Helena Cooke is a freelance alto living in London, and a member of the NYCGB Fellowship Octet 2016-2017. Helena studied Music at the University of York, graduating in 2015 with First Class Honours. From 2015/16 Helena worked as a Lay Clerk with the Choir of Clare College Cambridge, and whilst there sung with numerous groups and consorts including Ensemble Pro Victoria and CUCC. Helena was a member of Genesis Sixteen's 2014-2015 cohort, and performs with choirs including the Philharmonia Voices, BBC Daily Service Singers, Siglo de Oro, Reverie, Sansara, Carice Singers, Exon Singers, Icosa, Mousai Singers, and the St Endellion Festival Chorus. She is deputises in various London churches, most regularly at the Tower of London and Royal Hospital Chelsea. In 2015 she appeared on BBC Radio 3's 'In Tune' as part of a quartet led by Robert Hollingworth, and recorded Daniel-Lesur's Le Cantique des Cantiques with I Fagiolini. Her operatic roles have included Florence Pike in Britten's 'Albert Herring', (UoY) 3rd Lady in Mozart's 'The Magic Flute', (UoY) Storge in Handel's 'Jephtha' (CUOS) and Hippolyta in Britten's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream (CUOS). Helena has been a lifelong member of the St Endellion Music Festivals, enjoying cameo appearances as a child (including Pickled Boy in Britten 'St Nicholas' and semi-chorus in 'Tannhauser') She now sings in the chorus, and is also an occasional soloist, performing alongside Mark Padmore, Pamela Helen Stephen and Ryan Wigglesworth in Janacek's 'The Diary of One who Disappeared' and Wigglesworth's 'Echo and Narcissus'. She performed in these at the Wigmore Hall in May 2016 Recent solo performances include Bernstein 'Chichester Psalms' (treble/alto solo), Bach's 'Magnificat' and Rossini Petite Messe Solemnelle.