Sarah Kirkland Snider’s First Opera HILDEGARD Continues Rolling World Premiere At Prototype

Composer Sarah Kirkland Snider’s first opera, HILDEGARD, will continue its rolling world premiere in New York City as part of the PROTOTYPE Festival, with performances at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College. The opera, for which Snider also wrote the libretto, is presented by Beth Morrison Projects and follows a previous capacity run presented by Los Angeles Opera.

Co-commissioned by Beth Morrison Projects and the Aspen Music Festival and School, HILDEGARD is a work of operatic historical fiction centered on the twelfth-century Benedictine abbess, mystic, and polymath Hildegard von Bingen. Set in 1147, the opera follows Hildegard as she records visions believed to be divinely inspired while awaiting Papal judgment that could determine whether she is recognized as a prophet or condemned as a heretic. During this process, she forms a close creative partnership with the young nun Richardis von Stade, as both women confront institutional power, authorship, and personal truth.

The New York performances follow a Los Angeles premiere that drew critical attention. The Los Angeles Times described the work as “[a] rapture…an ecstasy more overpowering than Godly visions,” while The New York Times called it “a marvel of abundant grace, a work of unforced, almost overwhelming resonance.” Additional praise came from Classical Voice of North America, Seen and Heard International, and Arts Beat LA.

Snider spent eight years researching Hildegard’s life, writings, and historical context, including visits to Eibingen Abbey and the ruins of Disibodenberg Monastery, and consultation with scholar Barbara Newman. She elected to write the libretto herself in order to develop text and music simultaneously. “Opera is an art form that excites me most when it deals with complex, layered emotions,” Snider said. “I wanted to explore not only the struggle for intellectual and artistic expression in an oppressive environment, but also what happens when the human desire for connection comes into conflict with socially conditioned notions of right and wrong.”

Beth Morrison serves as creative producer, with Beth Morrison Projects producing. The production is directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer with music direction by Gabriel Crouch and features Nola Richardson as Hildegard von Bingen and Mikaela Bennett as Richardis von Stade, alongside Raha Mirzadegan, Blythe Gaissert, Roy Hage, Patrick Bessenbacher, David Adam Moore, Paul Chwe MinChul An, and Chloë Engle, with NOVUS. The creative team includes Marsha Ginsberg (scenic design), Molly Irelan (costume design), Pablo Santiago (lighting design), Deborah Johnson (projection design), Drew Sensue-Weinstein (sound design), Annie Jin Wang (dramaturgy), Laurel Jenkins (movement), and Louise Lessél (video associate).

“The piece is a blend of influences inspired by Medieval religious paintings and iconography, and Hildegard’s own artwork put through a filter of minimalist, modern design,” Pulitzer said. “The veil between what is real and what lies in the realm of mystery and metaphor is also celebrated in the work.”

HILDEGARD