5 minutes with Erin Helyard
- Behind the Scenes
This March, we’re performing at St Peter’s Cathderal with the inspiring conductor, virtuoso harpsichordist, and Artistic Director of Pinchgut Opera – Erin Helyard. Erin is also a devout academic, and teaches as Associate Professor at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He hosts a deep, deep well of knowledge on 18th-century music and performance.
We chatted with Erin to shed some light on music then-and-now, and to discover how someone with so many accolades connects with music beyond the concert hall.
Do you think there are any similarities between 18th-century Baroque dance music and today’s dance music?
I think the main similarity is that people have always wanted to move their bodies to a regular pulse. Musically, the styles are worlds apart, but the basic human impulse is the same. Dance music – then and now – is about energy, repetition, and collective experience. There are accounts of 18th-century balls that sound surprisingly rowdy, which suggests that courtly dance wasn’t always as polite as we imagine.
Do you have any rituals to mentally prepare for performing that might surprise people?
I spend a lot of time thinking in arcs and flow – about where the music is heading, not just where it is now. That helps shape phrasing and overall structure. On performance days, I try to keep things calm and quiet, with minimal social interaction, so I can fully commit to the musical journey in the evening. It’s less about warming up fingers, and more about preparing a mental space.
What is your favourite piece to perform on the harpsichord, and why?
The Goldberg Variations. No other piece reveals strengths and weaknesses so clearly as a musician. Every time I return to it, it shows me something new – technically, emotionally, and intellectually. In that sense, it’s less a comfort piece and more a mirror. I sometimes think of it as a diagnostic tool for the soul.
In your spare time, do you listen to contemporary music, or mostly historical works?
I mostly listen to classical music, but I also love contemporary sounds – especially lo-fi, atmospheric music like you’d hear in a great Japanese café. I’m also a big fan of bands like The Strokes, Phoenix, and Future Islands. That mix keeps my ears open and my musical imagination flexible.
