Biography
Natalie Helm
Principal Cello of the Sarasota Orchestra, American cellist Natalie Helm has been praised by Fox News as having a sound that “catches the attention of the room” and “leaves a lasting impression.” The LA Times proclaimed the audience “was transfixed” by her performance that was “handled ardently.” A cellist of “musical grace” and extraordinary versatility, Ms. Helm enjoys a dynamic career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician, and educator.
Ms. Helm’s recent engagements include solo appearances with the Sarasota Orchestra, Dana Point Symphony, and Montgomery Symphony Orchestra. Chamber appearances include recitals throughout the U.K. and U.S. with the genre-crossing DuoSkope and Sorella Duo. Recently releasing her first album, you can find Ms. Helm on iTunes, Amazon Music, and Spotify. Other appearances include performances for the SILLS series, Artist Series Concerts, and soloist with the Richardson Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, and Colburn Orchestra.
A top prize winner at international competitions including the Lennox International Competition, Blount-Slawson Young Artist Competition, Kingsville Young Artist Competition, and MTNA, Ms. Helm has had the opportunity to perform internationally throughout Italy, Germany, and Japan. She is the recipient of the prestigious Karl Zeise Memorial Cello Award and has appeared in collaboration with the American Contemporary Ballet, Domingo-Thorton Young Artist, and Yamaha School of Music. She was named Artist in Residence and Principal Cello of the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra for the 2015-16 season. In 2016, she toured the United States with a piano trio and vocalist that performed in over 30 cities in three weeks. Ms. Helm’s performances have been broadcast on NPR, iHeart Radio, Fox News, and PEOPLE Magazine.
Teaching and community
Music is a powerful elixir for change and Ms. Helm has embraced this idea through Upward Notes. As the founder, she brings musicians together to perform and create opportunities to bring positive social change to the communities she works in. Upward Notes has performed for prisoners, homeless shelters, animal shelters, drug-rehab facilities, dementia patients, and assisted living facilities throughout the United States.
Born in Louisville, KY, Ms. Helm began studying the cello at age eleven. After only five years of playing the cello, she was accepted into the Curtis Institute of Music studying with Peter Wiley and David Soyer. Ms. Helm also holds an Artist Diploma from the Colburn School of Music where she studied with Ronald Leonard.
Natalie spends her summers on faculty at the Interlochen Arts Camp, the Curtis Institute of Music’s Summerfest, the Sarasota Music Conservatory, and Associate Faculty at the Sarasota Music Festival. She has given masterclasses at University of Southern Florida and been on the faculty of the Pasadena School for Strings in Pasadena, CA, Montgomery Music Project in Montgomery, AL, and Go-go Allegro in Boston, MA and was a member of the Des Moines Opera Festival for three seasons.
Ms. Helm plays on a Raphael di Blasio cello from 1803.