Ecstasy of the Virtues

Blending singing, live instruments, electronic sounds, dance, light, water, scent and taste, this very modern opera creates a secular devotional space, in which audience and performers embark on a shared pilgrimage of self-love and transformation.

Award-winning composer, director and librettist Nwando Ebizie reimagines Hildegard’s 1151 mystery play Ordo Virtutum through her lens as a neurodivergent Afrofabulist, drawing on influences as diverse as West African and Caribbean ceremonial music, medieval mystery plays, Downtown New York minimalism and Toni Morrison’s Beloved to create a total artwork where every element serves a transportive, multisensory experience.

Ecstasy of the Virtues radically updates Hildegard’s allegorical Virtues – following the Soul’s journey to heaven – for the 21st century. The Devil, rather than a flattened Christian caricature of “evil”, becomes the trickster spirit Self-Loathing, exploring how the things which are pushed into the shadows can end up dominating us, and what is possible when feared and reviled parts of ourselves are brought into the light.

Nwando directs an exceptional creative team and cast of 12 performers, from opera, contemporary dance, theatrical BSL, experimental music, jazz and gospel, to lead the audience on a journey from intimacy to ecstasy, in a ritual of transformative feminine power.

Ecstasy of the Virtues premieres at Stone Nest, an iconic former Welsh chapel in the heart of London’s West End, followed by performances at Howard Assembly Room, Leeds and Barrow Town Hall. The production will respond to the distinctive architecture of each venue to stage a mesmerising and inclusive experience for audiences. As a disabled-led production, creative accessibility, theatrical signing, creative captions and a relaxed feel have been embedded into the piece since its gestation.

Commissioned and produced by Mahogany Opera.

In partnership with: Stone Nest, Opera North and Full of Noises.

Supported by: Arts Council England, Jerwood Foundation, Hinrichsen Foundation, PRS Foundation and Cockayne Grants for the Arts, a Donor Advised Fund, held at The Prism Charitable Trust.