RachelWillis-Sørensen

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  • Soprano

About Rachel

American soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen is known for her portrayal of Verdi heroines, performing roles such as Leonora, Elisabetta and Desdemona, as part of her seasons that also include Mozart, Strauss, Puccini and Wagner, among other composers. A regular guest at the leading opera houses around the world, Le Monde enthused, "…the American soprano has without a doubt one of the most impressive voices in the opera world. The timbre, of marmoreal beauty, is striking, the projection telluric…" In recent seasons, she has performed at leading opera houses around the world - both in operas and in concert - and is a regular guest at the Metropolitan Opera, Wiener Staastoper, and Royal Ballet and Opera. She has released two acclaimed solo albums for Sony, and in 2025, she was honored with the Beverly Sills Artist Award.

Rachel Willis-Sørensen’s 2026/27 season showcases a range of major house returns, concert performances, and two notable role debuts. She opens the season at the Royal Ballet and Opera, returning as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, before making her role debut as Fausta in Massenet’s rarely performed opera Roma, presented in both Monte Carlo with the Philharmonic Orchestra Monte-Carlo and at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. She makes her house debut with the Canadian Opera Company as Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos, returns to the Wiener Staatsoper as Mimì in La bohème, and reprises one of her signature roles, Rosalinde, in Die Fledermaus at the Bayerische Staatsoper. She continues her longstanding relationship with the Metropolitan Opera and the works of Richard Strauss as the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier. The season culminates with her debut as Floria Tosca in the title role of Tosca at San Francisco Opera. On the concert stage, Willis-Sørensen performs Bernstein’s Kaddish at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and Strauss’s Four Last Songs in Toronto, Rome, Paris, and Vienna. Recital work forms a particularly important part of the season, with an appearance at the Staatsoper Berlin alongside the Théatre du Capitole in Toulouse. Among the season’s highlights is the world premiere of a song cycle by acclaimed composer Jeff Beal, written especially for Willis-Sørensen. 

Equally at home on the concert stage, concert work is an important part of each season. She is especially known for her interpretation of Strauss's Four Last Songs, including notably at Buckingham Palace for an HRH Prince Charles birthday celebration. She made her Carnegie Hall solo recital debut in April 2024. Her repertoire includes Mahler’s 2nd, 4th and 8th Symphonies, Mendelssohn’s Elias, Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder, Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder, and the Verdi Requiem, and she has appeared with orchestras such as the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Basque National Orchestra.

In 2021, Rachel signed a multi-record deal with Sony Classical. Her debut album, Rachel, was released in 2022, and her second CD, Strauss: Vier Letzte Lieder, was released in 2023. She is also featured on several duets on Jonas Kaufmann’s album, Wien.

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Contact

For availability and general enquiries:

Dominic Domingo

Dominic Domingo

Associate Director

For contracts, logistics and press:

Grace Hewett

Grace Hewett

Assistant Artist Manager

Representation

Worldwide general management with Askonas Holt

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Season Highlights

Sep 2026
Royal Ballet and Opera, London
Mozart; Don Giovanni (Donna Anna) Stefano Montanari (conductor)
Sep 2026
Auditorium Rainier III, Monaco
Massenett; Roma (Fausta) Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo Diego Ceretta (conductor)
Oct 2026
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris
Bernstein; Symphony No.3 'Kaddish' Les Siècles Pierre Bleuse (conductor)
Nov 2026
Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto
Strauss; Four Last Songs Toronto Symphony Orchestra Gustavo Gimeno (conductor)
Nov 2026
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Rome
Strauss; Four Last Songs Daniel Harding (conductor)
Dec 2026
Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna
Puccini; La bohème (Mimì) Domingo Hindoyan (conductor)
Dec 2026
Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich
Strauss; Die Fledermaus (Rosalinde) Vladimir Jurowski (conductor)
Feb 2027
Canadian Opera Company, Toronto
Strauss; Ariadne auf Naxos Johannes Debus (conductor)
Mar 2027
Metropolitan Opera, New York City
Strauss; Der Rosenkavalier (Marschallin) Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor)
Jun 2027
San Francisco Opera
Puccini; Toasco (Floria Tosca) Clelia Cafiero (conductor)

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Selected Repertoire

Bellini

Norma

Britten

Peter Grimes (Ellen Orford)

Dvořák

Rusalka (title role)

Gounod

Faust (Marguerite)

Handel

Alcina (title role)

Johann Strauss II

Die Fledermaus (Rosalinde)   •   

Lehar

Die lustige Witwe (title role)

Massenet

Thais (title role)

Meyerbeer

Les Huguenots (Valentine)

Mozart

Così fan tutte (Fiordiligi)   •   Don Giovanni (Donna Anna)   •   Idomeneo (Elettra)   •   Le nozze di Figaro (La Countessa di Almaviva)   •   La clemenza di Tito (Vitellius)

Offenbach

Les contes d'Hoffmann (Antonia)

Puccini

La bohème (Mimi)

Richard Strauss

Arabella (title role)   •   Ariadne auf Naxos (Ariadne)   •   Der Rosenkavalier (Marschallin)

Verdi

Don Carlos (Elisabeth de Valois)   •   La traviata (Violetta Valery)   •   Otello (Desdemona)   •   Les vêpres siciliennes (Hélène)   •   Il trovatore (Leonora)

Wagner

Lohengrin (Elsa von Brabant)   •   Tannhäuser (Elisabeth)   •   Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Eva)

News

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.

    • 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.

    • 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.

  • 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.

    • 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.

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

    • 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.

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

  • 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.

    • 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.

  • 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.

    • 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.

  • 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…

    • …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.

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • 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.

  • 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.

    • 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.

  • 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.”

    • “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.”

  • 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"

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

    • “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".

    • “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."

    • “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.”

  • 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.

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • 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.

  • Mahler Symphony No.8

    München Nationaltheater
    Oct 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.

    • 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!

  • 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.

Discography