Was born in Norway. Her peers as Britain’s most inspired set and costume designer for theatre, opera, and ballet regarded her. She has died unexpectedly in her bath at the age of 53, early in the morning of Friday the 13th of December, having always had a deep superstitious dread of the number 13. Her most famous design was for the West End and Broadway productions of The Phantom of the Opera. Maria Bjornson’s life was one of intense creative fulfillment, but also a story of love and tragedy worthy of one of the operas she had designed.