Praised for her “exceptional musicality” and “maturity beyond her years,” Miriam Helms Ålien is one of Norway’s most exciting young artists of recent years. Born in Alta, Norway, she began playing the violin at the age of six. Since her debut as a soloist at the age of eight, she has performed with numerous Norwegian orchestras as well as orchestras in Denmark, Germany, Israel, Italy, Russia and the Czech Republic. Her recent performances include appearances with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Arctic Philharmonic, Israel Netanya Orchestra, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice, Tromsø Symphony Orchestra, Arkhangelsk Chamber Orchestra and Oslo Camerata.
A dedicated and passionate chamber musician, Miriam Helms Ålien has been invited to perform at numerous festivals, including the Bergen International Festival, Kissinger Sommer, Beethoven Week Bonn, Verbier Festival & Academy, Chamber Music Connects the World in Kronberg, Open Chamber Music in Prussia Cove, and the international chamber music festivals in Oslo, Trondheim and Risør. She has also collaborated with renowned artists such as András Schiff, Gidon Kremer, Tabea Zimmermann, Radovan Vlatkovic, Steven Isserlis and Dora Schwarzberg. Miriam Helms Ålien has already appeared in well-known concert halls such as the Wigmore Hall and the Norwegian Opera House. She is also a regular guest on international television and radio programs.
In 2012, the young violinist received the prestigious “Princess Astrid Music Prize”. Already in 2007 she won the 1st prize as well as the “Grand Prix”, the “EMCY Prize” and the “Bärenreiter Prize” at the “Kocian Violin Competition” in the Czech Republic. In addition, Miriam Helms Ålien was awarded the “Sparre Olsen Prize” in 2009 and the “Norwegian Music Publishers Prize of Honour” the following year, and was named Norway’s “Young Musician of the Year 2010”. She was selected by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra as Norway’s representative for the “Nordic Soloist Prize”.
Miriam Helms Ålien is currently studying as a young soloist at the Kronberg Academy with Ana Chumachenco as well as with Tabea Zimmermann. The studies are financed by an Artmann/Rath scholarship. Previously, she studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich, the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin and the Barratt Due Music Institute in Oslo. She was also a scholarship holder at the International Music Academy in Liechtenstein and participated in the intensive weeks there. Her former teachers include Ulf Wallin, Stephan Barratt-Due, and Alf Richard and Henning Kraggerud. She was further inspired by master classes with artists such as Sir Simon Rattle, Ida Haendel, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Christoph Eschenbach, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Miriam Fried and Mauricio Fuks.
Miriam Helms Ålien plays a Guadagnini violin from 1780, made available to her by a generous private patron.