Helen Hancock
As a freelance soprano Helen is a busy recitalist, with a particular passion for lieder and baroque repertoire. Helen has been in Berlin many times for lieder coaching with Gerhard Gall and pianists Paul Cibis, Markus Zughoer and Chelsey Padilla supported by Arts Council Agility Awards in 2022 and 2023. Helen performed at the Ulysses Centenary for the Embassy of Ireland, Berlin in June 2022 and looks forward to performing a recital in Zeitgeist Irland 24, an initiative of Culture Ireland and the Embassy of Ireland, Berlin in Würzburg in June with Paul Cibis, piano.
Notable recent performances include programmes featuring Schubert’s Der Hirt auf dem Felsen and Arnold Cooke’s Songs of Innocence, for voice, clarinet and piano with clarinettists Berginald Rash, Christopher Moriarty and Annalisa Monticelli, piano. A world premiere of a new piece Ruminations for soprano, clarinet and piano by composer/clarinettist Christopher Moriarty was recorded in September 2023. A recital with Yue Tang cello and David Leigh Piano in Sandford Church featured Schubert’s Auf dem Strom for voice, horn/cello and piano and arrangements by Amy Beach, Berlioz and Strauss and this programme will be repeated in St Ann’s Dawson St, in March. There were recitals at Farmleigh House with Órán Halligan, piano and with Festival Director Anna Kiselyova, piano, at the Castleknock Music Festival 2023. A highlight was performing a programme of early music at the closing concert of The Galway Early Music Festival 2023 with Mark Keane, harpsichord. Helen premiered several songs with pianist/composer Criostóir Ó Loingsigh at the Dingle Summer Music Festival 2022 and his music will feature in the Zeitgeist Irland 24 programme in June.
Helen has extensive experience in music education and choral conducting: she taught recorder, children’s choir, singing and was the director of The Whistleblowers Ensemble at Coole Music and Arts, Galway from 2012-2021. Helen is choral conductor of the Marine Singers in Galway with whom recent highlights include concerts at The Yeats Tower, Thorr Ballylee in Galway and at Clifden Arts Festival in 2023. The choir will perform the Pergolesi/Durante Magnificat with The Galway Strings Orchestra in May this year. Helen has also taught choir in several local primary schools and maintains a small studio of private singing students.
Having studied singing previously at the RIAM and TU Dublin conservatories, Helen resumed vocal studies with Professor Owen Gilhooly-Miles from 2015 to 2021 and continues to study with UK based Christine Cairns. She has attended several of the International Choral Conducting Summer Schools run by Sing Ireland.