Anke Helfrich, born on November 11, 1966, in Horb am Neckar, Germany, is a German jazz pianist and composer. She grew up in Windhoek, Namibia, and Weinheim, where she received her early piano training. Her breakthrough came with winning the Jugend jazzt competition in 1987. Following this, she studied at the University of Freiburg and later at the Amsterdam University of the Arts in Hilversum under Henk Elkerbout and Rob Madna. In 1996, Helfrich formed her first trio with Johannes Weidenmüller and Jochen Rückert. Her debut album You’ll See, featuring Mark Turner, was released in 2000. Subsequent albums include Stormproof (2009) and We'll Rise (2023). Her accolades include winning the European Jazz Competition in 1996, the ECHO Jazz for Instrumentalist of the Year (Piano/Keyboards) in 2016, and the Hessian Jazz Prize in 2017.
