Helen Harrison, Music Director
We are proud that Helen Harrison started her professional orchestral conducting journey with us at BSO in 2011.
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.
Highlights of her 2025/26 season include a BBC 10 Pieces project with the BBC Philharmonic, joining the Spring Tour for English Touring Opera as Assistant Conductor conducting performances of ‘Pagliacci’ and ‘Gondoliers’, ‘Pagliacci Reimagined’ with the Orchestra of English Touring Opera and Streetwise Opera in London, an invitation to conduct the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in a Conductors’ Workshop and Nielsen’s ‘The Four Temperaments’ and English classics in Denmark.
Guest conducting includes the BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Sinfonia Viva, Sinfonia Smith Square, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Bath Philharmonia and Northern Silents Sinfonia, Northern Opera Group, Outreach Opera, Hull Urban Opera and Flat Pack Opera.
Born, raised and living in Lancashire Helen is passionate about bringing the transformative power of music to her own community and is proud to be the Music Director for the award-winning Blackpool Symphony Orchestra. She celebrates her ten year anniversary as Music Director for Preston Opera this year.
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 Director for the University of Liverpool Symphony Orchestra with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. She regularly conducts the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain, Leeds Conservatoire, Yorchestra and summer schools for Trinity Laban.
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 with many of her students building their own successful conducting careers.
Educated at a comprehensive school in Blackburn, 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.
Helen is the Chair for Orchestras Live working across England connecting communities with world class orchestras and advocating for the power of classical music to transform lives. She has also served on Award Panels for the Royal Philharmonic Society and Making Music.
An engaging communicator, she has contributed to broadcasts on Radio 3 andRadio 4 including a special edition of Soul Music exploring ‘Sailing By’ celebrating 100 years of the ‘Shipping Forecast’.
https://www.helenharrisonconductor.co.uk
June 2026
