Press & Reviews

“Helin, playing music of tricky metrical complexity and striking textural variety, gave a virtuoso performance.” 

THE WASHINGTON POST

“Helin does the composer proud. She...commands an articulate touch that can shift from bell-like sparkle to bold resonance. Her crisp rhythms and crystalline textures match the music beautifully.”

MUSICAL AMERICA, Opus Record Reviews

“The Copland counterposed crashing dissonant chords with warmer, placatory phrases in a fine demonstration of shifting timbres. Beethoven's Op. 110 Sonata in A-flat was equally distinguished: phrasing was stylish, melodic and harmonic outlines were always clear--not least in the final fugue--and a strong sense of purpose was confirmed in the closing pages.”

THE LONDON TIMES

“...a performance of Copland's Piano Sonata that mirrored admirably the music's clarity, a quality that was constantly revealed in her presentation of Schumann's Carnaval. Her technique is refined. It serves reliably her musical instincts. The whole recital proved Miss Helin to be an able and musicianly pianist.”

REVIEW OF LONDON RECITALS

“One of the area’s most arresting pianists, Helin, who lives in Santa Fe, brought fierce concentration and a supple style to two demanding works.”

ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL

“An excellent pianist with a distinguished recital career, Jacquelyn Helin gave the local premiere in its piano solo form of "Music from the Ballet Suite of Lord Byron." This was a choice piece in an evening of the choice Virgil Thomson.”

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

“Miss Helin played with all the right flourishes and a nice technical security.”

THE NEW YORK TIMES

“A generous wash of sound…tightly focused rhythmic drive…absolutely first-rate.”

THE SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN 

“The evening had its most impressive moment with the Piano Concerto No. 2 by Serge Rachmaninoff, with the soloist, Jacquelyn Helin. Drama and excitement poured from the stage... which brought the audience to its feet in thunderous applause and shouts of bravo... a magnificent and moving performance.”

WAUKEGAN NEWS-SUN

“Helin met the concerto's demands neatly, from gossamer melodies and delicate chords to virtuoso passages and . . . full-voiced thundering. . . . She clearly thought her way through the work as well as playing it: That kind of approach is rare, and provides an artistic experience much fuller than any mere rattling-off of notes, however brilliant, can provide.”

THE SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN

“Sunday afternoon, a young pianist was heard who is possessed of a tone and talent so big that she should have been playing in Carnegie Hall, or maybe Yankee Stadium...Helin can easily evoke tones as shimmering as sequins...Like the work of the late and great Lili Kraus, Helin's performance has strength, and her understanding of the music at hand is profound.”

THE SACRAMENTO BEE

“Helin displayed a supple emotional range and fluid phrasing…Helin’s style possesses a notable sensitivity and subtlety.”     

ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL

“A simply rare and unequaled concert performance of the works of Schubert, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and Debussy...a splendid performance of musical expertise and riveting interpretations of complex classical movements.”

PACIFIC DAILY NEWS, GUAM

“A perfect day for a perfect performance in Georgetown…(which) brought a standing ovation from the audience.”

GEORGETOWN GAZETTE

“…(Helin) played three preludes and fugues from the first book of J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier superbly: The interpretation was intensely personal, but the music lost none of its Olympian grandeur.” 

THE SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN

“…a technically and musically outstanding performance….(Ms. Helin) is a performer who can clearly present her ideas through the piano and verbal demonstrations….The lyrical second movement (of Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata) was captivating….Clair de Lune was so ethereal that one could hear the moonlight….Ms. Helin’s performance was greeted with an ovation which called for the encore, the Brahms Intermezzo in A Major. This recital was truly a highlight of this year’s season.”       

HOBBS (New Mexico) NEWS-SUN 

"It was recently my pleasure to hear Jacquelyn Helin perform my Piano Sonata. Her interpretation was lucid and highly expressive of my complex work. Both her technique and grasp of the emotional content of the music are of top quality. I warmly recommend her performance."

Aaron Copland, COMPOSER

"Jacquelyn Helin is an excellent pianist who has played my music often and plays it well. She is an exceptionally gifted artist and an artist our country can be proud of."

Virgil Thomson, COMPOSER

"A communicative pianist who performs contemporary music with particular authority and with a special sensitivity to a composition's architecture."

JOAN TOWER, COMPOSER

"I keep reflecting on your concert and your time with us in Newport. What a marvelous experience! You are a consummate artist and a presenter's delight! The clarity of your materials and consistency of our contacts during the planning phases made my work easy. You proved (yourself) a special human being and superb communicator . . . through your music during the concert. I was particularly struck by the way you introduced the audience to contemporary music. You made them your colleagues while acknowledging the potential difficulty of hearing unfamiliar dissonance and rhythms. Giving them musical "benchmarks" was brilliant.

"Your generosity as a performer was even more evident during the master class. Students were radiant and their piano teachers were very impressed. Perhaps one of the most telling remarks following your time with us came from Jess Smith, former director of the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. 'She is a superb performer and teacher. I intended only to support you but came away very impressed and hope you will bring her back. ' Well, we'd like to. Thank you, Jacquelyn, for more than just an engagement."

Sharon Morgan, NEWPORT PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

"What a joy your performance was! Not only was your musicianship impeccable, but your rapport with the audience was truly admirable, as attested by feedback from the audience. The intimate, salon-like character of the performance space promoted discussion with the audience, and your prefacing remarks and introduction of major themes concerning Yehudi Wyner's "Toward the Center" were invaluable in promoting the audience's reception and comprehension of the piece. What I saw suggests to me that your residency work must be particularly effective."

Chris Harcourt, CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

"Your evening performance was superb. Selection of music, which ranged from Brahms to Debussy and Gershwin, was well suited to our audience, which was evidenced by their enthusiastic response. Possibly even more important to our audience was your rapport with them; your insights on composers and pieces were expressed in a cordial manner. You maintained your artistic professionalism without fostering an elitist attitude. Rather than distance our patrons you brought them to a closer appreciation of fine music."

Marla Bingham, SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY

"Ms. Helin is a brilliant pianist. We also found her to be very intelligent, knowledgeable, and articulate, able to communicate with an audience, however large or small. We found her charming and a consummate professional to work with."

Naomi Levine, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

 
"Jacquelyn is a wonderful colleague with outstanding musicianship, fluent phrasing, and accuracy of tempo. However, these descriptions do not describe her greatest attribute. Miss Helin invites her audience across the footlights and includes them in the music-making experience as she perceives it in her intellect and emotion."

Lance Vining, BAY PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

"Your musicianship and professionalism were exemplary, and your commitment to music of our country and our century rare among pianists. I can't think of a concert that our chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon has sponsored that we can be more proud to be associated with than the one you presented last night."

Carolyn Smith, PALO ALTO MU PHI EPSILON