Helen Belangie began studying the cello at the age of eleven. Born into a musical family, she quickly took to the instrument. From an early age, Helen's maternal grandfather and mother instilled in her a deep passion for music. Her grandfather, a band director who played all of the woodwind and brass instruments, taught her mother oboe. Later, Helen's mother studied voice at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria.

After four years of studying with Christine Ranf Sopko and Fern Glass Boyd, Ms. Belangie was awarded a Governor's Scholarship to study at Interlochen Arts Camp where she spent her summer performing in the World Youth Symphony Orchestra. The following summer she received another full scholarship to study with Hans Jensen at the Idyllwild Summer Music Festival after bassist Jeff Bradetich heard her perform Schubert's cello quintet earlier that season. Following, she spent the academic year at the Interlochen Arts Academy and then relocated to the San Francisco Conservatory where she earned her Bachelor of Music degree.

While at the Conservatory, Ms. Belangie was awarded first prize in the Strings' Concerto Competition, performing with the conservatory orchestra later that year. Other awards include second prize in the Shenson Young Artist Competition and second prize in the Missoula Symphony Orchestra's Young Artist Competition. She has been a soloist with the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra as well as the San Francisco Classical Philharmonic. Ms. Belangie has taken part in several music festivals including the Aspen Music Festival (where she was awarded a fellowship), Zephyr Music Festival in Italy, the Banff Institute and the highly regarded International Musicians' Seminar in Prussia Cove, England where she was invited to return the following fall to take part in the September Chamber Music Sessions.

As a student Ms. Belangie took part in several master classes with many esteemed cellists, some of whom include Steven Isserlis, Lynn Harrell, Bonnie Hampton from the Juilliard School, Larry Lesser from the New England Conservatory, Norman Fischer from Rice University and Aldo Parisot from the Juilliard School and Yale. Her principal teachers have been Jennifer Culp, Irene Sharp, Jean-Michel Fonteneau and Alan Harris.

She has worked with several orchestras in the Bay area. She was a contracted member of the Monterey, Napa Valley, Santa Cruz and Fresno Symphony orchestras. Other performance opportunities include a performance at the Grammy's and an invitation to tour Japan with the Percy Faith Orchestra.

Currently Ms. Belangie devotes her time to teaching and playing chamber music.