Hildegard von Bingen

Vault Festival

February 2023

Creator & DirectorKristin Winters

Sound DesignerFlorence Hand

Composer & MusicianDavid Cieri

Movement DirectorGabrielle Moleta

DramaturgDr Katherine Hipkiss

Stage ManagerBeth Cotton

Lighting SupplierWhite Light

As a child, Hildegard Von Bingen began experiencing intense prophetic – and often apocalyptic – visions and communications with God. Suffering through chronic illness, she kept these hidden from those around her until her forties, fearing she would be branded a lunatic or, worse, a witch. This multigenerational female ensemble uses voice and movement in an physical opera to explore the span of a woman’s life, what it means to always live in fear, with wisdom, and if Hildegard ever felt truly free.

Lighting and sound is expertly mastered by Alex Forey and Florence Hand throughout the performance, in a way that gives light a voice, and gives sound a visual experience. The Reviews Hub
Alex Forey’s lighting and Florence Hand’s sound combine to highly atmospheric effect, particularly in characterising Hildegard’s visions, at once something otherworldly yet viscerally terrifying as a seizure too There Ought To Be Clowns
Gorgeous lighting and creative sound. The lighting is absolutely stunning. Broadway World
Hildegard Von Bingen is certainly ambitious, with exemplary sound and lighting design (by Florence Hand and Alex Forey). LouReviews

Photos by Alex Forey