(Credit: Olivia Renaud)

On Nov. 1, Rachel Willis-Sørensen performed the world premiere of a new song cycle especially composed for her. The cycle was Jeff Beal’s “Our Better Selves,” which the soprano commissioned for herself and which she also contributed a poem for one of the movements.

Willis-Sørensen, a renowned soprano is known for her Strauss, Mozart, Wagner and Verdi roles but it is rare to see her enter the contemporary repertoire. In anticipation of the first recital which she will repeat later in California and France, the soprano visited with OperaWire about the new piece and how the composition came to be.

OperaWire: How did you first hear of Jeff Beal?

Rachel Willis-Sørensen: I was a big fan of that show “Monk” and Jeff composed all the music for it so I suppose that was my first awareness of him. When a mutual friend (Andrea Pessino from the board of LA Opera) introduced us at a performance of “La Bohème” at the Met in 2025 we became fast friends. He gave me a recording of the beautiful cycle he composed for soprano and orchestra with texts from his grandmother’s journal. I love those pieces and how masterfully he found art in the ordinary.

OW: When did he approach you for this song cycle?

RWS: Actually I approached him! He asked me to listen to an Act from the opera he is composing and I got to meet his brilliant wife Joan. Then I said I’d like to commission a cycle which means something important to me with music I love to sing and immediately Jeff was on board. We exchanged many poems and finally found the four which have become “Our Better Selves” which will be my honor to perform for the first time ever on November 1st in Berlin.

OW: What was collaborating with him on the cycle like?

RWS: Well aside from picking the poetry and even writing one of the poems myself, I was able to ask for the tessitura to accommodate my comfort and for rhythmic changes to encourage comprehensibility of the texts! Jeff was very reasonable adding high notes and changing keys until they felt just right.

OW: What is it like to work with a living composer?

RWS: Thrilling! At first I was nervous because how do I very dare make any suggestions of changes when I would sooner walk on water than be able to compose them myself, but Jeff was so open and relaxed. It makes me wonder if the level of obsession we grant to the smallest details of deceased composers’ work isn’t a little misplaced. Like, if they were here surely they would understand changing little things to accommodate specific performers like Jeff did for me. It’s hard to get out of the gratefulness trap where you just agree to anything to people please but ultimately everybody wants the same thing: the piece to be great. I’m sure that’s always been true!

OW: You will be performing this song cycle with music by Beach, Sibelius, Rachmaninoff and Strauss. How does Jeff Beal’s music fit into the arc of the recital?

RWS: It links to the Sibelius with the mention of raspberries! That is incidental actually but I chuckled when I realized. I even considered wearing a raspberry colored gown for that reason! I think all the pieces are about light and darkness, human experiences and how to make them mean something. Jeff’s pieces strive to answer the difficult questions posed in my own poem (the third movement) with the final movement. Also they provide a modern counterpoint to the luxurious romanticism in the first part.

OW: It will have its world premiere at the Berlin State Opera. Why is this venue perfect for recitals and for this piece?

RWS: The pink jewel box theater feels intimate and grand all at once. It is prestigious yet welcoming and the audience is close enough to see their faces. That said I don’t believe it is common for them to present recitals. It feels very special and I am honored.

OW: What excites you for audiences to discover?

RWS: I hope it isn’t wrong to say I’m most excited to share the poem I composed with the audience. I’ve never sung my own lyrics before and I am very proud to be such a big part in this new-to-me way. I also carefully curated this list of diverse masterpieces which I hope will provide a wonderful evening for the audience and myself alike

OW: What does it feel like to have a piece written for you?

RWS: It feels great! Also scary as you never know how it will be received. That said, I think Jeff and I are both very happy with the work we’ve done and I can’t wait to share it!

OW: After Berlin, you head to California and Toulouse with this cycle. What do you hope audiences take away from this song cycle?

RWS: I hope the cycle inspires listeners to restore civility and wonder in their lives where these things may be missing. That was the purpose in the start. Jeff, Joan, and I had a long sobering conversation about the turn away from civility in public discourse and we wanted to register our displeasure about this while offering an invitation in another direction.