Helen Gillet

Helen Gillet is a singer-songwriter and surrealist-archeologist exploring synthesized sounds, texture, and rhythm using an acoustic cello. For some- one with her varied background, New Orleans, with its mix of cultures and musics, seemed like a natural place to call home. She was born in Belgium, raised in Singapore for 9 years as a child, and routinely shuttled between the homelands of her Belgian father and American mother. Over the years — working in New Orleans with musicians of all stripes, from avant-garde jazz and classical to pop and funk — Gillet has developed a singular polyglot style. The core of her work is solo performance with live looping, layering cello parts and vocal lines. Rhythmic figures emerge with bowed or plucked ostinatos or a variety of rubbing and slapping on the body of the cello, then enhanced with melodies played or sung in her haunting alto. Gillet’s solo performance is known for its enigmatic quality as she fabricates each song with innovative use of the cello and true mastery of live looping technology. She has performing in festivals across Europe, Australia, and The United States as a solo musician, collaborator and educator. Gillet has recorded for countless musicians throughout her career and has self published 14 albums of her own original music ranging from progressive jazz, electro folk rock bands and solo singer-songwriting albums. Her latest album is called "ReBelle" a Tribute to Belgian folk singer Julos Beaucarne and features a quintet of New Orleans musicians.