Tine Thing Helseth

Trumpet

Biography

Since the beginning of her career, Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth has championed the trumpet repertoire amongst audiences on all six continents, meriting the highest critical praise for her soulful, lyrical sound and collaborative approach to music-making. An artist who challenges the boundaries of genre with an intensely creative, open-minded philosophy, Tine’s ever-expanding repertoire ranges from the classical period to contemporary works and new commissions.

From 2023 Tine is the Artistic Director of Risør Chamber Music Festival with which she has been associated for over a decade. Throughout her career, shee has been the recipient of numerous awards for her work in classical music, including “Newcomer of the Year” at the 2013 Echo Klassik Awards, the 2009 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship, and second prize in the 2006 Eurovision Young Musicians Competition, to which Tine returned to serve as juror for the 2016 competition. In 2007, Tine had the rare honour of being the first ever classical artist to win Newcomer of the Year at the Norwegian Grammy® Awards (Spellemannprisen).

Tine has worked with some of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Bamberger Symphoniker, NDR Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Gürzenich-Orchester Cologne, Tonkünstler-Orchester Vienna, Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Scottish Orchestra at the BBC Proms, Warsaw, Rotterdam, Oslo, Bergen and Helsinki Philharmonic orchestras, Danish Radio Symphony orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Minnesota, Baltimore and Cincinnati orchestras, Singapore Symphony, KBS Symphony and Hong Kong Philharmonic. She also enjoys collaborating with a number of chamber orchestras, namely the Norwegian Chamber, Zurich Chamber and Munich Chamber orchestras, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Australian Chamber Orchestra, and as well as the Orchestre de chambre de Lausanne, Mozarteum Salzburg, and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

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In season 23/24 Tine is premiering new concerto for Violin and Trumpet by composer Xi Wang with violinist Karen Gomyo and Dallas Sumphony Orchestra under conductor Fabio Luisi. She will also perform with Melbourne Symphony, Auckland Philharmonia, National Symphony Orchestra Taiwan, Staatsorchester Hannover, Staatsorchestrer Stuttgart, Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra, an extensive Christmas tour with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, and will return to London’s Wigmore Hall with 12 Ensemble and Shostakovich Concerto for Piano, Turmpet and String Orchestra.

Tine continues regular tours with her ten-piece, all-female brass ensemble tenThing. An idea which started in 2007 as a fun and exciting project to pursue with her closest musical friends, the group have gone on to play to numerous audiences across Europe, USA and China. Past festival appearances include the BBC Proms, Schleswig-Holstein, Beethoven Bonn, Gstaad, MDR Musiksommer, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rheingau, Merano, Thüringer Bachwochen, and Bremen. In March 2024 they embark on a 10-concert tour across the US where, in addition to composers such as Lili Boulanger, Grażyna Bacewicz, Agathe Backer, Astor Piazzola and Leonard Berstein, they will premiere a new piece written for tenThing by Jennifer Higdon.

Complimenting her live performances, Tine maintains active presence in a recording studio. Her newest album “Seraph”, released in November 2022, gained worldwide recognition including a 5* review from the BBC Music Magazine, whilst her previous disc “Magical Memories For Trumpet and Organ” (May 2021) was selected by Gramophone to feature in their “Recording of the Year 2021” August selection, and received 5* review from BBC Music Magazine. Earlier recordings include concertos by Haydn, Albioni, Neruda and Hummel with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, “Storyteller” disc with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic released on the EMI Classics label, a self-titled CD in March 2013, presenting a personal selection of original and transcribed works accompanied by pianist Kathryn Stott, and an album with tenThing Brass Ensemble released on Warner Classics.

Tine resides in Oslo and maintains an active role in her community as a regular TV and radio presenter, and teaches trumpet at the Norwegian Academy of Music. An all-round musician, she also regularly performs in some of the most iconic jazz bars in Norway. In June 2013, Tine launched her own project, Tine@Munch, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Edvard Munch, featuring a variety of performances and guest artists such as Leif Ove Andsnes, Nicola Benedetti, and Truls Mork. Since 2019, she is a member of Artistic Board at Risør Chamber Music Festival.

About tenThing

Formed in 2007 by Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth as a fun and exciting collaboration between musical friends, the ten-piece, all-female brass ensemble tenThing have firmly established themselves on the international scene to great acclaim. tenThing are celebrated for their commitment to outreach and access to music through a diverse repertoire that spans from Mozart to Weill, Grieg to Bernstein, and Lully to Bartok. The group work closely with Norwegian guitarist and arranger Jarle Storløkken in the arrangement of scores for the ensemble, enabling them to play pieces of differing instrumentations.

tenThing first established themselves in performances all over their native Norway, eventually delighting a huge national audience by opening the 2011 Norwegian Grammy Awards. Soon after, the group came to international prominence at the BBC Proms in a performance at London’s Cadogan Hall. Elsewhere in Europe, they have performed at a wide range of prestigious festivals and concert halls, including the Schleswig-Holstein, Beethoven Bonn, Gstaad, MDR Musiksommer, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rheingau, Bodensee, Engadin, Merano, Thüringer Bachwochen, and Bremen festivals in Central Europe, the Merano and Sienna festivals in Italy, the NCPA Beijing May Festival, and Moscow’s House of Music.

In Spring 2017, the ensemble embarked on their American debut tour, which included concerts in New York, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and at the renowned Wolftrap Festival. tenThing also made their Paris debut at the St Denis Festival in May 2017.

This season will see tenThing back on tour in Germany, the UK and North America.

Reviews

“Tine Thing Helseth is blessed with a combination of great wind-playing attributes: a soulful – dare one say brooding, Nordic – approach to phrasing, quite astonishingly outstanding intonation and a sound which is open and honest, even and focused in all registers.”

Gramophone

“Tine Thing Helseth gave an intelligent and perceptive reading of what is a staple of the solo trumpet repertoire [Hummel: Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major]. Sweet and clear in tone throughout, her ornamentation flowed seamlessly as she illuminated many different shades and colours of her instrument. Dialogue between trumpet and orchestra was consistent in its sensitive balance, with a remarkable synergy between all those on stage.”

Miranda Heggie

Herald Scotland

More Reviews

“Her ability to transform the brassy trumpet sound into something soft, supple, lyrical and delectable needs to be heard to be believed.”

Igor Toronyi-Lalic, The Evening Standard Aug 7th 2013

“[tenThing’s] performances of Grieg, Astor Piazzolla, and a world premiere by Diana Burrell were infectious in their enthusiasm and energy, and their intimacy.”

Tom Service, The Guardian Aug 15th 2013

“Chamber Prom 4, by trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth and her all-girl brass ensemble tenThing, was a joyful blast from start to finish.”

Michael Church, The Independent Aug 5th 2013

“Young, glamorous, witty and articulate, as well as a brilliant trumpet player… a fresh and dynamic take on the classical world.”

Adam Sweeting, Radio Times Jul 13th 2013

“Joseph Haydn’s famous trumpet concerto in E-flat major was a brilliant success. Helseth’s trumpet twinkled, beamed, sang, joked, yearned, and strutted about in the self-assured way only the trumpet can.”

Eva-Maria Reuther, volksfreund.de Nov 9th 2014