Obituary: Pianist Helgamaria Hellmich has died (aged 103)
Helgamaria Hellmich
12.11.1922 in Erfurt – 06.04.2026 in Berlin
Helgamaria Hellmich was one of the founding figures of the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin and began teaching as early as 1952, during the formative years of the German Academy of Music in Berlin, first as an assistant and later as a lecturer in piano. For over 50 years, in her role as a piano accompanist and later as a part-time piano teacher, she supported the training of string and conducting classes at the Eisler School as well as at the Special School of Music, which later became the Bach Gymnasium. After her official retirement in 1983, she continued teaching without interruption and took on regular teaching assignments, primarily for the conducting classes, until 2003.
She had completed her studies at the University of Music in Weimar in the late 1940s and subsequently taught there before moving on to Berlin. In Weimar, she met her husband, the actor Prof. Heinz Hellmich, who had been teaching at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin since 1962. Even in her old age, Helgamaria Hellmich played her Steinway grand piano every day and lived in Pankow, where she climbed the 73 steps to her flat every day – without a lift.
Helgamaria Hellmich passed away in April at the age of 103. Generations of students at our school will remember her as a warm-hearted, deeply appreciative and outstanding teacher, who also dedicated decades of her life to promoting early talent development within the music education sector. The school honours Helgamaria Hellmich with deep gratitude for her lifetime achievements in the arts and education.
Berlin, June 2026