+++
date = "2017-03-20T12:37:00+00:00"
discipline = "Soprano"
lastmod = "2017-03-20T20:46:00+00:00"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1573612721/media/2019/11/RachelWillisSorensen-SimonPauly_oxqp5v.jpg"
primary_image_credit = "Simon Pauly"
publishDate = "2017-03-20T12:37:00+00:00"
related_companies = ["scene/companies/bayerische-staatsoper.md", "scene/companies/opernhaus-zurich.md", "scene/companies/deutsche-oper-berlin.md", "scene/companies/san-francisco-opera.md", "scene/companies/the-metropolitan-opera.md", "scene/companies/lyric-opera-of-chicago.md", "scene/companies/royal-opera-house.md", "scene/companies/opernhaus-zurich.md", "scene/companies/houston-grand-opera.md", "scene/companies/semperoper-dresden.md"]
slug = "rachel-willis-sorensen"
title = "Rachel Willis-Sørensen"
website = "https://rachelwillis-sorensen.com/"
[[social_media]]
platform = "Facebook"
template = "social-media"
url = "https://www.facebook.com/RachelWillisSorensen/"
[[social_media]]
platform = "Twitter"
template = "social-media"
url = "https://twitter.com/RWSing"
[[social_media]]
platform = "Instagram"
template = "social-media"
url = "https://www.instagram.com/rachelwillissorensen/"

+++
American soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen is known for her diverse repertoire ranging from Mozart to Wagner. A regular guest at the leading opera houses around the world, she has been hailed as “visually stunning” with a “silvery colored voice raging and caressing with unfaltering strength.” 

Ms. Willis-Sørensen’s 2019/20 season begins with her role debut as Marguerite (_Faust_) as part of the Royal Opera House’s tour of Japan. This also marks her debut in Japan. Her season continues with a return to two of her most beloved roles, Marschallin (_Der Rosenkavalier_), at the Semperoper Dresden and Donna Anna (_Don Giovanni_) at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. 

Ms. Willis-Sørensen sings the role of Donna Anna a total of three times in her 2019/20 with performances – in addition to Chicago – at Opéra national de Bordeaux, and the Bayerische Staatsoper. Her performances in Bordeaux alternate with another Mozart heroine, Countess (_Le nozze di Figaro_). 

Additional role debuts this season include the title role in _Alcina_ at the Semperoper Dresden, and Valentine (_Les Huguenots_) at the Grand Théâtre Genève. In concert, she makes her French recital debut in Paris as part of the L’instant Lyrique recital series, and sings Beethoven’s Mass in C at the Semperoper Dresden.      

Previous engagements included Rusalka (_Rusalka_) at the San Francisco Opera, Marschallin (_Der Rosenkavalier_) at Glyndebourne and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Elsa (_Lohengrin_) at Deutsche Oper Berlin and Opernhaus Zurich, Countess (_Le nozze di Figaro_) at the Metropolitan Opera and the Wiener Staatsoper, Donna Anna (_Don Giovanni_) at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, Houston Grand Opera and Semperoper Dresden, Hélène (_Les Vêpres siciliennes_) at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Eva (_Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg_) at the San Francisco Opera and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Rosalinda in J. Strauss’s (_Die Fledermaus_) at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and Staatskapelle Dresden, Fiordiligi (_Cosi fan tutte_) at the Houston Grand Opera, Leonora (_Fidelio_) at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, and Leonora (_Il Trovatore_) at the Teatro Regio di Torino. 

Equally at home on the concert stage, she has performed Strauss’s _Four Last Songs_ multiple times, including notably at Buckingham Palace for an HRH Prince Charles birthday celebration. Other repertoire includes Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, and Mahler’s 8th and 2nd Symphonies, Dvorak’s _Stabat Mater_, and the Verdi _Requiem_. Rachel was a member of the ensemble at the Semperoper Dresden for three years, where she sang the title role in (_Die Lustige Witwe_), Fiordiligi (_Così fan tutte_), Vitellia (_La clemenza di Tito_), Elettra (_Idomeneo_), Diemut (_Feuersnot_), Rosalinde (_Die Fledermaus_) and Mimi (_La bohème_).

She won first prize at the 2014 Operalia competition in Los Angeles and at the 2011 Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition, and she was a winner of the 2010 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She holds both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Brigham Young University and is an alumna of the Houston Grand Opera Studio. An active presence on social media, she can be found on instagram, and facebook @rachewillissorensen and on twitter under @RWSing.