Rachel Willis-Sørensen receives first prize in the Operalia Competition

We are delighted to announce that soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen received first prize in the 2014 Operalia Competition. Placido Domingo presided over the finals competition, serving as the emcee as well as conductor. The event featured the 13 finalists who each performed an aria accompanied by orchestra. Some of the finalists also performed zarzuela solos. As well as first prize, Rachel was also the recipient of The Birgit Nilsson Prize (for Wagner/Strauss repertoire) and The Pepita Embil Domingo Zarzuela Prize.

Soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen is quickly gaining international recognition as one of the outstanding voices of her generation. A winner of the 2010 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the New York Times hailed her “gleaming voice, capped with big top notes”. She was also the first prize winner of the 2011 Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition, earning the top honors in both the opera and operetta. Her future engagements include appearances at Covent Garden, Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Dresden Semperoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin and Wiener Staatsoper.

UPDATE! Rachel will make her Metropolitan Opera debut as Countess Almaviva in this December’s performances of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. Willis-Sørensen will sing the role on December 4, 8, 12, 15, and 20 matinee, replacing the originally announced Amanda Majeski, who now sings the September and October performances of the opera.