(Credit: Jonathan Tichler / Met Opera)

In 2006, the Beverly Sills Award was established to help further the careers of rising stars by providing additional funding for vocal coaching, language study, travel costs, and other professional expenses. Sills was well-known as a supporter and friend to developing young artists, and the award was meant to honor her legacy as an advocate for important emerging singers.

This year, American soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen was awarded the prize following a list of renowned singers that include Joyce DiDonato, Isabel Leonard, Michael Fabiano, Ailyn Pérez, Nadine Sierra, and Lisette Oropesa, among others.

Willis-Sørensen made her Met debut as Countess Almaviva in Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro“ in 2014 and has since performed in productions of “Don Giovanni” and “Il Trovatore.” He has performed at the Staatsoper Berlin, Royal Opera House, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper, and Deutsche Oper Berlin.

The soprano spoke to OperaWire about winning the prestigious award, Beverly Sills, and her relationship with the Metropolitan Opera.

OperaWire: What does it mean to win the Beverly Sills award?

Rachel Willis-Sørensen: It feels surreal – as though I have been given membership into a club that I have long revered. I am honored to be considered worthy to be a part of this elite group of American artists.

OW: What was your reaction when you found out, and who was the first person you told?

RWS: I was preparing for opening night of “Il Trovatore” at the Royal Ballet and Opera House in London. Although I welcome every communication from the Met’s brilliant and warm casting director, Michael Heaston, I felt a jolt of panic when I saw I had missed his call, as generally future planning goes through my agent. When we finally connected, and Michael informed me I had won this great honor, I was blown away. What a beautiful boost to my confidence for an opening night!

As this was strictly confidential news, I had to wait to share, which was so difficult! When I was able to share, I called my best friend and we cried happy tears together over the phone, as she knows how much this means to me.

OW: Did you ever get to meet Beverly Sills? If so, what memories do you have of her? If not, what do you love about her artistry? Any favorite recording of hers?

RWS: I would have loved to have met her, but she passed away in 2007, before my career started. The day she died, I was at Aims in Graz, and I remember them having a special seminar about her, which I attended. I have considered her model of approachable divahood aspirational ever since. I saw an interview where she said of herself that she was a cheerful rather than a happy woman. The difference is important because whereas a happy person is protected from cares, a cheerful person may encounter significant struggles and choose to air on the side of optimism and warmth. What a great example to us all!

OW: You made your debut in 2014 at the Metropolitan Opera. What memories do you have of that?

RWS: The first time I actually performed on stage with the Met Orchestra was for the Laffont Competition in 2010, when the dream to make my professional life in this theater was well and truly born, with a fervour that surprised even me. So, after my first “Figaro” rehearsal in 2014 at the Met, I paused at the intersection of 65th & Amsterdam. Gazing up at this temple of music, I realized with tears streaming down my cheeks, “I am a Met singer. I am a Met singer.” It’s a memory I will always cherish.

The Met’s approval means so much in this business, and especially it means a lot to me as an American.

OW: How has your relationship with the Met evolved, and what do you love about this theater?  What makes it different from the other houses in the world?

RWS: I am fortunate to say that my relationship with the Met has grown stronger over time, and I find their support of my artistry as it develops hugely encouraging. The fact that so many important vocal artists from recorded history have echoed in that hall feels almost sacred to me. Singing at the Met is a way to connect to them and thank them for their examples of excellence! What’s different is the audience and the size. So many people can share in the experience at the same time, and in the US, people feel very free to express their positive enthusiasm. It’s always great to be on the receiving end!

OW: Next, you headline “Arabella.” Tell me about that role and how it differs from the Strauss roles you sing?

RWS: “Arabella” takes me more deeply into the sophistication of Richard Strauss than I have ventured to date. The music vacillates between lengthy arpeggiation in one very luscious, consonant chord and complex, nearly atonal leitmotif expressions which mimic speech yet require intense pitch accuracy. There is, of course, the conflict between Hofmannsthal and Strauss about which elements of the story to highlight (Hoffmansthal preferred Zdenka for the titular part), which was never resolved owing to Hugo’s early death. This must make it a particular challenge for any intrepid director. I had the great fortune and pleasure of meeting with Otto Schenk in his Vienna penthouse one year before his death, and we discussed the piece at length. What an honor to portray Arabella for the first time in my life in his production!

OW: What does it mean to headline an HD performance for the company?

RWS: I have to try not to think too much about that lest the toxic perfection-mongering demons come out to destroy me! But in all seriousness, it is an honor which I will devote myself and my efforts to respecting. I love the idea of casting my voice and my love of the music into the ether and reaching even more people than ever before!