Rachel Willis-Sorensen
Rachel Willis-Sorensen actually tried to hide her powerful voice in high school. Though she performed in musical theater as a student, when she went to college, she was rejected by every choir.
“I was a little disproportionate to most art forms—I don’t know what it was–being 5’11” and not being a ballerina– the sound of my voice, the size of me…” she remembered.
She eventually found the perfect fit in the opera department at Brigham Young University (BYU), where the faculty helped refine her ability.
“When I found opera, all the strangeness– all the specificity of myself, my person, fit really well. I had this earth shattering moment when I realized this is what I was born to do. This is my niche on the planet,” she explained.
It was a triumph when she returned to her hometown and made her solo debut with a Richland, WA performance at the Battelle Auditorium in 2007. She credits BYU with providing unfailing support that has been instrumental to her success.
In 2008, Willis-Sørensen was a semifinalist in the National Council Auditions, winning the Utah district and Rocky Mountain regional competitions. Though she was eliminated in the semifinal round, the competition made her more determined than ever to develop her ability. After graduation, she went to the Houston Grand Opera Studio and studied with several prestigious coaches, including renowned mezzo-soprano, Dolora Zajick, to prepare for the 2010 National Council Auditions. This time she knew what to expect–and it paid off. She was chosen as one of five equal winners of the competition. Singing in German was a cinch, since she had been a Mormon missionary in Hamburg. She was linguistically fluent and culturally fluent. And then, she had this voice.
In 2011, she entered the Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition where she won both divisions—opera and operetta— a feat that has only happened three times in thirty years. Since then, she has sung around the world with the most prestigious orchestras and opera companies.
Recent Posts
Peter Breinholt and One Voice Children’s Choir for Operation Underground Railroad
Someone has wisely stated, “People were created to be loved. Things were created to be used. The reason why the world is in chaos is because things are being loved and people are being used.” And so it is in the cold dark world of child sex trafficking. The sweet...
Amber Lynn And Her American Idol Experience
I don’t know about you, but I have always romanticized about the idea of being on American Idol, receiving that golden ticket from world renowned judges, and heading off to Hollywood. Recently a young woman named Amber Lynn Stoppel had the opportunity to do just this....
Alex Boye’s Under The Sea- The Little Mermaid vs. Captain Jack Sparrow
For those of us who were born in the 1990’s, I am sure we remember the fun and adventurous movie “The Little Mermaid” being part of our childhoods. The Little Mermaid came out in 1989… if that doesn’t make you feel old, I don’t know what will!! Ever since I was young,...
Elenyi’s Multilingual Voices – I Know that My Redeemer Lives
Aldous Huxley once said, “After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” And it was Joseph Addison, an English essayist who said, “Music wakes the soul, and lifts it high, and wings it with sublime desires, and fits it to bespeak the...
Looking Back on Brooke White’s American Idol Experience
In 2005 American Idol ran their seventh season. They had no idea who was going to be trying out for this season, and for those of us who have watched American Idol auditions, we know that, to say the least, there are quite a few characters who try out for this...
The Piano Guys – Amazing Grace – This is Your Fight Song
No one ever promised us that life would be a rose garden. No one ever promised us that the road that we would travel would be smooth as glass. Life is full of many lofty mountains and many low and desolate valleys. There may be a “Goliath” which crosses our path from...