Helen Kashap is a Canadian-American actress and classical pianist based in New York City.
The child of two professional musicians, Kashap began her theater studies at the age of five. Showing an early aptitude for the stage, Kashap was cast in her first professional theater production two years later. Kashap garnered early critical acclaim in the role of ‘Tootie’ in Gateway Theater’s production of Meet Me in St. Louis, for which director Dennis Beerling told a newspaper, “The One who’s going to steal the show is my ten year old, Tootie” (Saskatoon Star Phoenix, 1998).
Kashap trained at the Persephone Theatre School in Canada and pursued competitive gymnastics, classical piano, and dance alongside her theatrical training. Spending her summers studying at the Interlochen Arts Camp, Kashap garnered several prizes and scholarships in music and theater, including the 'Rising Talent' and 'Outstanding Achievement in Piano' awards from the Interlochen Arts Festival, First Prize in the Canadian Kinsmen Piano Competition, and top prizes at the Canadian Music Competition, the Saskatchewan Provincial Music Festival, and the International Interlochen Arts Festival Concerto Competition.
In 2005, Kashap moved to the United States to study full-time at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, where she graduated with High Honors and a specialization in Piano Performance.
Kashap then spent the next ten years developing and cultivating a successful career as a classical concert pianist. At McGill University's Schulich School of Music in Montreal, Quebec, Kashap was awarded the highest academic and music honor, the 'Schulich Scholarship'. While pursuing her studies at McGill, Kashap embarked on a professional performing career, making her orchestral debut with the Saskatoon Symphony in 2011 alongside her parents in the violin section. Graduating early from the Schulich School that year, Kashap continued to perform as a soloist with Canadian orchestras, held an arts residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts, and recorded her first album under sponsorship from FACTOR Canada.
In 2012, Kashap was awarded the top prize from the Canada Council for the Arts, a Major award given annually to a select number of Canada's most promising emerging artists. This prompted Kashap to return to the United States and complete her Master's Degree in 2014 at the Cleveland Institute of Music, one of the leading classical music institutions in the world.
Upon graduating, Kashap moved to New York City to re-immerse herself in the world of acting via a year-long theater intensive at the HB Studio in Greenwhich Village. To further develop her craft, Kashap subsequently continued her training at the Stella Adler Conservatory, The William Esper Studio, the Penny Templeton Studio, the Terry Schreiber Studio, Upright Citizens Brigade, and with private Alexander and Fitzmaurice vocal technique coaches in New York City. Kashap continues to hone her craft and immerse herself in the study of theater.
Currently living in New York City and Canada, Kashap is pursuing the acting experience on stage, film and television. Kashap is also on the Faculty of Music at the 92nd Street Y and maintains a robust private piano studio in Manhattan.
