgart, Thüringer Bachwochen and particularly to the Ruhrtriennale with contemporary opera performances and numerous manifold projects. He also has prepared choirs for conductors as Herbert Blomstedt, Kent Nagano, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos and Christian Thielemann.
Highlights of this season (2017-2018) will be his debut with the Odense Symphony, Chorus of Warsaw National Philharmonic and his further collaboration with the Netherlands Radio Choir.
Florian Helgath’s discography includes the CD "Sacred Songs" with works by J.S. Bach, Max Reger and Knut Nystedt with the MDR Rundfunkchor Leipzig, which was awarded the ICMA Award 2017, works by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Wagner also with the MDR Rundfunkchor Leipzig, Contemporary Choral Music with the Via Nova Chor as well as J.S. Mayr Missa in c - Stabat Mater with the Orpheus Vokalensemble and Concerto Köln among others. For the album "Da Pacem" with the RIAS-Kammerchor and Capella de la Torre he received the ECHO Klassik 2017. |