2009-10 Studio Artist

Rachel Willis-Sørensen, soprano
Mr. and Mrs. Harlan C. Stai / Terrell Tone Owen Endowed Fund at the Abilene Community Foundation Fellow

Rachel Willis¬-Sørensen is a first-year Houston Grand Opera Studio Artist and will appear this season as Mascha in HGO’s The Queen of Spades and as a recitalist at Rienzi. She won first place at the 2009 Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers. She holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in vocal performance from Brigham Young University School of Music (BYU). Last year Ms. Sørensen sang Kate Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly) with Utah Opera and the High Priestess (Aida) with at Utah Festival Opera. She was a national semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Roles at Brigham Young University have included Countess Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Musetta (La bohème), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) and the title role of Suor Angelica. The soprano won first place at Musicfest Northwest in 2005 where she appeared in concert with the Spokane Symphony.  She won the 2007 Nancy Peery Marriot BYU Singer of the Year award and recorded an album for Sofie's Daughters at BYU.