Helen Knight

Helen Knight was born in Ashford, Kent and had her early vocal training with the renowned teacher, Janice Chapman.

Helen went on to study at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester with Nicholas Powell. During her student career she garnered many awards, including The Countess of Munster Trust and South East Arts and the RNCM. After graduating, Helen joined Glyndebourne Festival Opera before becoming a permanent member of Welsh National Opera.

Over the next fifteen years she undertook numerous roles with the company including Flora, La Traviata ,Olga, Eugene Onegin , Maddalena , Rigoletto, Maid, The Makropoulos Case and the Confidante, Electra. Helen’s pianistic skills were showcased in Richard Jones’s groundbreaking production of Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades. Helen has also appeared in many concert and oratorio performances across the United Kingdom and in Europe.

Helen set up the vocal teaching skills module at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, passing on her knowledge of vocal techniques and performance. She has a busy teaching practice and has taught at Cardiff University since 2001. Incorporated into her operatic teaching, Helen is keen to give students a platform to investigate the world of theatre music and the distinct and varied technical and artistic challenges that appear in this repertoire.

In addition to this, she is a highly sought after adjudicator at music festivals as well as an examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music both here and abroad. Helen has in recent years become a vocal animateur, founding the Llandaff Ladies Choir that encourages singers from varied musical or non musical backgrounds to share in the joy of choral music.