Jazz at The Shoe Factory: Anke Helfrich Trio

The Pharos Arts Foundation, in collaboration with the Goethe Institut Zypern, presents a jazz concert with the award-winning Anke Helfrich Trio, comprising: the renowned jazz pianist Anke Helfrich – winner of the Echo Jazz Award 2016 in the category “Instrumentalist – Piano”, Dietmar Fuhr (bass) and Paul Höchstädter (drums). Saturday 10 December 2016 at The Shoe Factory, Nicosia / 8:30pm.

ANKE HELFRICH
One of the the leading jazz pianists in Germany today, Anke Helfrich is the winner of the Echo Jazz Award 2016 in the category “Instrumentalist – Piano”. Anke studied in the Netherlands and in New York, under the guidance of Kenny Barron and Larry Goldings. She has collaborated with a great number of legendary jazz musicians, including Johnny Griffin, Benny Bailey, Gianni Basso Keith Copeland, Nils Landgren, Ack van Rooyen, and Peter Weniger.

Anke’s big break came when her Trio, with bassist Johannes Weidenmueller and drummer Jochen Rueckert, won the European Jazz Competition in 1996 and the Hennessy Jazz Search in 1998. In 2000, she released her debut album You'll see, featuring Mark Turner on tenor sax, which was nominated for the German Record Critics' Award. In 2003, she received the Jazz Award of the city of Worms, and in 2006, she released her second CD, Better times ahead, featuring Martin Gjakonovski (bass), Dejan Terzic (drums) and special guest Roy Hargrove (trumpet). The CD received rave reviews by the media all over Europe and the US and it was also nominated for the German Record Critics' Award. In 2007, Anke performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, being one of the 5 finalists of the M.L. Williams Competition. She was also a finalist in the jazz category of the International Songwriting Competition, with her composition, Der Turm, and she appeared as a soloist in concerts all over the world.

Anke Helfrich’s third CD, Stormproof, was released by the renowned ENJA Records label, featuring Henning Sieverts (bass), Dejan Terzic (drums) and special guest Nils Wogram (trombone). From then onwards, her career really took off, and together with the band of Manu Katché, Anke Helfrich's Trio played a tour of 14 double-bill concerts in Germany's most prestigious venues, such as, the Leipzig’s Gewandhaus, Berlin’s Philharmonie, Dortmund’s Konzerthaus, Stuttgart’s Theaterhaus, and subsequently toured in South Africa. Anke has appeared in festivals all over the world, including, JazzBaltica, Bonner Klaviersommer, Off-Stage-Piano-Festival Lucerne, Jazzhus Montmartre, Palatia Jazz Festival, Jazz Ahead Exhibition, and she has collaborated with renowned musicians, including Bill Evans & the Mike Stern Band, the JazzBaltica Ensemble, the Diva Jazz Orchestra, the HR-Jazzensemble, Adrian Mears, Mads Vinding, Niclas Campagnol, Rita Marcotulli, Julia Hülsmann, to name but a few. Helfrich was part of the Michel Legrand Tribute at Stockholm’s Concert Hall, playing with the B.H.J. All Star Orchestra and Dalasinfoniettan featuring Rigmor Gustafsson.

In 2015, Anke Helfrich recorded with Tim Hagans, Martin Wind, Jonas Burgwinkel and Ardie Walser her fourth album in New York. The new album, Dedication, was released on ENJA records and received enthusiastic reviews from all over the world.

Besides her busy performing career, Anke Helfrich is also a keen educator. Between 1999 and 2014, she was a faculty member at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Mannheim, and since 2011, she is a professor at the Dr. Hoch's Conservatory in Frankfurt. She has also been giving workshops all over Europe.

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Information: Pharos Arts Foundation Tel. +35722663871 / www.pharosartsfoundation.org
Tickets: €15 / €10 Concessions & members of the Pharos Arts Foundation,
Box Office: www.pharosartsfoundation.org & Tel. 9666-9003 (Monday - Friday 10:00am-3:00pm)