Helgi Sallo

EDUCATION AND WORK
Helgi Sallo graduated from ESSR Theatre Union’s Drama Studio in 1965 and continued studying singing at Tallinn Conservatoire (1967–69). She was a soloist with the Estonian National Opera in 1964–97 and since 1997, she is a consultant on acting. She debuted as a pop singer in 1967 within the TV-series “Horoscope”, was the winner of the variety singing contest in 1968 (V. Ojakäär’s “Non-existent Song”) and in 1969 (E. Tamberg’s “Repeating Your Name”), in 1970 (with H. Lääts; V. Ignatiev’s “A Train Ride”) and in 1971 (V. Ignatiev’s “I Turned 16 Today”) and in the same year she won the overall first prize among female singers. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND RECORDINGS
Helgi Sallo is a prolific recording artist, her legacy is preserved in the archives of Estonian Radio, as well as on LPs (“Helgi Sallo”, Melodia, 1987), compilations and solo CDs, such as “Songs from Operettas and Musicals. Helgi Sallo” (Forte, 1997) and “Helgi Sallo. The Best 46 Songs” (Hitivabrik, 2006), “Pooh!” (1997) and “Estonian National Opera 100” (ERP, 2006) among others. There are numerous TV-shows of Helgi Sallo, such as “Helgi! Helgi Sallo Sings” (1983), “Theatre Treasury. Helgi Sallo and Sulev Nõmmik at the Studio” (1987), “I Need a Stage Director. Helgi Sallo” (1991), “Here and Now. Helgi Sallo” (2001), “Sounds Familiar. Helgi Sallo” (2005, all aired on ETV), video recording from the musical “Bumpy” by Olav Ehala (Digibox, 2003). Operetta and musical recordings for ETV, including Kálmán’s “Gräfin Mariza” (1991), Porter’s “Kiss Me, Kate” (1992), Bock’s “Fiddler on the Roof” (1990), Raadi’s “Pooh” (1995), Herman’s “Hello, Dolly!” (1996). She has won the Annual Estonian SSR Theatre Awards in 1976, 1981, 1983 and 1986, the Georg Ots Prize in 1983, Harjumaa County’s Actor Prize in 1995 and the Great Bear Award in 1996.

REPERTOIRE
Helgi Sallo has created many beloved roles in musicals, drama performances and operas. 

Maria (Bernstein’s “West Side Story”)
Loe Lane/Bianca (Porter’s “Kiss me, Kate”)
Pippi (Vinter’s/Raudmäe’s “Pippi Longstocking”)
Aldonza/Dulcinea (Leigh’s “Man of La Mancha”)
Zerlina (Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”)
Musetta (Puccini’s “La bohème”)
Irina Nikitina/Vera Shatrova (“Two Days of Spring” to the music of Dunayevsky)
Fran Kubelik (Bacharach’s “Promises, Promises…”)
Ännchen (Weber’s “Der Freischütz”)
Mrs. Pfeil and Mrs. Krone (Mozart’s “Der Schauspieldirektor”)
Mařenka (Smetana’s “The Bartered Bride”)
Sally and Miss Schneider (Kander’s “Cabaret”)
Mary Poppins (Sherman’s “Mary Poppins”)
Golde (Bock’s “Fiddler on the Roof”)
Mariza (Kálmán’s “Gräfin Mariza”)
Papagena (Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte”)
Hanna Glavary (Lehár’s “Die lustige Witwe”)
Dolly (Herman’s “Hello, Dolly!”)
Sweet Sue (Styne’’s “Sugar”)
Maria Tschöll (Shubert’s/Berte’s “Das Drei Mädelhaus”)

Helgi Sallo has performed as a pop singer and a chamber singer both in Estonia and abroad, played in drama productions, TV-shows (“A Provincial Lady”, 1971; “Romulus the Great”, 1988), in movies (“A Theatre Night”, 1971; “Helgi Sallo in Operettas and Musicals”, 1971; “Jõmm”, 1975; “You Are My Lighting House”, 1976, all by ETF) and since 1993 she stars in a beloved TV-series “Lucky 13”.