About
Helen Tintes
Helen Tintes-Schuermann is a singer-actor, voice teacher and arts curator, originally from North Dakota (USA). Her vocal and keyboard studies took her from Minnesota to Madrid, Spain and later to Salzburg, Austria. She has performed as a mezzo-soprano/contralto in opera, concert and musical theater throughout Europe, China and the USA, where she also has given numerous masterclasses.
Tintes has taught at prestigious conservatories and universities, including the MUK (Vienna, Austria), the Escuela Superior de Canto (Madrid), USC (Columbia, SC), Florida Gulf Coast University (Ft. Myers, FL) and Ave Maria University (Fl). Upcoming events in 2026 include concerts in Naples, Fl., with F-M Opera (MN), in Vienna, Austria and at festivals in Switzerland. She also directs courses in Opera (Vienna) and Spanish Music (Madrid) with European and US colleagues.
Biography
A versatile artist-teacher
Helen Tintes-Schuermann is a multi-faceted singer-actor, voice teacher and arts curator who performs in opera, operetta and musical theater in roles including Carmen, Suzuki (Madame Butterfly), Marcellina (Le Nozze di Figaro), the Witch (Hansel and Gretel), Zita (Gianni Schicchi), The Medium and Mme. Giry (The Phantom of the Opera). She was praised for her performance as the Zia Principessa in Puccini’s Suor Angelica: “Tintes-Schuermann plays the princess as a cold authority figure unable to crack…it’s a dark role, but (she) plays it with a self-righteous relish” (InForum Press, USA).
Tintes has performed with many European and USA opera companies, including the Gran Teatro del Liceu (Barcelona), Staatstheater Kassel (Germany), Theater an der Wien and Raimund Theater (Vienna), Chicago Opera Theatre and Chicago Light Opera Works, F-M Opera (Minnesota), St. Petersburg Opera (Florida), Gulfshore Opera and Opera Naples (Fl). She has also sung with numerous European festivals, including the Monte Carlo Festival, Ascona Festival, Bodensee Festival and Fest in Hellbrunn (Salzburg, Austria). An international operatic highlight was performing with Dame Gwyneth Jones in Strauss’ Elektra at the Palau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona, Spain. As a concert artist, Tintes has appeared as soloist with orchestras, fine arts series and universities throughout the USA and is a frequent recitalist in Spanish/Latin American song and German Lied in both Europe and the USA.
Tintes is a recognized voice teacher who has taught at important conservatories and universities, including the Music and Arts University (MUK) in Vienna, Northwestern University, the University of South Carolina (Columbia), Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida International University and Ave Maria University. While a professor at the MUK, she gave masterclasses and concerts with the prestigious Erasmus (European Union) program in Austria, Spain, Hungary, Estonia, Finland and Greece and has also performed and taught in China (Yantai Festival). Tintes was awarded a Fulbright Scholar Grant to Greece and Spain in 2023, where she did research in Sephardic Music and taught at Ionian University (Corfu, Greece) and the Escuela Superior de Canto (Madrid, Spain). She is active as a recitalist, concert artist and performer in opera and musical theater and especially enjoys introducing new talent with the support of the ISMCenter through masterclasses, opera-intensive courses and concerts. Tintes’ private studio is called Vienna Voce (www.viennavoce.com) and she maintains a residence in Vienna, Austria.
