Set for release on February 21st, MELZITA feels like an album made for listeners who enjoy slowing down and staying present with sound. It unfolds patiently, inviting attention rather than demanding it. The project centers on the music and language of Hildegard von Bingen, yet it never feels frozen in history. Instead, it moves gently between centuries, guided by curiosity and care.
Where Old Sound Meets Living Art
At the core of MELZITA is the long-standing friendship between mezzo-soprano Rocky Duval and Grammy-nominated producer Andrea Roberts. Having known each other since childhood, the two artists carried a shared desire to create something meaningful together. That wish eventually took shape as an album that could travel between medieval chant and contemporary sound without losing emotional clarity.
The album features seven tracks in total. Three are compositions by Hildegard von Bingen herself, while four are original works written by Duval using Hildegard’s secret language, Lingua Ignota. This balance gives the album a steady rhythm, allowing historical pieces and new compositions to sit comfortably side by side. Some tracks rely only on voice or violin, creating sustained tones that feel meditative and spacious. Others introduce subtle modern production elements that add texture without overwhelming the source material.
Andrea Roberts plays a central role throughout the project as arranger, producer, engineer, and keyboardist. Violinist Lily Lyons contributes expressive lines that feel organic and grounded, while mastering by Jett Galindo brings cohesion and warmth to the final sound. Each creative choice feels deliberate, leaving room for resonance and silence to carry meaning.
Reviving a Language Through Music
One of the most distinctive aspects of MELZITA is its use of Lingua Ignota, a constructed language created by Hildegard in the 12th century. While scholars have studied this language extensively, it has rarely been treated as a living artistic medium. Rocky Duval approached it with a sense of openness rather than academic distance.
Drawing from a vocabulary of nearly 1,100 words, Duval created four original poems. These texts explore spiritual imagery and the natural world, with titles such as Aieganz (Angels), O Liuionz (O Savior), Ziuienz (Crickets, Saints of the Fields), and Ispariz (Spirit). Each poem then became the foundation for a musical composition shaped by both medieval influence and modern expression.
One of the compositions closely reflects Hildegard’s musical style, offering a respectful echo of her approach. The remaining pieces lean toward contemporary choral and folk-inspired forms, allowing the language to feel expressive and immediate. Through this process, Lingua Ignota moves beyond historical curiosity and becomes something audible and emotionally resonant.
The album’s title, MELZITA, translates to “honey” in Lingua Ignota. It serves as a subtle reference to Hildegard’s work as a naturalist and healer. For the artists, it also became a guiding idea, encouraging softness, sweetness, and thoughtful intention throughout the creative process.
The Artist Behind the Voice
Rocky Duval brings extensive experience to MELZITA. Based in New York, she has been performing professionally since the age of eleven, appearing across opera, stage productions, concerts, television, and public speaking platforms. Her vocal focus lies in baroque and contemporary classical music, with performances alongside organizations such as The Metropolitan Opera Guild, The Glimmerglass Festival, Festival Bach Montreal, and The Seattle Symphony.
Her debut album Treacherous Fate received critical praise, and she won first prize at Japan’s Ise-Shima singing competition in 2022. Duval’s creative engagement with Hildegard extends beyond recording. Her original play Hildegard, Reborn premiered at Lincoln Center in 2024 to a sold-out audience, supported by the New York Public Library. For the production, she arranged Hildegard’s music and composed new works inspired by medieval texts.
Duval has performed internationally at venues including The Apollo Theatre, The High Line, Monestir Pedralbes in Barcelona, and theaters across Germany and Spain. Her voice has also appeared in commercial media, podcasts, and opera films. Alongside performance, she works as a public speaking coach and educator, teaching at institutions such as Cooper Union, Johns Hopkins University, and Juilliard. She continues her academic studies in medieval music at the University of Lleida in Spain.
Lasting Impressions
MELZITA feels thoughtful without feeling distant. It offers a quiet space where ancient music and modern creativity can exist together with ease. As its release date approaches, the album stands as a gentle reminder that history can still feel close when approached with care, patience, and genuine respect.
We had the privilege of interviewing the Music Artist. Here are excerpts from the interview:
Thank you so much for joining us today! Please introduce yourself and tell us what you do.
My name is Rocky Duval, and I am a professional singer working in New York City. I sing as a soloist specializing in music written before 1800, especially baroque and medieval music.
Please tell us about your story/journey.
Over the past 3 years, I have become a specialist in the music and works of St. Hildegard of Bingen, a 12th century nun and polymath who experienced ecstatic visions, wrote hundreds of songs, and even invented her own language! I wrote a play about her that premiered at Lincoln Center in NYC with sponsorship from the New York Public Library – Library for the Performing Arts. Since then, I have performed 4 other shows about Hildegard, and this album is my way of putting myself into her work in a clearer way.
What are the strategies that helped you become successful in your journey?
The success of this album is in huge part owed to my producer and engineer, Andrea Roberts. Andrea and I have been friends since we were 14, and she has worked on some major albums in LA (Like Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter!), and I asked if she wanted to make something really different from that! We recorded in LA in September 2024 and are so excited to finally be releasing this piece of work. We also have an entirely female team on this album, from artists to the mastering engineer, and even the cover art was a gorgeous creation by Em Frank, a NYC based visual artist. We didn’t worry about this piece taking too long – we took our time and just deeply enjoyed the process.
Any message for our readers
MELZITA means “honey” in Hildegard’s secret language – an homage to the sweetness of making art with good people for good people!
Thank you so much, Rocky, for giving us your precious time! We wish you all the best for your journey ahead!
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