Helen Bub-Connor
A musician, composer, and dedicated teacher from northern New South Wales. Her passion for music has positively impacted the field and inspired many through her work and teaching.
From a young age, Helen was captivated by sound and the power of the human voice, making music central to her life.
Her music is an eclectic mix of folk fusion, electronics, chant, improvisation and minimalism. Citing her influences from the world’s great sacred voice traditions, folk artists such as Joni Mitchell, as well as her connection to Australia's ancient cultures and Greek Australian roots . Her experiences living in South America, Europe, and the Australian Outback have also shaped her musical expression, emphasising sound and singing as forms of empowerment and cultural identity.
Musician…
Helen has been innovating within vocalising, composition, arranging and performing since 1985. An independent in the folk and choral music scene, she established her first ensemble ‘ihomorpheia’ in Sydney in 1994. Following on from her stint as a freelance vocalist and composer, in the 90’s, Helen collaborated with various Sydney based Jazz musicians in performance.
Other performance highlights include the formation of The Improvisation Trio Project in Brisbane (2005, Steve Reinthal, acoustic guitars and Dale Jones, double bass). Whilst in the Broken Hill region she also wrote, directed and performed the original show What Story are We In? (Broken Hill Fringe festival 2013 - 2014). Her compositions have been commissioned by performance artists Stuart Lynch and Tess D’Quincy (1995), theatre director Rosie Dennis (Can Fish Be Wives 1996), and for the radio play Faust (in collaboration with the ABC, 1997). And more recently for Rea Dennis’ Yellow Wallpaper live performance project (Atrium Theatre 2013) and soundscape for video installation Intertidal (MPRG 2021).
Her eclectic offerings as a composer include: Children’s Lullabies: ‘Close Your Sleepy Eyes’ (EP, 2004), theatre (What Story are We In? (2013, Broken Hill Fringe festival, Broken Hill Art Exchange), and commissions (Stuart Lynch and Tess D’Quincy, Rosie Dennis, ABC radio, + private commissions for loved ones)
Exploring…
In the late 1990’s Helen withdrew from all performing and public musical practice to undertake personal exploration and contemplation of the nature of the sacred use of the voice.
During this 2 year period, Helen collaborated closely with a number of spiritual traditions and practitioners in the creation and sacred singing of many vocal pieces which expressed divinity, yearning, unity of humanity, and other profound human experiences which elevate and expand the human state of being. An accomplished choral arranger and director, Helen has founded a number of choral groups, including Choir With Passion, Brisbane (2004-2009) and The Choir Pott (2018-2020) She co-led The Painted Piano Project in collaboration with Kevin Hunt where she co-composed and conducted original work Menindee Bop Groove for Our Music Indigenous Music Festival (2012, Sydney Conservatorium of Music).
Re-Emerging…
Having spent the last decade prioritising raising her family with her husband, Helen returned in fuller capacity to the core of her passion for music making and connecting others to their music making.
In 2022, Helen released her second album of original songs, entitled ‘Vanished’. In 2023 Helen worked full time in secondary music teaching, and as a choral conductor and accompanist at a local Secondary College. She also completed a composition commission. In 2024, Helen established the new vocal ensemble Choir_Lines which is exploring innovative arrangements of ancient and modern art music forms. Helen also released a new single ‘The Unity Song’ and a guided vocal meditation entitled ‘Vocal Discovery, which is now available to download from this website!
Inspired Educating…
Helen Bub-Connor (A.Mus.A, Dip. Teaching) is a dedicated and supportive voice educator certified in Estill Voice Figure Proficiency, which is a reliable and effective method for improving vocal skills across various genres. Her innovative and engaging teaching methods consistently help students achieve positive and remarkable vocal results. With over 30 years of extensive experience as a vocalist, composer, pianist, educator, and multi-instrumentalist, Helen has had the pleasure of teaching music to a diverse range of students, including children, adults, and families in numerous educational settings both locally and internationally. She has a profound understanding of how to connect with students, enabling them to excel in their unique musical journeys. Recently, one of her talented students achieved an impressive ranking in the top 5% of the HSC music results for vocal performance, which speaks to her effective teaching approach. Her educational background is further enriched by her studies in positive psychology, inclusive education, and research into different spiritual music traditions from around the world, enhancing her ability to nurture and inspire her students.
