It feels like all my life! At home in Portugal, we always had a piano that my mum used to play for me. When I was about 5 years old, I started learning it formally and then I applied to enter a Music Conservatoire at the age of 6 where I studied music until I was 18 years old. During my high school years I discovered that I loved playing different types of music, but what I really loved the most was to compose my own music. So I pursued Music Composition for my Bachelor degree in London and after that I discovered other passions such as Politics and Social Sciences, which led me to do a Masters in European Studies. Having since worked in many different fields, it made me realise that you can have many passions in life, but piano is my true passion.
Meet Helena, Pianist and Care Champion. We sat down with Helena to discover more about her love of piano and life at Allianz Care.
When did your passion for piano begin?
Do you have a favourite song or genre of music to play?
This is a very hard question… I mostly like to play classical and film music, but I would love to learn how to play jazz music too. I think my favourite songs have to be...Rachmaninov’s Prelude in C sharp Minor, the love theme from Cinema Paradiso and the theme from Schindler’s list.
What’s your favourite memory of playing the piano?
So many memories... but there are two that really stand out.
The first being when I used to volunteer in a children’s refugees camp in Brussels called ‘Le Petit Château’. There was a piano in one of the rooms and one day some kids asked me to play, which I did, and suddenly two or three kids joined me at the piano. They were so excited and happy… I was amazed at the fact that these kids had almost nothing and how these little things made them happy. Definitely something I will never forget…
The other time was probably when I performed the ‘Prelude in C sharp minor’ at the university in London. Rachmaninov is known to be quite difficult to play, so I practiced for months to be able to perform this piece. So there I was, in front of the piano - my audience and I knew that I had worked months for that particular moment which lasts only a couple of minutes. When I finished, the feeling was almost indescribable, the sense of accomplishment that all of my hard work finally paid off.
We’ve seen music bring people together during the recent crisis and provide some much-needed joy. Do you play for friends or family?
In recent years I have begun to appreciate the act of playing an instrument as more of a meditative experience that allows me to reflect, relax and let my creativity flow. However, I really enjoy playing the piano with other people, especially with my brother that plays the violin. I look forward to the day when we can meet and play together again!
I’ve noticed many other positives during these strange times. People have started to appreciate more things in life that they have been taking for granted. Simple things like making more time for other people, to call them or to check up on them, as well as showing a great spirit of solidarity.
What is your role in Allianz Care?
Since August 2019 I have been working as a sales support for the Partnership and Affinity team in Paris and before that I used to work as a claims officer for IGOs in the Brussels branch. Luckily, the crisis hasn’t changed my work a lot. Of course, it is a very unfortunate situation, however luckily all my colleagues and I remain safe, and we are able to perform our work as usual from home. Allianz Care’s response was very encouraging, everything went very smoothly and employee safety was definitely established as a priority.
If you had to sum up your experience as part of Allianz Care in one word what would it be?
Exciting! Since joining Allianz Care I have learned so much, developed so many new skills, met so many wonderful people… I really am very grateful for the wonderful opportunities I have had so far in Brussels and Paris, and I am sure there will be plenty more to come! Allianz Care really values and promotes personal development and learning which makes me feel like I am contributing to a greater good.
Every month we introduce you to a new Allianz Care Champion. People are at the heart of what we do and we think it’s important to showcase the wonderful staff who are here every day to help our thousands of customers across the globe
