Erin Helyard, who is best known in Australia for his pioneering work with Pinchgut Opera and as Artistic Director of Hobart Baroque, is at the forefront of the rising generation of young musicians who combine the latest in musicological and historical enquiry with a passion for promoting live music in contemporary culture.

“I am delighted to be returning to Australia,” said Helyard, “and also to be joining an institution which not only gives me access to a world-class faculty and an extraordinary collection of historic keyboard instruments but also shares my passionate commitment to the highest values of scholarship, performance, and outreach. I look forward very much to contributing to the vibrant musical life of Canberra and beyond.”

Helyard is currently a Lecturer in Historical Performance at the New Zealand School of Music but has found time over the past year to direct an acclaimed production of Cavalli’s Il Giasone for Pinchgut and the outstanding staging of Handel’s Orlando that was the centrepiece of this year’s Hobart Baroque festival. He was to have been paying a flying visit to Australia to conduct Salieri’s The Chimneysweep for Pinchgut in July. Now it looks...