Marlijn Helder started to compose and play the piano at the age of 8. From the age of 11, she continued her studies at the conservatories of The Hague, Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Her composition professors were Roderik de Man, Klaas de Vries and Theo Loevendie, amongst others. Besides piano, she also studied double bass, violoncello, and classical voice.

In March 2012, Universal Edition Vienna announced the publication of Helder’s orchestration of Mahler’s Piano Quartet, commissioned by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. It was premiered in May 2013 by the RPhO and James Gaffigan. The Asian premiere was held in November 2014 with the Seoul Philharmonic and Mark Wigglesworth.

Her works range from solo to chamber music and large orchestra scores. Since the success of the Mahler orchestration, Helder is more often commissioned by orchestras and ensembles such as the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France to create arrangements and orchestrations of famous classical pieces. Helder has worked in theatre for more than 10 years now and has written music for productions in Holland, Germany, Singapore and China. Her works are performed in cities around the world on a regular basis. In 2010 her first opera premiered in Taiwan.

Helder has won several national and international prizes, both as a pianist as well as a composer, amongst others the Princess Christina Composition Competition, The International Charles Hennen Chamber Music Competition and the International Spring Orchestra Festival Composition Competition.