An important aspect of Mr. Helmerson’s musicianship is chamber music, and he is a frequent guest at some of the most important European festivals. In 2002 he became a founder of the Michelangelo String Quartet whose members are Mihaela Martin, Stephan Picard and Nobuko Imai. He is artistic director of the Umeea-Korsholrn International Chamber Music Festivals in Sweden and Finland and regularly works at the Verbier Festival, Pablo Casals-Festival and the Ravinia Festival. Helmerson works regularly with Scandinavian orchestras as a conductor. He also holds professorships at the Musikhochschule in Cologne, where he is based, and at the Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofi a in Madrid. Helmerson’s recording of the Dvorzak concerto is available on the BIS label and was hailed by critics as one of the best recordings of the work. His recording of the two Shostakovich Cello Concerti for Chandos with the Russian State Symphony Capella, with Valery Polyansky conducting, has received acclaim from music critics around the world.