Helin Kapten

b. November 21, 1952 Türi

Helin Kapten is a valued pianist and accompanist, pedagogue and coach, who has worked with many distinguished Estonian singers.

Helin Kapten has graduated from the Tallinn Music High School as a piano student of Helju Agur in 1971. In 1976, she graduated from the Tallinn State Conservatoire under the guidance of Bruno Lukk. Helin Kapten has improved her skills in 1979–1982 at Rimski-Korsakov Conservatoire in St. Petersburg with Prof. Sofia Vakman and as a coach at the Hamburg University of Music and Theatre.

Helin Kapten has worked since 1976 at the Tallinn Music High School and since 1983 at the Tallinn Conservatoire (present Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre). Since 1997, she has been the head of chamber music department and pedagogue-assistant of singing department, and since 2004, Professor of accompaniment class. Helin Kapten’s students include among the others Ain Anger, Aile Asszonyi, Ave Sikk and Ene Rindesalu.
In 1989–1997, she worked at the Estonian National Opera as an accompanist and coach, performing at several concerts and recordings at the Estonian Radio. She has worked also at Vaasa Opera and the Yväskylä Conservatoire Opera Studio with a number of renowned singers, among them G. Ahrens, J. Anvelt-Skarafoni, Shen-Xiang, L. Agosti, M. Lehttinen, V. Noreika, and distinguished conductors such as C. F. Cillario, Zheng Xiao Ying, N. Järvi, E. Klas, T. Kapten.

Kapten has coached many young opera singers who have won prizes in international competitions, including Ain Anger, Mirjam Helin, Aile Asszonyi, Rauno Elp, Merle Silmato, Meeli Tammu and others. She has performed as a Lied-pianist and accompanist in Estonia, Finland, Holland, Belgium, Sweden, Russia, Canada, USA, Belarus and Lithuania. She has lead masterclasses in Estonia, Finland, Belarus, Sweden (Academy of Music and Drama in Gothenborg in 1993), Italy (G. Tartini Conservatory in Trieste 2003) and Germany (F. Liszt School of Music in Weimar 2005).

Since 1992, Helin Kapten is a member of the Estonian Theatre Union.


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