Helen Harrison, Music Director
We are proud that Helen Harrison started her professional orchestral conducting journey with us at BSO in 2011.
British Conductor Helen Harrison places people at the heart of every project she leads, working with orchestras, opera companies and more drawing out exciting, expressive performances that resonate with performers and audiences.
Guest conducting includes the BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Sinfonia Viva, Sinfonia Smith Square, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Side by Sides with the Orchestra of Opera North and Northern Silents Sinfonia.
She is the Music Director for Preston Opera and guest conducts Northern Opera Group, Outreach Opera and Flat Pack Opera. Productions include La Traviata, La Boheme, Carmen, Eugene Onegin, Macbeth, Norma, Amahl, Merry Widow, Don Giovanni and West Side Story. She joins English Touring Opera as Assistant Conductor for their 2026 Spring Tour.
Recognised as one of the leading conductors in the country for her work with the next generation of musicians Helen is Music Director and Conductor of the Young Sinfonia, the Royal Northern Sinfonia’s youth orchestra and Conductor and Artistic Lead for the University of Liverpool Symphony Orchestra with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. She regularly conducts the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain, Trinity Laban Summer School Orchestra and Leeds Conservatoire.
Helen enjoys working with musicians to develop their conducting skills leading Workshops and Masterclasses for the RAF, Music Hubs, Music Mark, Future Talent, Making Music, Leeds Conservatoire and Durham University besides mentoring and coaching conductors individually.
Born, raised and living in Lancashire Helen is passionate about bringing the transformative power of music to her own community and is proud to the Music Director for the award-winning Blackpool Symphony Orchestra.
Educated at a comprehensive school in Lancashire, Helen read Music at Cambridge University and studied Conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music. She is an Alumna of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s flagship Conductor Programme run in partnership with the Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead.
Helen has been a participant in the Royal Ballet and Opera International Masterclasses for Women Conductors.
Helen serves as Vice-Chair for Orchestras Live working across England connecting communities with world class orchestras and advocating for the power of classical music to transform lives.
An engaging communicator, she has contributed to broadcasts on Radio 3 and Radio 4 including a special edition of Soul Music exploring ‘Sailing By’ celebrating 100 years of the ‘Shipping Forecast’.
https://www.helenharrisonconductor.co.uk
December 2025
