About Me
A versatile artist
Helen Tintes is a versatile singer-actress 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), 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, making for a memorable homecoming” (Inforum Press, USA).
Tintes has performed with many European and USA companies, including the Gran Teatro del Liceu (Barcelona), Staatstheater Kassel (Deutschland), Theater an der Wien/Raimund Theater (Vienna), Chicago Opera Theatre, Light Opera Works (Chicago), F-M Opera (Minnesota), St. Petersburg Opera (FL), Gulfshore Opera (Fl). She has also sung at numerous European festivals, including the Monte Carlo Festival, Ascona Festival, Bodensee Festival, and Fest in Hellbrunn/Salzburg. An international operatic highlight was performing with Gwyneth Jones in Strauss’ Elektra at the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, Spain.
Tintes is a recognized master voice teacher and has taught at important conservatories and universities, including the Music and Arts Private University of Vienna (MUK), Northwestern University, the University of South Carolina (Columbia), and Ave Maria University. Through the prestigious Erasmus (European Union) program, she has performed and given masterclasses throughout Europe (Austria, Spain, Hungary, Estonia, Finland, Greece) and has also performed and taught in China. She currently serves as adjunct faculty at Florida Gulf Coast University (Ft. Myers, FL) and Florida International University (Miami, FL) and maintains residences in SW Florida and Vienna, Austria. Tintes was awarded a Fulbright Scholar Grant in 2023 to Spain and Greece, where she researched Sephardic Music and taught and performed American music at Ionian University (Corfu) and the Escuela Superior de Canto (Madrid).
I am active as a singer-actor in character roles in opera and musical theater. I continue to perform in concert and recital performances with the added goal of introducing new talent through my voice studio Vienna Voce. I look forward to continuing work in arts entrepreneurship through the ISMCenter, which offers workshops, masterclasses and coaching based on many years of experience in the field.
She wears many hats…
I enjoy a multi-faceted career as a singer-actor, voice professional, and director of music study courses and festivals. My formative studies as a pianist, organist, and church music director in ND/MN (USA Upper Midwest) prepared me for my first European adventures in Spain, where I performed in Early and Contemporary Music, as well as accompanying singers and working with opera choruses. Studies at the Escuela Superior de Canto and experiences in Spain solidified my love of Spanish music and culture which has evolved into a concentration in Spanish and Latin American vocal music and the development of the ISMCenter.
After completing the Masters in Vocal Performance at the University of Minnesota, I returned to Europe on a Rotary Scholarship to study German Lied and Oratorio at the renowned Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria…and changed ‘fach’ from soprano to mezzosoprano. The vocal shift (and personal one as well) brought me many more singing opportunities in opera and musical theater. I moved to Vienna, Austria and joined the cast of Phantom of the Opera, where I met my future husband, Klaus Schuermann. We embarked on an over 25-year partnership in music, travel, and general love of the arts, as performers and educators.
I sing in a variety of musical styles, including operas such as Carmen, Il Trovatore, The Medium, Elektra, Il Trittico, in concert works such as Mozart’s and Verdi’s Requiems, Bach Passions, Mahler Lieder, and in contemporary works including Bernstein’s Jeremiah Symphony and many world premieres. I have also performed in numerous musical theater productions such as Sondheim’s A Little Night Music and Into the Woods as well as my debut in 2022 with Opera Naples as Mme. Dilly in Bernstein’s On the Town. I am an avid recitalist in German Lied and Spanish/Latin American song literature and have performed selections from the Great American Songbook with jazz ensembles as well.
I am beginning a new phase of opera and theater performance in character roles. I also continue my concert and recital performances with the goal of introducing new talent through my voice studio “Vienna Voce”, which offers masterclasses and coaching based on many years of experience in the field. I look forward to continuing my work in arts entrepreneurship through my ISMCenter and am especially excited about the Fulbright Scholar Award to Greece and Spain in early 2023 (research in Sephardic Music, teaching and performing of American Music).