biography

trumpeter – singer – songwriter

Since the beginning of her career, Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth has championed the trumpet repertoire amongst audiences on all six continents, meriting the highest critical praise for her soulful, lyrical sound and collaborative approach to music-making. An artist who challenges the boundaries of genre with an intensely creative, open-minded philosophy, Tine’s ever-expanding repertoire ranges from the classical period to contemporary works and new commissions.

She has been the recipient of numerous awards for her work in classical music, including “Newcomer of the Year” at the 2013 Echo Klassik Awards, the 2009 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship, and second prize in the 2006 Eurovision Young Musicians Competition, to which Tine returned to serve as juror for the 2016 competition. In 2007, Tine had the rare honour of being the first ever classical artist to win Newcomer of the Year at the Norwegian Grammy® Awards (Spellemannprisen).

Tine has worked with some of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Bamberger Symphoniker, NDR Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Gürzenich-Orchester Cologne, Tonkünstler-Orchester Vienna, Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Scottish Orchestra at the BBC Proms, Warsaw, Rotterdam, Oslo, Bergen and Helsinki Philharmonic orchestras, Danish Radio Symphony orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Baltimore and Cincinnati Symphony orchestras, Singapore Symphony, KBS Symphony and Hong Kong Philharmonic. She also enjoys collaborating with a number of chamber orchestras, namely the Norwegian Chamber, Zurich Chamber and Munich Chamber orchestras, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Australian Chamber Orchestra, and as well as the Orchestre de chambre de Lausanne, Mozarteum Salzburg, and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

Performances in recent seasons include MiTo Festival with Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai, debut with Minnesota Orchestra, return to Bergen Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Odense Symphony and Norwegian Opera Orchestra, as well as European tour with Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, and six performances at the Bergen International Festival and a recital at Mogens Dahl Koncertsal in Copenhagen.

Year 2023 marks the first season of Tine’s role as Artistic Director of Risør Kammermusikkfest in Norway, a festival with which she has been associated for over a decade. Current season also sees Tine debut with Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Silicon Valley in San Jose, and Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana in Palermo in addition to her long-awaited return to the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, concerto appearance with Orchestra of Opera North and a series of recitals including Wigmore Hall in London and Reading Town Hall in the UK, and in Bologna, Italy. Together with her brass ensemble tenThing, they embark on a nine-concert tour across the US performing a Holiday-themed programme inspired by Christmas traditions of Europe and America, and in March 2023 the ensemble tours Sweden.

Tine continues regular tours with her ten-piece, all-female brass ensemble tenThing. An idea which started in 2007 as a fun and exciting project to pursue with her closest musical friends, the group have gone on to play to numerous audiences across Europe, USA and China. Past festival appearances include the BBC Proms, Schleswig-Holstein, Beethoven Bonn, Gstaad, MDR Musiksommer, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rheingau, Merano, Thüringer Bachwochen, and Bremen.

Complimenting her live performances, Tine maintains active presence in a recording studio. Her newest album “Seraph”, released in November 2022, gained worldwide recognition including a 5* review from the BBC Music Magazine, whilst her previous disc “Magical Memories For Trumpet and Organ” (May 2021) was selected by Gramophone to feature in their “Recording of the Year 2021” August selection, and received 5* review from BBC Music Magazine. Earlier recordings include concertos by Haydn, Albioni, Neruda and Hummel with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, “Storyteller” disc with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic released on the EMI Classics label, a self-titled CD in March 2013, presenting a personal selection of original and transcribed works accompanied by pianist Kathryn Stott, and an album with tenThing Brass Ensemble released on Warner Classics.

Tine resides in Oslo and maintains an active role in her community as a regular TV and radio presenter, and teaches trumpet at the Norwegian Academy of Music. An all-round musician, she also regularly performs in some of the most iconic jazz bars in Norway. In June 2013, Tine launched her own project, Tine@Munch, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Edvard Munch, featuring a variety of performances and guest artists such as Leif Ove Andsnes, Nicola Benedetti, and Truls Mork. Since 2019, she is a member of Artistic Board at Risør Chamber Music Festival.