Maria Bjornson was a great theatre and opera designer of Romanian descent. Her mother, Mia Prodan, was part of an old Romanian family.

In a career of over thirty years Maria designed for theatre, opera and ballet all over the world, working for some of the most prestigious stages. In 1990 her fellow stage designers designated her ‘the Designer’s Designer’ for the London Observer. Maria’s greatest fame came with her glamorous and minutely researched sets and costumes for ‘The Phantom of the Opera’. In production for twenty years, it has played on stage to over 100 million people in 21 countries. She worked tirelessly, designing over 120 productions in a career which exceeded most of her contemporaries in scope and quality. To quote Cameron Mackintosh, ‘Everyone who worked with Maria fell under her spell and was amazed by her devotion and attention to detail’.

The Prodan Romanian Cultural Foundation (www.romanianculture.org) is a recently-formed charitable body endowed by the Estates of the late Mia Prodan and her daughter, the late Maria Bjornson.

Details on www.mariabjornson.com and www.maria-bjornson.info .