RachelWillis-Sørensen

Press

• Bellini | Norma

  Staatsoper Berlin

  Apr 2025

  • A robust middle and low register and the necessary ease in coloratura cemented Willis-Sørensen’s portrayal of a scared but resolute Norma.

    • Elena Luporini, Bachtrack
    • 14 April 2025

  • Rachel Willis-Sørensen singt in Berlin ihre erste Norma. Sie hat den vorgeschriebenen Stimmumfang dafür, ohne Bruch zwischen den einzelnen Registern. In der berühmten Arie “Casta Diva” singt sie die langen Phrasen mit weicher Stimme und gutem Legato. Als betrogene Ehefrau lässt sie mit Momenten mit imposantem Stimmvolumen und gut kontrollierter Höhe aufhorchen. - Rachel Willis- Sørensen sings her first Norma in Berlin. She has the required vocal range for it, with no breaks between the individual registers. In the famous aria "Casta Diva," she sings the long phrases with a soft voice and good legato. As the betrayed wife, she impresses with moments of impressive vocal volume and well-controlled high notes.

    • Jean-Nico Schambourg, klassik begeistert
    • 17 April 2025

  • die Sängerin optisch wie akustisch zu behaupten, ragt aus der Schar der erzwungen mausgrauen Mitpriesterinnen schon einmal optisch heraus und gefällt auch vokal nach einer anständigen Casta Diva, allerdings die unendliche Melodie recht häufig durch Atmen unterbrechend und um die Höhe kämpfend. In den Duetten mit Adalgisa und schließlich auch mit Pollione gewinnt der Sopran zunehmend an Rundung, werden von beiden Sängerinnen Rubati und Schwelltöne eingesetzt, ist die Phrasierung großzügig und wird endlich das zunächst verhalten reagierende Publikum feuriger. Das Debüt von Willis-Sôrensen kann als gelungen bezeichnet werden. - the singer knows how to assert herself both visually and acoustically, standing out visually from the crowd of forced mousy fellow priestesses and also pleasing vocally after a decent casta diva, albeit frequently interrupting the endless melody by breathing and struggling for height. In the duets with Adalgisa and finally also with Pollione, the soprano becomes increasingly rounded, rubati and swells are used by both singers, the phrasing is generous and the initially restrained audience finally becomes more fiery. Willis-Sôrensen's debut can be described as a success.

    • Ingrid Wanja, Der Opern Freund
    • 13 April 2025

• Verdi | Il trovatore - Leonora

  Royal Ballet and Opera, Covent Garden

  Feb 2025 - Mar 2025

  • Rachel Willis-Sørensen has a rich, ample soprano well suited to the lovely role of Leonora, which she sang with taste and control.

    • Martin Kettle, The Guardian
    • 27 February 2025

  • it is Rachel Willis-Sørensen’s Leonora that steals the show: a gorgeous sound with a beautiful timbre, her voice is one that is not to be trifled with. She masters all her numbers perfectly, leaving her with resounding applause after the conclusion.

    • Michael Higgs, Broadway World
    • 27 February 2025

  • rich-toned and assured in negotiating the taxing range, vocally and emotionally

    • Fiona Maddocks, The Guardian
    • 01 March 2025

  • Willis-Sørensen sang with radiant fervour and her delivery of “D'amor sull'ali rosee” had intensity to spare. There was magic in the air whenever she and Fabiano held sway together, so between Rehlis and the two lovers the Covent Garden stage caught fire.

    • Mark Valencia, BachTrack
    • 27 February 2025

  • a Leonora of shining, bright radiance, lyrical but also agile

    • Richard Fairman, Financial Times
    • 27 February 2025

• Verdi | Don Carlo -Elisabeth

  Teatro di San Carlo

  Jan 2025

  • American soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen was the most impressive member of an overall exemplary cast…I find it Herculean for a singer to ably perform the role in both French and Italian versions. In addition to immense talent, Willis‑Sørensen boasts an impressive memory indeed... Her rich spinto voice is ideally‑suited for the role. Hers is a beautiful voice with natural trills, and easily recognizable within seconds. Her diction here was as impeccable as it was in French in Don Carlos. Whether it is Elisabetta or Elisabeth, the role requires poise and charisma. Willis‑Sørensen has loads of both.

    • Ossama el Naggar, ConcertoNet

  • L'’Elisabetta di Valois del soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen è straordinaria per la qualità della proiezione e della potenza della voce, in particolar modo nel registro acuto. Da brividi la sua interpretazione di “Tu che le vanità” per la quale ha meritato l’applauso a scena aperta più lungo e caloroso. Soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen ’s Elizabeth of Valois is extraordinary for the quality of the projection and the power of her voice, especially in the upper register. Her interpretation of “Tu che le vanità” was thrilling , for which she deserved the longest and warmest applause in the open scene.

    • Antonio De Benedittis, OperaMundus
    • 22 January 2025

• Verdi | La traviata - Violetta

  Philharmonie de Paris

  Dec 2024

  • La présence dans le rôle principal de Rachel Willis-Sørensen, soprano américaine malheureusement rare à Paris, était sans aucun doute l’attrait principal de la distribution. Dotée d’une grande voix au timbre onctueux et sombre, avec une note de lumière qui sonne comme un sanglot, d’un grave riche et d’une ligne de souffle qui semble sans fin, elle est une Violetta sensible, incontestablement touchante. C’est dans les passages les plus lyriques, où la ligne vocale s’étend en legato lui permettant de s’épanouir vers l’aigu que Willis-Sørensen est la plus séduisante, dans un « Amami Alfredo » volcanique, dans un « Alfredo, Alfredo, di questo cor » épuré et bouleversant. Son « Addio del passato », grand moment de la soirée, tout en reflets d’un timbre oscillant entre obscurité et lumière est une merveille, l’envol vocal de « Ah, della traviata, sorridi al desio » déchirant. Une grande Violetta, justement ovationnée aux saluts. In the lead role of Rachel Willis-Sørensen, an American soprano sadly rare in Paris, was undoubtedly the main attraction of the cast. Endowed with a large voice of unctuous, dark timbre, with a luminous note that sounds like a sob, a rich low register and a line of breath that seems endless, she is a sensitive, undeniably touching Violetta. Willis-Sørensen is at her most seductive in the most lyrical passages, where the vocal line stretches out in legato, allowing her to blossom towards the high notes, in a volcanic "Amami Alfredo", in a refined and moving "Alfredo, Alfredo, di questo cor". Her "Addio del passato", the highlight of the evening, is a marvel of reflections in a timbre oscillating between darkness and light, and the vocal soaring of "Ah, della traviata, sorridi al desio" is heartbreaking. A great Violetta, justly applauded during the bows.

    • Louise Momal, Forum Opera
    • 09 December 2024

  • Rachel Willis-Sørensen incarne une Violetta captivante, à la fois séduisante et profondément émouvante. Sa voix, ample et vibrante, est projetée avec un naturel désarmant. Elle brille par la constance et la clarté de ses phrasés. Son interprétation atteint des sommets d’émotion dans l’Acte III, alliant virtuosité et expressivité, ce qui lui vaut de vifs applaudissements. Rachel Willis-Sørensen plays a captivating Violetta, at once seductive and deeply moving. Her voice, full and vibrant, is projected with disarming naturalness. Her phrasing is consistent and clear. Her performance reaches emotional heights in Act III, combining virtuosity and expressivity, to great applause.

    • Emmanuel Deroeux, Olyrix
    • 09 December 2024

• Verdi | Il Trovatore - Leonora

  Metropolitan Opera

  Oct 2024 - Nov 2024

  • Willis-Sørensen es una gran cantante… Poseedora de un instrumento privilegiado, ancho y oscuro abajo, refulgente y estuchado arriba, y de una técnica sólida… “Willis-Sørensen is a great singer… Possessing a privileged instrument, wide and dark below, bright and boxy above, and a solid technique…

    • Carlos J Lopez Rayward, Opera World
    • 09 November 2024

  • …she delivered an incredible performance…And Willis-Sørensen saved her softest and most impactful singing for her final “Prima che d’altri vivere,” her voice floating gloriously, the high A flat allowed to soar into a beautiful portamento an octave down for “io volli tua morir.” Her voice grew softer in the final instances with a sublime “Addio” capping off a powerful performance from the soprano.

    • David Salazar, OperaWire
    • 30 October 2024

  • Willis-Sørensen sang with radiant fervour and her delivery of “D'amor sull'ali rosee” had intensity to spare. There was magic in the air whenever she and Fabiano held sway together, so between Rehlis and the two lovers the Covent Garden stage caught fire.

    • Mark Valencia, Bachtrack
    • 27 February 2025

  • But it is Rachel Willis-Sørensen’s Leonora that steals the show: a gorgeous sound with a beautiful timbre, her voice is one that is not to be trifled with. She masters all her numbers perfectly, leaving her with resounding applause after the conclusion.

    • Michael Higgs, Broadway World
    • 27 February 2025

  • The object of these adversaries’ desires, Leonora, is here portrayed by American soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen. A well established and outstanding soprano of some repute, she devours this role with relish and is seemingly improving in it the more she performs it. Additionally, she appears to accrue a special stage presence just for this role, filling the empty stage with gravitas. Her full-bodied upper register slides majestically into a rich, lower; encompassing expressive and sweet pianissimos. She paints her phrases with the trills and ornaments of her coloratura. Her ‘Tacea la notte placida’, where she engages with her confidant, Ines, declaring her love for the Troubadour, is tangibly endearing. Her final act when she sings a moving, “D’amor sull’ali rosee” was positively entrancing. I have already alluded to her duet “Miserere” where she further pledges her love to Manrico beneath the tower where he is imprisoned; she sings here with delicate phrasing and restraint, allowing the distant vocals of Manrico to filter through and blend.

    • Mike Hardy, OperaWire
    • 05 March 2025

• Richard Tucker Foundation Gala

  Carnegie Hall

  Oct 2024

  • It’s a creamy voice with effortless legato and more than decent flexibility…her smooth tone unfurled without effort and the high notes emerged seamlessly out of the vocal line.

    • Eli Jacobson, Parterre Box
    • 01 November 2024

  • Rachel Willis-Sorenson, who the day before had joined Jamie Barton and Michael Fabiano in a rousing Met matinee of TROVATORE, today gave us the immortal “Casta viva” from Bellini’s NORMA. Although this bel canto jewel really needs an orchestra-and-chorus setting, Ms. Willis-Soremson and Mr. Wagorn were so persuasive that such concerns became irrelevant. With her impressive breath control, the soprano commanded the long phrases, introducing subtle nuances along the way. She concluded the aria with a gorgeous cadenza and then spun out an incredible inverted trill before sustaining the final note.

    • Oberon, Oberon's Grove
    • 29 October 2024

• Strauss | Ariande auf Naxos

  Bayerische Staatsoper at Hong Kong Arts Festival

  Feb 2024

  • “American soprano Rachel Willis-Sorensen was a wonderful Ariadne — one would never have guessed that this opening night performance was her role debut. Her mezza voce in “Ein schönes war” was gorgeous, as was her resplendent top in “Es gibt ein Reich.” I would not be at all surprised if Ariadne becomes one of her signature roles.”

    • Joseph So, Ludwig van Toronto
    • 28 February 2024

  • “The American soprano Rachel Willis-Sorensen made her debut in Bayerische Staatsoper’s production of Ariadne auf Naxos in Hong Kong…There was powerful dramatic singing from Rachel Willis-Sorensen as Ariadne.”

    • Natasha Rogai, South China Morning Post
    • 27 February 2024

• Offenbach | Les Contes d'Hoffmann - Antonia

  Opéra national de Paris

  Nov 2023 - Dec 2023

  • “splendeur du timbre, ambitus et égalité de registres somptueux” [Translated] "splendid timbre, sumptuous range and equality of registers"

    • Pierre Flinois, Opéra Magazine
    • 05 January 2024

  • “...elle reste richement colorée…” [Translated] “...richly colored throughout the range”

    • Stéphane Lelièvre, Bachtrack
    • 15 December 2023

  • “Rachel Willis-Sorensen propose une Antonia de caractère, à la mesure de son immense voix aux registres parfaitement joints. Sensible et attentive au sens de la couleur, elle signe une prestation de haut vol, et on souhaite la réentendre vite à l’Opéra de Paris” [Translated] "Rachel Willis-Sorensen offers a characterful Antonia, in keeping with her immense voice with perfectly joined registers. Sensitive and attentive to the sense of color, she gives a high-flying performance, and we hope to hear her again soon at the Paris Opéra".

    • Jules Cavalié, Asopera.fr
    • 06 December 2023

  • “L’Antonia de l’Américaine Rachel Willis-Sørensen, qu’on entend pour la première fois à l’Opéra de Paris , est au contraire une voix pulpeuse, aux courbes splendides, au souffle long, aux phrasés soutenus, une véritable héroïne romantique qui confère à son personnage une véritable noblesse tragique.” [Translated] "The Antonia of American Rachel Willis-Sørensen, heard for the first time at the Opéra de Paris, is, on the contrary, a luscious voice, with splendid curves, long breaths and sustained phrasing her character with a true tragic nobility."

    • Alain Duault, Opera-online.fr
    • 15 December 2023

  • “As Antonia, Rachel ample soprano lived perfectly on the edge. [...] Her voice allowed to soar into full flight, growing more passionate with each line until she ascended all the way to a thrilling climactic high note that erupted brilliantly into the hall. And then we got the soprano's softest singing of the night as she strode on stage, her final utterances hushed whispers. It was a perfect payoff both musically and dramatically to everything we'd heard and seen throughout the act.”

    • David Salazar, Operawire
    • 19 December 2023

• Verdi | Otello - Desdemona

  Wiener Staasoper

  Oct 2023

  • Rachel Willis-Sorensen est une Desdemona plus femme de tête qu’épouse résignée. L’aigu est puissant, les piani nombreux et lumineux. “Rachel Willis-Sorensen is a Desdemona more headstrong than a resigned wife. Her middle voice is powerful, her piani numerous and luminous.

    • Jean Michel Pennetier, Forum Opera
    • 08 November 2023

  • Desdemona wurde von der Amerikanerin Rachel Willis-Sørensen mit einem schönen und sauber geführten Sopran gesungen. Desdemona was sung by the American Rachel Willis-Sørensen with a beautiful and clean soprano voice.

    • Andreas Schmidt, Klassik Begeistert
    • 05 November 2023

  • Rachel Willis-Sørensen, an American soprano very much in demand in Europe as Verdi heroines with her large and clear voice… Her singing became more confident and soulful as the evening progressed, and she delivered Desdemona’s two devastating Willow Song and Ave Maria full of emotional vulnerability mixed with quiet dignity.

    • Ako Imamura, Bachtrack
    • 26 October 2023

  • Rachel Willis-Sorensen verleiht der Desdemona mit durchsetzungsstarkem Sopran die Kontur einer selbstbestimmten Tragödin. Rachel Willis-Sorensen lends Desdemona the contours of a self-determined tragedienne with her assertive soprano voice.

    • Christoph Irrgeher, Der Standard
    • 26 October 2023

  • Rachel Willis-Sørensen zeigt eine zunächst resolute Desdemona. Ihr warmer Sopran betört in lyrischen Passagen und leuchtet in allen Lagen. Rachel Willis-Sørensen presents an initially resolute Desdemona. Her warm soprano beguiles in lyrical passages and shines in all registers.

    • Susanne Zobl, Kurier
    • 26 October 2023

• Mahler Symphony No.8

  München Nationaltheater

  Oct 2023

  • Rachel Willis ‐Sørensen a de superbes aigus… Rachel Willis-Sørensen has superb high notes…

    • Antoine Lévy-Leboyer, Concerto Net
    • 10 October 2023

• Verdi | Don Carlos - Elisabeth

  Grand Theatre, Geneva

  Sep 2023

  • Elisabetta di Valois è Rachel Willis Sørensen. La sua voce, dolce e delicata e capace di ottimi pianissimi, la fa apparire come vittima della vicenda politica e umana. Elisabeth of Valois is Rachel Willis Sørensen. Her voice, sweet and delicate and capable of excellent pianissimi, makes her appear as a victim of the political and human affair.

    • Federico Capoani, Connessi all'opera
    • 27 September 2023

  • Herrlich und glanzvoll war auch „Toi qui sus le néant” von Rachel Willis Sörensen als Elisabeth, mit grossartiger Kontrolle und majestätischer Phrasierung. Sie besitzt einen runden und schönen Sopran, der höhensicher ist und in der Lage die ergreifenden Legati mit schwebender Leichtigkeit zu singen. Eine wunderbare Stimme! Gorgeous and glorious was also “Toi qui sus le néant” by Rachel Willis Sörensen as Elisabeth, with great control and majestic phrasing. She has a round and beautiful soprano, confident in the high register and able to sing the poignant legati with floating ease. A wonderful voice!

    • Marcel Emil Burkhardt, Der Opernfreund
    • 29 September 2023

• Strauss | Der Rosenkavalier - Marschallin

  Glyndebourne Opera Festival

  May 2018

  • Taking the limelight here in her Glyndebourne debut, she was sensational. What stood out was her pin-sharp diction allied to great dynamic control: the ability to stress the important phrases and rise cleanly above the orchestra, or to project a perfectly held pianissimo, always making the words count. She followed Strauss’ lilt beautifully, and made us believe in the mood shifts between light-hearted, wistful or authoritative. She also had bags of stage presence, even in the most ridiculously over-the-top costumes, helped by being very tall. I’ll be lucky to see a better Marschallin.

    • David Karlin, BachTrack
    • 21 June 2018