Prof. Frans Helmerson
Cello
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biography
Swedish cellist Frans Helmerson has performed with many of today's finest conductors, including Seiji Ozawa, Colin Davies, Neeme Järvi, Evgeni Svetlanov, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Herbert Blomstedt, Sergiu Comissiona, Frübeck de Burgos, Kurt Sanderling and Mstislav Rostropovich. He has also toured with a number of major orchestras throughout Europe, the US, South America, Asia and Australia.

Helmerson studied in Göteborg, Rome and London with Guido Vecchi, Guiseppe Selmi and William Pleeth. He also benefitted greatly from the guidance and support of Mstislav Rostropovitch.
Helmerson's love for chamber music led him to take the position as artistic director of the Korsholm Festival in Finland from 1994-2001. He frequently appears at a number of international festivals, such as Verbier, Prades, Naantali, Kuhmo and Ravinia. In 2002, he formed the Michelangelo String Quartet.

He held a professorship at the Musikhochschule in Cologne and then moved on to his current positions as guest professor at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, professor at the Kronberg Academy Masters and lecturer in cello at the Barenboim-Said Akademie.

His recordings include concertos by Dvorak and Shostakovich, the Brahms Double Concerto with violinist Mihaela Martin, the Bach Solo Suites, and others.