In 2025, Joa Helgesson made his house debut with the Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater in Schwerin as Harvey in Smyth’s Strandrecht (The Wreckers). Further appearances include Sparck in Offenbach’s Fantasio at Läckö Slott, Far in Dominique’s Döttrarna mina at Dala-Floda Operafest, and a special Opera Bestia commission for the BMX Conference in Berlin.
Swedish baritone Joa Helgesson grew up in Blackeberg, Stockholm. He went to choir school as a boy, formed his first death metal-band at the age of 12, went on to sing and play bass in several bands and compose music at the Rytmus high school. A composition collaboration with schools from New York and Shanghai under the tutorship and baton of Quincy Jones brought him to China. He studied acting at the Shanghai Theatre Academy in China, started his classical vocal training at the chamber music programme of MDH/Sweden, and finished his studies at the University College of Opera in Stockholm.
Joa Helgesson made his international debut while still in college, as a winner of the Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg singing competition, in the role of Belcore in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore. As a promising young singer, Joa Helgesson was then accepted at the National Opera Studio in London and subsequently at the Opera Studio of Opernhaus Zürich where he worked under conductors Bernard Haitink, Zubin Mehta, Nello Santi, and Ingo Metzmacher.
Between 2012 and 2015, Joa Helgesson was the house baritone of Landestheater Schleswig-Holstein, where he sang parts like Onegin, Figaro in Barbiere di Siviglia, Sharpless, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Dr. Falke, Schaunard, Sparbüchsen-Bill and more. Since 2015, Joa Helgesson works as a freelance singer, with appearences at Berliner Philharmonie, Beijing Modern Music Festival, Tonhalle Zürich, Reykjavik Arts Festival, Ultima Oslo, Gare du Nord Basel, Oper Halle, Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater Schwerin, Theater Trier, Theater Chur, Cadogan Hall in London, The Royal Opera in Stockholm, Göteborgsoperan, Folkoperan in Stockholm, Norrlandsoperan and Malmö Opera.
Of his around 50 different parts on stage, notable interpretations include Posa, Kurwenal and Don Alfonso (Folkoperan in Stockholm), Don Giovanni (Norrlandsoperan), Billy Budd, The Phantom of the Opera and Frollo (Gothenburg), Escamillo and Marcello (Dala-Floda Operafest), Barak (Neuköllner Oper) and Alfio (Ystadoperan). On CD, Joa Helgesson can be heard as Königssohn/Müller/Siegfried Wagner in Siegfried Wagner’s An allem ist Hütchen Schuld! recorded live in Bayreuth 2019. He has also created the roles of Sir Archie in Nordahl’s Herr Arnes penningar, The Samurai in Osada’s Four Nights of Dream, Joel in Kotzev’s eponymous opera, Ion in Ullén’s Kärleksmaskinen and Överste Grundt in Hjort’s Djävulsdansen i Skarpans.
On the concert stage, Joa Helgesson has sung Britten’s War Requiem, and Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (with the Schleswig Holsteinisches Symphonieorchester), Orff’s Carmina Burana (with Söderjyllands Symphony Orchestra, and at the Berliner Philharmonie), Saariaho’s Sombre, Bjarnason’s Larkin songs, and Rhim’s Der Maler träumt (at the Beijing Modern Music Festival), Larsson’s Förklädd Gud (at Berwaldhallen in Stockholm), Rangström’s ur Kung Eriks Visor (at Opernhaus Zürich), Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (at the Berliner Philharmonie), Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium (at the Berliner Philharmonie), Matthäuspassion, and Johannespassion, Brahm’s Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem, Händel’s The Messiah, and Pärt’s Passio.
Joa Helgesson is also active as a permformance artist, mixing opera and performative art. Under the moniker Opera Bestia he brings unconventional shows on stage. His performances have been shown at Halland Opera and Vocal Festival, Wasteland Summerfest in Amsterdam, Borderland in Denmark, Malzfabrik, KitKatClub, ORWOhaus, Griessmuehle, SchwuZ, Ballhaus Mitte and The Maze i Berlin.