Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Hildegard, based on the life of the 12th-century German abbess Hildegard von Bingen, is the winner of the 2026 Award for Best New Opera conferred by the Music Critics Association of North America. The honor, which recognizes both musical and theatrical excellence, is given annually to an operatic world premiere presented in North America during the previous calendar year. Commissioned by Beth Morrison Projects and the Aspen Music Festival, Hildegard, directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer and conducted by Gabriel Crouch, had its world premiere Nov. 5, 2025, at the Annenberg Center in Beverly Hills and its East Coast premiere at the 2026 Prototype Festival in New York.
The opera was selected by the MCANA Awards Committee co-chaired by Heidi Waleson, opera critic of The Wall Street Journal, and George Loomis, longtime contributor to the Financial Times and Musical America. The committee is rounded out by MCANA president Arthur Kaptainis, contributor to Ludwig van Toronto and former music critic of the Montreal Gazette; John Rockwell, former critic and arts editor of The New York Times and a regular correspondent for Opera (UK) and Musical America; and Alex Ross, music critic of The New Yorker.
The Awards Committee stated: “This compelling work of historical fiction explores the life and mind of the 12th-century Benedictine abbess, visionary, and composer Hildegard von Bingen. Snider’s well-crafted libretto sets the action at a biographical turning point in 1147, when Hildegard’s transcribed visions were submitted to the pope, who would declare her to be either a prophet or a heretic. This complex heroine, who stands up to the power of the church and is disturbed by the nature of her feelings for a young novice, is captured in Snider’s distinctive, haunting music, which reaches its apogee in the brilliantly explosive visions. Remarkable timbral variety belies the small size of the accompanying ensemble, and throughout, the opera’s musical radiance illuminates Hildegard’s visceral connection with the divine.”
