Co-commissioned by Beth Morrison Projects and the Aspen Music Festival and School, Snider’s first opera, Hildegard, recently premiered with the L.A. Opera garnering rave reviews with The New York Times calling it “gorgeously mesmerizing.”

This operatic historical fiction is set in 1147 and centers around the twelfth-century German Benedictine abbess/polymath St. Hildegard von Bingen. For eight years, Snider extensively researched Hildegard's life and work, as well as Benedictine monastic culture and the broader socio-political history of Hildegard’s time.

Snider says, “I have chronic migraines, and first learned about Hildegard von Bingen through reading Oliver Sacks’s book Migraine, in which Sacks popularized a theory suggesting that Hildegard’s visions were a result of migraine. I immediately wanted to know more. Thus began a 25-year fascination with Hildegard – her music, visions, and astonishing   story…I hope that my treatment of her story will resonate with anyone who has chafed against power structures or societal norms in pursuit of living their authentic truth.”

Discover an inspiring new work performed by the talented singers of the Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS program!