Maria Bjornson designed extensively for theatre, opera and ballet.

Musical theatre credits include The Phantom of the Opera (London, Broadway, and internationally); Aspects of Love (London and Broadway) and Follies (London).

She received numerous awards for her Phantom of the Opera designs, among them two Tony Awards, two Outer Critics' Circle Awards and two Drama Critics' Awards, all for Best Costume and Set.

In a career of thirty years she designed over 120 productions worldwide. In 1990 her fellow stage designers named her the "Designer's designer" for the London Observer.