HELEN LEAR
SOPRANO



Musical Biography

Helen Lear is a young New Zealand singer who is in her final year of postgraduate vocal study at the Royal College of Music, London, with Professor Kathleen Livingstone.

In March 2008 Helen made her UK debut as Marguerite in Edinburgh Grand Opera's production of Gounod's Faust, performed at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre.  Helen will return to Edinburgh in August 2008 to sing in the Edinburgh Grand Opera's concert for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Helen began formal vocal study in 2001 whe she was selected for the Dame Malvina Major NBR New Zealand Opera Emerging Artist Programme. As part of the programme she performed the role of Javotte in the NBR NZ Opera’s production of Massenet’s Manon.

Helen followed this intensive year of performance and training on the Emerging Artist Programme by commencing study in Performance Voice with Emily Mair at Victoria University of Wellington (now the New Zealand School of Music) in 2002 . She performed the role of Speranza in Opera Victoria’s production of Monteverdi’s Orfeo in 2002 and Venus in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld in 2003. She then directed, staged and starred in the University's 2004 opera production, Walton's The Bear, which received excellent reviews. She completed the requirements for Bachelor of Music with Honours in 2005, and was awarded First Class honours. She then travelled to London to begin study at the Royal College of Music.

She graduated with Distinction from the Royal College of Music with a Postgraduate Diploma (Singer) in July 2006 and spent the following academic year studying privately with Professor Margaret Kingsley, her teacher from the College, to change voice type from mezzo-soprano to soprano before returning to full-time study in September 2007.

Helen's full resume can be viewed on this page.