Founded in 2012 by artistic director Ella Marchment, Helios Collective was an award-winning opera company that had development and connectivity at its heart. Through innovative and imaginative programming, Helios enabled an international community of performers, creatives, and arts partners to work together to shape the future of opera.
I left feeling that the future of British civilization is in good hands, larynxes, and batons
The Express
Among its many critically acclaimed successes, the company produced a diverse range of sell-out operatic events, including canonical, reimagined, and new operas; masterclasses conducted by world-renowned industry professionals; Toi-Toi opera club nights; and opera-plays.
Helios toured nationally and internationally to leading opera venues, including Copenhagen Opera Festival, St Petersburg Philharmonia, Rose Theatre Kingston, Sage Gateshead, and Buxton Festival.
The company provided ongoing professional development opportunities to over 1,500 artists and commissioned numerous new operatic works, spearheading a range of groundbreaking initiatives.
Helios Collective is something to be excited about: our music is in their hands
Broadway Baby
Ella Marchment was the Artistic Director of Helios Collective from 2012 to 2021. Under her leadership, Helios Collective flourished into a hub of creativity, innovation, and collaboration. With an unwavering commitment to nurturing emerging talent, Helios championed the development of new works and provided a platform for seasoned and emerging artists to showcase their skills. The dedication to fostering interdisciplinary collaborations resulted in cutting-edge performances that pushed the boundaries of traditional operatic performances.
Hathaway is simply the most moving production I have ever seen
Copenhagen Opera Festival Audience Feedback
Throughout her tenure, Ella curated a wide array of works, synergizing elements of opera, theatre, and multimedia in trailblazing productions. Ella’s inventive approach to directing and producing garnered critical acclaim worldwide, attracting a loyal and diverse audience to Helios Collective.
Cavalier’s Rock Tosca is basically one of the best ideas anyone has ever had. Big, sweaty, loud and brilliant, rock’s ego-heavy aesthetic is ideal for Puccini’s personality-driven thriller. Ella Marchment’s direction makes the most of this, focusing us on individual characters in turn, keeping the crucial claustrophobic air of persecution in each scene while blasting us with big volume and bigger emotions
Bachtrack
Helios Collective – Highlights
- A Celebration Before and After Verdi & Wagner, 2013
- Canerentque Aeterna, 2014
- Dido & Belinda, 2016
- Die Meistersinger, 2015
- Façade and Eight Songs For A Mad King, 2014
- Formations Masterclasses, 2015–2017
- Hathaway – Eight Arias For A Bardic Life, 2016
- Il Letto, 2017
- Mozart Mixology, 2014
- Salon Russe, 2016
- Stravinsky Double Bill, 2015
- The Bear Goes Walkabout, 2013
- Toi Toi (opera club nights), 2015
Tremendously enjoyable and accomplished…what a delightful operatic experience
Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph
See also Opera Harmony.