Erin Helyard Reflects On 2024

Interview - December 16, 2024

CONTEXT

One of Australia’s most beloved artists, Erin Helyard, has been acclaimed as an inspiring conductor, a virtuosic and expressive performer of the harpsichord and fortepiano, and a lucid scholar who is passionate about promoting discourse between musicology and performance. As Artistic Director and co-founder of the celebrated Pinchgut Opera and the Orchestra of the Antipodes (Sydney) he has forged new standards of excellence in historically-informed performance in Australia. In fact, Pinchgut has recently been described as “the liveliest, most inventive and most brilliantly led opera company in Australia.”

2025 sees Erin at the head of a memorable celebration of Baroque masterworks. Check out the interview and make sure to read more about Pinchgut’s 2025 season.

BIGGEST TAKEAWAY OF 2024

I think my biggest takeaway has been about respecting the values of simplicity and integrity. If you stay true to the music and the expressivity of the text then you can elevate the simplest of effects to achieve something beautiful and meaningful for the audience.

2025 PROJECTS BEYOND PINCHGUT

I have my debut with Opera Australia in 2025, a national tour with Musica Viva, and I’m returning to work with the Adelaide Symphony and the Australian Haydn Ensemble, so lots of exciting things in the pipeline.

INSPIRATION BEHING PINCHGUT'S 2025 SEASON

They were really bucket-list choices for me. I’ve always wanted to perform Messiah with period instruments and a small light choir (I’ve only conducted it with big choirs and symphony orchestras). Fairy Queen is one of my favourite works, and I think it is a good piece for us to experience the Ros Packer Theatre for the first time. I wanted to continue our series of “tiny operas”, and La serva padrona is a real classic of the eighteenth century. As the for the Goldbergs, it is one of those rare compositions that is absolutely miraculous, and I will enjoy the challenge of performing it.

ON PINCHGUT'S SUCESS

I believe the key element behind Pinchgut's growth and success over the last few years has been our commitment to excellence and making sure that all our artists and creatives are supported to achieve their maximum potential.

Image provided by Pinchgut Opera