Biography

Born in Lausanne, Helena Macherel is a Swiss flutist who performs as a soloist, chamber and orchestra musician. At the age of nineteen, she won the Paul Streit Prize at the Geneva Competition.

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Praised for her “luminous musicality”, she plays in Switzerland, France, Austria, Germany, Hungary, China, Hong Kong, USA, and recorded three CDs (Mozart with the London Mozart Players on Swiss Label Claves Records, Dances for Flute and Harp with harpist Tjasha Gafner on the Euro-American label Orpheus Classical, ...du silence au silence with pianist Veronica Kuijken on the Dutch label Challenge Records). She premiered Martin Skamletz's Concerto for Flute and Orchestra in Austria, and was broadcasted on Austrian Radio ORF, Italian Radio RAI and Swiss Television RTS. She is currently engaged by the 2B Company for regular tours in Europe, and she is a member of the Basilea Wind Quintet, as well as the Astra Duo with Harpist Tjasha Gafner. She is also called upon to give masterclasses in Italy.

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Helena Macherel is a prizewinner of various international competitions (Maxence Larrieu Competition, Jeunesses Musicales de Belgrade International Competition, Anton Rubinstein Berlin International Competition), and is supported by the Leenaards, Kiefer-Hablitzel, Friedl Wald, Lyra and Pour-Cent Culturel Migros foundations. These distinctions have led her to appear as soloist with the Zürcher Kammerorchester at the Tonhalle Zürich, the Belgrade Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, the Budapest Radio Orchestra and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice, among others. She has also shared the stage with François Benda, Cédric Pescia, the Sine Nomine and Terpsycordes quartets.

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Helena Macherel regularly performs as principal flute with the Basel Symphony Orchestra, the Musikkollegium Winterthur and the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra. She is also a member of both Verbier Festival orchestras and has performed under the baton of Gianandrea Noseda, Charles Dutoit, Klaus Mäkelä and Zubin Mehta.

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She recently graduated from the Juilliard School in New York with Robert Langevin and is currently studying with Nolwenn Bargin. She also studied in Berlin with Silvia Careddu at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler, and in Paris with Claude Lefebvre. At the age of fourteen, she was admitted to the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne with José-Daniel Castellon, and she was awarded the Fritz-Bach scholarship upon completion of her soloist master's degree.

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Since 2018 she plays  baroque flute in the ensemble La Fontana Cantabile. Alongside her activities as a flautist, Helena Macherel also devotes herself to composition. In her desire to renew her instrument's repertoire, she has made numerous arrangements (notably Strauss's The Dance of the Seven Veils, or Ravel's Sonate Posthume).