Grace Helmke

Grace Helmke is a prolific flute and piccolo teacher and performer based in Boston, MA. She performs regularly with the Vista Philharmonic Orchestra as their first call substitute, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, and the Boston Civic Orchestra. Also an opera lover, she performs with the Cambridge Chamber Ensemble, the New Opera Company of Boston, the Dee Opera, the Boston Summer Opera, and is on the sublist for the Boston Lyric Opera. As an avid freelancer, she’s performed with the Boston International Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Annex Players. In 2024, she performed in the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, SC.

She teaches private lessons in her personal studio, as Private Flute Instructor at Kennedy Middle School in Waltham, MA, and is on faculty with Music and Arts/Guitar Center. In March of 2023 she played a sold out Carnegie Hall debut with Boston University’s School of Music, from which she graduated Cum Laude with her Bachelor’s in May, having studied with Linda Toote and Ann Bobo. Post-graduating, she continued her studies with Diana Morgan, 2023-25. In January, 2021 she won first prize in the 41st annual James Pappoutsakis Memorial Flute Competition & The Boston Woodwind Society/Matthew Ruggiero International Woodwind Competition.

She performed with the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra 2019-23, with which she toured Greece and South Africa. And, with which the Boston Classical Review described her performance of Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra as having “sang beguilingly.” In 2022-23, she performed on flute, saxophone and vocals with Boston based reggae band, the Roots Rock Rebels.

In fall of 2019 she served as the soloist with both the Manchester Symphony Orchestra and Chorale and the Lincoln-Sudbury Civic Orchestra in performances of Mozart’s flute concerto in D major. She previously soloed with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra after winning third place in their young artist’s competition. In March of 2020 she was the first place recipient in her age division of the Best Bach Performance from the global, online Great Composers Competition series.

From 2015-2019 Grace played with Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras, and now works as a substitute coach with the organization. She spent 3 summers at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, as a member of their Young Artists Orchestra and Young Artists Wind Ensemble. Other summer festivals include the Pender Island Flute Retreat, Flauti al Castello, EFlute Fest, the Jeffrey Khaner Flute Festival at Curtis Summerfest and Credo Flute. In 2018 she won first place in the Musical Club of Hartford High School Competition. Grace studied with former Hartford Symphony principal flute, Greig Shearer, for 8 years.