HILDEGARD
BETH MORRISON PROJECTS

“A pillar-like screen hung at the center of the stage, and onto it Deborah Johnson projected animations that brought Hildegard’s visions to life… It’s all a bit Lilith Fair, and why not? After all, that is just one more descendant of the world Hildegard built, and a lineage that Snider’s opera has now joined.” — The New York Times
“With music and libretto created by Snider, paired with shimmering visual projection design created by Deborah Johnson, the mesmerizing production exquisitely captured the struggle of two gifted women who were determined to make their voices heard in a world that demanded their silence.” — ArtsBeat LA
“Deborah Johnson’s background projections in these scenes pay homage to existing illuminations of the saint’s visions, melding them with contemporary design and animation to create a new aesthetic whole.” — Parterre Box
“Wonderful artwork & projections by Deborah Johnson.” — BroadwayWorld

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Stage scene with five people dressed in historical or theatrical costumes, surrounded by a large circular frame and a backdrop project showing a glowing golden image of a woman, set against a dark background.

Two young women in historical costumes are on a stage, with one sitting on the floor and the other standing. The standing woman appears distressed, while the seated woman looks up at her. Behind them is a painting on an easel, depicting a glowing geo

Group of performers in costumes on stage with a dark background and a projection resembling a planet or galaxy overhead.

Performers on stage during a theatrical production, with a woman in a beige dress raising her arms, and a large circular backdrop projecting an abstract image.

The scene shows a theatrical performance with actors dressed in traditional costumes, performing a dance. The background features a large illuminated circular projection of a peace symbol with a yellow border and a blue interior with geometric patter

A person sleeping on a bed underneath a dark room with a digital projection of dancing figures on a wall behind. The projection appears as a vibrant, glowing scene with people dancing with arms raised, surrounded by colorful, abstract visuals.

A theatrical stage scene with a bed at the front, covered with a person, and a background projecting images of a tree with green and yellow lights and cast shadows of people in long dresses holding hands.

Stage performance with five actors dressed in period costumes, two women on the left, a woman in center, a man on the right, a large abstract projection in the background.

Stage scene with four women in period costumes inside a gold frame, backdrop of blue sky with fireworks projection, one woman dancing in front.

Theater scene with actors in costumes performing on stage with a blue and green digital backdrop.

Winner of the 2026 Music Critics Association of North America Award for Best New Opera, HILDEGARD is an opera by Sarah Kirkland Snider, directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer, produced by Beth Morrison Projects.

HILDEGARD draws on the life, love, and visions of Hildegard von Bingen, a 12th-century mystic and abbess, as she awaits papal approval of her writings.

Drawing from Hildegard’s manuscripts, I developed a hybrid visual language that moves between spline-based and hand drawing, volumetric capture, digital painting, and generative animation.

Performers and choreography are treated as source material—captured, translated, and reconstituted into medieval, spatial, time-based tableaux.

The work unfolds through a series of transformations: from drawing to iconography, body to particle, from manuscript to projection. These visual structures evolve in rehearsal with performers, shaping a dynamic relationship between image, movement, and sound as a responsive dramaturgical layer.

The volumetric capture technology was made possible with the support of the NYU Tandon Navy Yard and Evercoast.

Production Credits

Composer + Librettist:
Sarah Kirkland Snider

Directed by:
Elkhanah Pulitzer

Conducted by:
Gabriel Crouch

Artwork + Projection Design:
Deborah Johnson

Scenic Design:
Marsha Ginsberg

Lighting Design:
Pablo Santiago

Costume Design:
Molly Irelan

Sound Designer:
Drew Sensue-Weinstein

Video Associate:
Louise Lessél

Video Programmer:
Attilio Rigotti

Produced by:
Beth Morrison Projects

Year:
2025 - Present

Hildegard in Process

Modern Medieval Research

The visual language for Hildegard developed through a series of transformations between drawing, manuscript imagery, volumetric capture, digital painting, spline systems, and performance. Performers and choreography became source material—captured, translated, and reconstituted as spatial, time-based images.

Reimagining Scivias through Richardis’ Hand

Drawing became the starting point for a visual language rooted in Hildegard’s manuscripts, moving between hand drawing, digital painting, and spline-based studies through the lens and perspective of her interpreter and lover, Richardis. The drawings were printed, treated, and incorporated into the scenic design and inrcorporated throughout the vision-based projections.

Volumetric Capture Choreography

Performers and choreography became source material for the visual language of Hildegard, captured and reconstituted through volumetric imaging. Bodies were translated into spatial, time-based tableaux, moving between physical performance and projected form as part of the opera’s evolving visual dramaturgy.

Volumetric Capture made possible through a collaboration with NYU Tandon @ The Navy Yard and Evercoast