Introduction
Barbara Christina Elisabeth Helsingius-Koski (née Helsingius; 27 September 1937 – 9 March 2017) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish singer, poet, and Olympic fencer.
Career
She participated at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Trained as a gym teacher, she took her masters in pedagogy at Stanford University (1963). Interested in American art and folk music, she began to record, and her first release, Barbara (1966), was a collection of American folk songs, translated to Finnish.
She became well-known internationally, and was a member of Visens venner in Norway, of Visans Vänner in Helsinki, and Yrkestrubadurernas Förening in Sweden, part of the Svenska Visakademien (1999; its only Finn), and the joint Nordic cultural organisation NordVisa. From 1968–1975, she lived in Oslo with her husband, Henry William “Hank” Koski, a diplomat at the U.S. embassy. She was the mother of two daughters. Her family lives in Espoo.
Death
Helsingius-Koski died following a long illness on 9 March 2017. She was 79 years old.
Prizes
- Hambestipendiet, Sweden (1989)
- Norsk-finsk kulturpris (1993)
- Nils Ferlin-prisen, (Sweden; 1994)
- Trubadurprisen (1994)
- NordVisa-statuetten ("Liv"; 1995)
- Pro Cultura, Espoo, Finland (1995)
Books
- Vill du visor min vän?
- Kanske en visa" (Schildts)
- dikt av Eino Leino, collection
- Songs Finland Sings, Warner/Chappel Music Finland (2000)
Discography
- Barbara (1966; American folk songs in Finnish)
- Det var en gång (1977; own songs)
- Olipa kerran (1978; Finnish version of the above)
- Speiling (1981; Finnish songs in Norwegian)
- Barbaras blandade (1981; own songs)
- Kahlaajatyttö (1982; musical settings of the Finnish poets Aale Tynni and Aila Meriluoto)
- Fra Barbara med kjærlighet (1982; Finnish songs in Norwegian)
- Reflection. Songs from Finland (1984; Finnish songs in English)
- Drøm og bekjennelse (1986; her own and Finnish songs in Norwegian)
- Spegling (1986; Finnish-Swedish songs)
- Rakkaudella (1986; Finnish version of above)
- Tuulen niityillä (1992; Nordic songs in Finnish)
- Sånt är vårt liv (1996; own and Finnish songs in Swedish)
- Songs Finland Sings (2002; double CD of Finnish poems and songs, classics and songs which she translated to English. Contains 30 artists, including the Serena choir)