Soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen will star in the title role of Arabella, a rarely performed Strauss work, streaming Live in HD to cinemas around the world on Saturday, November 22, at 1:00PM ET.
Rachel made her Met debut as Countess Almaviva in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro in 2014. She’s made waves at the Met ever since, and her career profile has only since risen. Rachel was named the 2025 Beverly Sills Artist Award Winner, which grants $50,000 to extraordinarily gifted singers with rising Met careers.
The talent’s other Met roles include Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Leonora in Verdi’s Il Trovatore.
Rachel hails from the Tri-Cities in Washington State. Currently, the opera star lives in Copenhagen, Denmark with her family.
I sat down with the soprano to discuss her favorite opera, her most cherished career advice, and more.
My favorite opera (that’s not my own):
Dead Man Walking by Jake Heggie. It makes me weep and awakens so much empathy for all kinds of people!
My pre-performance ritual:
Sleeping in, yoga, a healthy lunch, and 25 minutes of vocal and breath warm-ups.
After a performance, I:
I love to celebrate with friends! I love a play-by-play of what they were feeling during the performance, or which moments were the clearest or most moving for them.
My favorite type of audience :
Connects emotionally with the performers and music.
My role model in business:
Beverly Sills! In 2025, Rachel Willis-Sørensen was named the Met’s 2025 Beverly Sills Artist Award Winner.
The best piece of career advice I’ve gotten:
The best advice I’ve received is to take responsibility for your own product and develop your own taste so your work satisfies you no matter how it is received! Also, it can’t satisfy you if it is praised yet fails to meet your own expectations.
My advice to those going to the opera for the first time:
Be open to the experience! You don’t need to know anything special or come from a specific background to enjoy opera, just let it wash over you! Subtitles and plot synopsis can go a long way but there’s nothing like letting the music fill your heart!
How to get the most out of an opera performance:
Enjoy a moment that is technology-free, and connect with instruments and the human voice without amplification. It’s a rare experience today! You could also read the summary of the story in advance or learn about the composer and performers to heighten your experience.
My favorite restaurant near the Metropolitan Opera:
Fiorello’s!
The morning after a big performance, I…
I LOVE to get a massage or relax at a spa like Aire.
My favorite way to relieve stress:
I love to chat with my friends, eat a great meal, and go for long meandering walks (particularly in Central or Riverside Park) while listening to podcasts.
The place I most love to travel for work:
New York, of course!
My favorite place in my hometown:
I’m from the Tri-Cities area of Washington state. My favorite place is the bench swings at Howard Amon Park in Richland on the west bank of the Columbia River.