- Rachel Willis-Sørensen Rachel Willis-Sørensen

22 Oct 2025

“American singer Rachel Willis-Sorensen gives an extraordinary performance. The ease with which she interprets the role is astonishing, given its difficulty. She approaches it with candor and brilliance. Her powerful voice, rich in harmonics across the entire range, is a real asset. Her generous singing, with strong high notes, soaring pianissimi, sensual low notes, and a beautiful, solid middle range, is a real treat for the audience. This vocal generosity, quite unusual in this role, which is often given to lighter voices, gives great depth to the character of the courtesan who becomes a saint. Her French diction is very clear. Her physical beauty and presence, combined with the splendor of her voice, make her an irresistible Thaïs.”
Classique News

“American singer Rachel Willis-Sorensen gives an extraordinary performance. The ease with which she interprets the role is astonishing, given its difficulty. She approaches it with candor and brilliance. Her powerful voice, rich in harmonics across the entire range, is a real asset. Her generous singing, with strong high notes, soaring pianissimi, sensual low notes, and a beautiful, solid middle range, is a real treat for the audience. This vocal generosity, quite unusual in this role, which is often given to lighter voices, gives great depth to the character of the courtesan who becomes a saint. Her French diction is very clear. Her physical beauty and presence, combined with the splendor of her voice, make her an irresistible Thaïs.”

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Oct 2025 / Critical Acclaim

“In the role of Thaïs, American singer Rachel Willis-Sørensen takes to the stage at the Capitole, bringing all the nuances required by the role to life in all its depth. Mocking in “Qui te fis si sévère,” luminous, with a brilliant high register, in “Dis moi que suis belle,” she distills the modulations and nuances on the breath in the journey of conversion in the aria “L'amour est une vertu rare” or in the duet “Baigne d'eau”; her luminous lyricism blossoms in the finale “C'est toi mon père.” She who can sing Arabella, Leonora, and Elsa equally well balances interiority and exteriority, power and mastery of the lines, refinement and “marmoreal” projection, as we have read.”
Résonances Lyriques

Oct 2025 / Critical Acclaim

“American soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen is simply dazzling in her debut in the title role. The part, written by Massenet for his muse Sibyl Sanderson, who had an exceptional three-octave voice, is terrifyingly difficult, demanding both impetuous high notes and a rich middle register. At 41, the singer is at the peak of her art. Her timbre is both sumptuous and perfectly balanced across the entire range, with a voluptuous middle register and very well-established low notes. Her high notes, while sometimes lacking flexibility, are nonetheless admired for their power. On stage, she embodies with equal fervor the scandalous courtesan of the beginning, obsessed with her own mortality in the famous mirror aria (“Dis-moi que je suis belle”), and the humility of the repentant woman transfigured by faith. Her phrasing is juicy and captivating, ultimately making this performance a moment of absolute grace.”
Scherzo