School of Music

Latvian contralto/mezzo-soprano Helēna Sorokina began her musical education with the violin and piano already at the age of 5. She later went on to study choral conducting in her hometown Riga. Helena was studying classical vocal performance and vocal pedagogy and since 2021 continues with the Artistic Research at the prestigious Doctorate School at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Austria.

Notable highlights include solo appearances in some of the biggest concert halls of Germany, Austria, Italy and Latvia (e.g., “Die Glocke” Bremen, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Muffathalle Munich, Stefaniensaal Graz) performing works like Messiah by Handel, Christmas oratorio by J.S. Bach, Petite Messe Solenelle by Rossini and Stabat Mater by Haydn. As a soloist, Helena has worked e.g., with Hamburger Symphoniker, Thüringen Philharmonie, Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester, Mainzer Staatsorchester, Georgisches Kammerorchester Ingolstadt and sung under the baton of Sir Roger Norrington, Joshua Rifkin, Beat Furrer, Paolo Paroni, Joshard Daus, Erwin Ortner, Johannes Prinz etc. Helena has sung in operatic productions under Stadttheater Leoben, Theater im Palais Graz, MUMUTH Graz and Oper in der Krypta in Vienna. Her roles include Paulina (Pique Dame), Orlofsky (Fledermaus), Mercedes (Carmen), Anita (West Side Story), Suzuki (Madame Butterfly), Lola (Cavalleria Rusticana) amongst other!

In 2020 Sorokina started a new project for an unaccompanied solo voice called VOICE.ONLY, which she premiered at CNMAT in Berkeley, California, and further developed into a new concert series in Styria, Austria. One of the parts called Shades of Solitude has been dedicated to the exploration of different possibilities of a solo alto voice a cappella.