Principal
players
Miranda Dale
Julian Tear
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Helen Crayford
Keyboard
Helen studied piano and trumpet at the Royal College of Music, after which she won a French Government Scholarship to study in Paris with Nadia Boulanger. Since then, Helen has pursued a versatile career, dividing her time between the pioneering all-female Gallina Brass Quintet and freelance keyboard work, touring and broadcasting with chamber orchestras and ensembles, such as Matrix, Lontano, the Orchestra of St John's, Smith Square, and Britten Sinfoia.
Helen’s own-devised solo show, Rags to Riches, which traces the history of Ragtime and Jazz, has been met with critical acclaim from the Edinburgh Festival to New York City, and has been frequently heard on BBC Radio.
Helen has been an official accompanist for BBC TV's Young Musician of the Year competition and is now increasingly sought after by singers and instrumentalists as a recital partner, especially in contemporary repertoire.
Since being appointed Principal Keyboard with Britten Sinfonia in 1995, Helen has also appeared with them as soloist in such works as Gershwin's I Got Rhythm variations and Stravinsky's Concerto for Piano and Wind. Recent live broadcasts include Stravinsky's Tango; pieces for prepared piano by John Cage; Britten's 'Young Apollo' from Ely Cathedral; and Poulenc's Sextet for Piano and Wind in a 1999 BBC Chamber Prom.
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