She was born in Germany, on 01/03/1904. At the age of twenty she became the younger ballet director of her country. In 1932 she collaborated for the first time with the Ballet of the Hamburg State Opera (Hamburgische Staatsoper). In 1938 she moved to Italy and made a career as a dancer. During 1941-43 she worked as ballet director at the Vienna State Opera. She was the second wife of the German conductor Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt (1900-1973) whom she had met at the Hamburg State Opera when he was the Opera’s conductor and she was the director of the Opera’s ballet. In 1943, her husband was appointed director of the Berlin State Opera and the family moved to the german capital. The war left them homeless and forced them to leave Berlin and escape to Russia. In 1946, right after the war and upon an invitation by the allied authorities, she returned to Hamburg and overtook the revival of the State Opera Ballet. Respectively, her husband who had refused to join the Nazi party, was appointed anew conductor of the Opera. During the postwar period, from 1946-48 and 1951-55 Helga Schmidt – Isserstedt worked for the Opera as a choreographer and dance instructor. Between 1932-1955 she produced a total of forty three choreographies for the Opera’s Ballet. In 1955 she choreographed the american-german film production of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice [L’ apprenti sorcier] composed by Paul Dukas. The dancers were from the Hamburg State Opera Ballet. Thanks to her, the Hamburg State Opera Ballet became a center for contemporary dance. She died in 1999. She worked for the GNO once, as a choreographer of the opera The Bartered wife [Prodana nevesta ](1950-51, 1951/52, 1952/53).