About Helena
Helena Kernaghan has established herself as one of regional Australia’s most versatile pianists and musicians. She has forged her own unique path in the Australian music scene from her hometown on the NSW-Victorian border, Albury.
Helena finished her Master of Music Performance at the University of Melbourne (VCA) in 2005 and became an in-demand chamber musician, accompanist, repetiteur and soloist. She has performed throughout Australia and internationally and was a founding member of the award-winning Abraxas Piano Trio in 1997. Since then, chamber music (piano trio in particular) has been her primary focus and love, and she is currently a member of the Orpheus Trio with violinist Kaori Sparks and cellist Sam Goble. OPT
A passionate music educator, Helena works closely with the next generation of up-and-coming talent and has recently collaborated with the VMTA to launch the Geoffrey McFerran Young Regional Victorian Piano Competition in Wodonga. Since 2006 Helena has lived in regional Australia (Albury) enjoying the challenge of teaching and maintaining an active performing life. Recent collaborations include tenor Shanul Sharma, sopranos Merlyn Quaife and Ayse Goknur-Shanal, thereminist Thorwald Jorgensen, pianist Donna Coleman, clarinettist David Griffiths and violinist Markiyan Melnychenko, Helena has recorded and premiered new works for solo piano by Gordon Kerry, including 'Gabriel's Album' (2022) and 'Barcarolle' (2023).
Helena was the founding Artistic Director of the Albury Chamber Music Festival (2016-2019) and is currently the artistic director and CEO of Murray River Fine Music, the border region's leading chamber music organisation.
Helena enjoys working with artists across various genres and performance styles, and in 2021 she composed and performed a soundtrack for a children's story 'The River' for the 2021 Upstream Festival. She recently composed a soundtrack for an original play 'HER' by actor/playwright Kerryn Beatty, which was launched at the Hothouse Theatre in March 2023.
For a recent review of Helena's on her work as artistic director and chamber musician, please click on the links below:
World premiere Barcarolle Gordon Kerry