Frans Helmerson | Cello

Swedish cellist Frans Helmerson began his musical training with Guido Vecchi in Gothenburg, before studying Giuseppe Selmi in Rome and William Pleeth in London. Sergiu Celibidache and his mentor Mstislav Rostropovich also played a very influential role in his artistic development. In 1971, he won the renowned Cassado Competition in Florence which was the first of his many distinctions. Tours have taken him to many countries in Europe as well as to Japan, Russia, South America, Australia, New Zealand and the USA.

Frans Helmerson plays with many well-known orchestras and receives outstanding critical acclaims for his concerts and recordings. His recording of Dvorak’s Cello Concerto with Neeme Järvi and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra was acknowledged as the “best recording currently available on the market”. His recording of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 is also highly praised.

Mr. Helmerson’s passion for chamber music is another important driving force in his musical horizon. He is a regular guest in the major European festivals, including the Verbier Festival, the Pablo Casals Festival in Prades and the Ravinia Festival and also he spent many years as the artistic director of the Umea-Korsholm International Chamber Music Festival. Furthermore, in 2002 he has founded the Michelangelo Quartet with Mihaela Martin, Stephan Picard and Nobuko Imai.

In addition to his career as a soloist, chamber musician and conductor, Frans Helmerson taught for several years as a professor at the conservatories in Cologne and Madrid. Since 2011/12, he has been teaching as a guest professor at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin. Moreover in 2016 he gained an additional professorship at the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin. Mr. Helmerson has been teaching at the Kronberg Academy as a principal professor since 2006. He plays a cello made by Stefan-Peter Greiner.