³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Cardiff Singer of the World and Song Prize competitor
Helen Kearns studied with Irene Sandford at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin, and currently studies with Viorica Cortez and Aneta Pavalache. She has taken part in master classes with Montserrat Caballé, Ann Murray and with José van Dam, who awarded her a scholarship for the La Monnaie/Queen Elisabeth Music College Opera Studio in Brussels.
At 24, Helen made her debut with Opéra de Rennes in the leading female role of John Casken's Golem. She has appeared in venues including the National Concert Hall in Dublin, Waterfront Hall in Belfast, Philarmonie in Cologne, Sala Cecilia Meireles in Rio de Janeiro, and Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels.
This season, Helen sings Janthe and Emmy (Der Vampyr) with Opéra de Rennes and with Opéra de Szeged in the Mezzo Television Opera Festival. Helen has won first prize and audience prize at the International Young Singers competition in Vienna and the Grand Prix Spécial du Jury at the Marmande competition.
In 2002, she won the Belfast Classical Music Bursary. Future performances include Britten's Les Illuminations with L'Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie; Mozart's Requiem with José Van Dam; a gala concert at La Monnaie with l'Orchestre National de Belgique and Canteloube's Chants d'Auvergne with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra.
Helen enjoys art, theatre, cinema and travelling.
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Cardiff Singer of the World 2009: concert five repertoire
- Kommt ein schlanker Bursch gegangen (Der Freischütz) - Weber
- Regnava nel silenzio (Lucia di Lammermoor) - Donizetti
- Chanson du Rossignol (Le Rossignol) - Stravinsky
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Cardiff Singer of the World Song Prize 2009: recital two repertoire
- Du meines Herzens Krönelein (Op 21 No 2) - Richard Strauss
- Ich schwebe (Op 48 No 2) - Richard Strauss
- Nacht und Träume (Op 43 No 2) - Schubert
- A Blackbird Singing (Over the Rim of the Moon) - Michael Head
- Là -bas, vers l'église (Cinq mélodies populaires grecques No 2) - Ravel
- Quel galant m'est comparable (Cinq mélodies populaires grecques No 3) - Ravel
- Tout gai! (Cinq mélodies populaires grecques No 5) - Ravel
