Helen Harrison
British Conductor Helen Harrison places people at the heart of every project she leads, working with orchestras, opera companies and more, drawing out exciting, expressive performances that resonate with performers and audiences.
Guest conducting includes the BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Sinfonia Viva, Sinfonia Smith Square, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Northern Silents Sinfonia.
She is the Music Director for Preston Opera and guest conducts Northern Opera Group, Outreach Opera and Flat Pack Opera. Productions include La traviata, La bohème, Carmen, Eugene Onegin, Macbeth, Norma, Amahl, Merry Widow, Don Giovanni, and West Side Story.
Recognised as one of the leading conductors in the country for her work with the next generation of musicians, Helen is Music Director and Conductor of the Young Sinfonia, the Royal Northern Sinfonia’s youth orchestra and Conductor and Artistic Lead for the University of Liverpool Symphony Orchestra with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. She regularly conducts the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain, Trinity Laban Summer School Orchestra and Leeds Conservatoire.
Helen enjoys working with musicians to develop their conducting skills leading Workshops and Masterclasses for the RAF, Music Hubs, Music Mark, Future Talent, Making Music, Leeds Conservatoire and Durham University.
Educated at a comprehensive school in Lancashire, Helen read Music at Cambridge University and studied Conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music. She is an Alumna of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s flagship Conductor Programme.
Helen serves as Vice-Chair for Orchestras Live working across England connecting communities with world class orchestras and advocating for the power of classical music to transform lives.
An engaging communicator, she has contributed to broadcasts on Radio 3 and Radio 4 including a special edition of Soul Music exploring ‘Sailing By’ celebrating 100 years of the ‘Shipping Forecast’.