MELZITA is a new take on Hildegard von Bingen’s music and her secret language, Lingua Ignota, by award winning mezzo-soprano Rocky Duval and GRAMMY® nominated engineer/producer Andrea Roberts. The album has seven tracks, three of which are Hildegard’s compositions, four of which are Rocky Duval’s compositions written in Hildegard’s secret 12th Century language.
The title, MELZITA means “honey” in Lingua Ignota. An homage to Hilegard’s work as a naturalist healer, and a reminder to the artists to choose softness and sweetness in every choice on the album.
Bios
Rocky Duval is a New York based singer, performance poet, and writer specializing in baroque and contemporary classical music. She has performed with The Metropolitan Opera Guild, The Glimmerglass Festival, and The Seattle Symphony, and her debut album of baroque arias, Treacherous Fate, earned first prize at Japan’s Ise-Shima singing competition in 2022. She is also the composer behind Hildegard, Reborn, a sold-out Lincoln Center production celebrating St. Hildegard von Bingen.
Andrea Roberts is a producer, mixer, and audio engineer whose credits include Beyoncé’s Grammy-winning albums Renaissance and Cowboy Carter. A former jazz pianist turned engineer, she got her start at NRG Recording in Los Angeles before building a freelance career across hip hop, classical, and film. She’s currently producing keyboards on MELZITA, an album collaboration with Rocky Duval blending the music of 12th century composer Hildegard von Bingen with new original work.