Draft:Erhard Rom

Erhard Rom is an American scenic designer, best known for his extensive work in opera. Rom’s designs have been featured by leading opera companies worldwide, including San Francisco Opera, the Royal Swedish Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Wexford Festival Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, and many others

Life and Career

Born in Seattle, Washington, Erhard became enamored with opera at the age of eight, after seeing his first live performance. At home, he constructed a makeshift stage from boxes and crafted paper figures to recreate what he had seen. Over time, his productions grew more elaborate, culminating in a custom-built scale model of the Seattle Opera House with dimmable stage lighting and working battens for moving scenery. By 13, Erhard was staging live performances using painted, costumed plaster figures operated by sticks and accompanied by a recording of the opera. Rom went on to study music and design in college, earning an undergraduate degree in music from the University of Washington and an M.F.A. in scenic design from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. After graduating, he worked extensively with regional theatre and opera companies, devoting most of his career to opera, including 14 world premieres. Rom has collaborated with many of the world’s leading directors, creating hundreds of settings for professional opera and theater productions across the US and internationally.

Style

His designs are characterized by large, abstract architectural forms combined with the use of technology—particularly digital projection—to create dynamic, fluid stage environments. Rom’s work is celebrated for its poetic power and emotional depth, crafting visually compelling spaces that amplify the dramatic narrative. A notable example is the Atlanta Opera’s production of Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung, in which Rom employed a massive LED wall in conjunction with scrims and string curtains. This sophisticated use of cutting-edge LED technology created an immersive visual experience, seamlessly integrating physical scenery with digital imagery to reinforce both the text and subtext of the story. “Projections are used not to replace scenery, rather to help penetrate and illuminate the inner psyche” “The stage becomes no longer representational, but a theater of the mind” - Mark Gresham, EEarRelevant

Awards and Honors

Rom was named a finalist for Designer of the Year at the International Opera Awards in London in both 2025 and 2015. His work has been exhibited at the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space and at the National Opera Center in Manhattan.

In 2014, he designed the European premiere of Kevin Puts’s opera Silent Night, a production that received two honors at the 2015 Irish Times Theatre Awards, including Best Opera Production of 2014 and the Audience Choice Award.

Teaching

Rom is a full professor of design in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Montclair State University. Work (selected)

Work (selected)

The Marriage of Figaro (San Francisco Opera) - 2019

Cosi fan Tutte (Lyric Opera of Chicago) – 2026

Fidelio (Washington National Opera) – 2024

Elektra (Washington National Opera) - 2022

Susannah (San Francisco Opera) -2014

Nixon in China (Royal Swedish Opera) - 2016

Der Ring des Nibelungen (Atlanta Opera/ Dallas Opera)

The Shining (Minnesota Opera) - world premiere - 2016

Silent Night (Wexford Festival Opera) European premiere - 2014