Héloïse Werner

Hailing from Paris, soprano Héloïse Werner has established herself as a prominent figure in contemporary music through her work as both performer and composer, in addition to playing the cello. Her early training encompassed six years in the Maîtrise de Radio France children's choir and cello lessons with Valérie Aimard at the Conservatoire Maurice Ravel. She later moved to Britain for studies at Clare College, Cambridge, where composition classes with Giles Swayne formed part of her curriculum and she supported herself as a choral scholar. By then her own pieces had begun attracting notice, as evidenced by the 2009 Creation Prize from the Conservatoire Maurice Ravel for a set of songs included in her final recital and by her 2011 win in the Clare College Carol Competition. She subsequently completed a master's degree at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, studying voice with Alison Wells and Anna Tilbrook while holding the status of Linda Pilgrim Charitable Trust Scholar and receiving a Help Musicians UK Postgraduate Award. Remaining in Britain, she continued to receive recognition, securing the 2017 Linda Hirst Contemporary Vocal Prize, the 2018 Michael Cuddigan Trust Award, and a shortlisting for the 2017 Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards, along with selection in 2020 as one of BBC Radio 3's 31 under 31 Young Stars. Performance engagements have taken her before the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Nash Ensemble, and the London Chamber Orchestra. Her most extensive solo work has come through membership in the Hermes Quartet, an ensemble of soprano, clarinet, harp, and double bass that has commissioned some 60 new works. She maintains an active composing career, producing pieces for musicians as diverse as mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston, The Gesualdo Six, and the Bach Choir. In 2019 she presented her own solo opera, The Other Side of the Sea, at London's Kings Place. Following appearances on other contemporary music releases, she issued her debut solo album, Phrases, in 2022 on the Delphian label, performing as singer, composer, and cellist.