The Never Withering Rose

The Never Withering Rose is a multilingual choral-cello-dance work based on the visions, letters and poems of holy women from different centuries. The voices of Hildegard von Bingen, Saint Bridget, Catherine of Siena, Teresa de Àvila, Joan of Arc, Julian of Norwich and Thérèse de Lisieux are heard, as well as the controversial, self-proclaimed prophetess Vassula Rydén and the multi-award-winning Finnish-Swedish poet Eva-Stina Byggmästar (b. 1967).

The texts were compiled and the music composed by Johanna Almark, whose monologue opera Orlando captivated both the audience and the press at the Helsinki Opera Summer 2023.

The Never Withering Rose takes its name from the final words of Byggmästar’s poem “… you who are the rose that never fades”. The rose, as a symbol of love and holiness, of the holy woman, runs through the work as a (rose) red thread.

The performance includes elements that involve the audience.

“It is about observing boundless love, sensing the presence of the sacred” (Eva-Stina Byggmästar)