Opera Singer. A versatile artist who sang about 80 roles in six languages, she was a leading dramatic soprano for 10 years, then was recognized as one of the world's premier mezzo sopranos. The child of Russian immigrants, she was raised in The Bronx, manifested her vocal talent early, graduated from James Monroe High School, and in 1942 earned her degree in music education from Hunter College. Regina dropped the "c" from her last name, made her professional bow with a recital at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on October 27, 1942, and later that year had her operatic debut at the New Opera Company as Verdi's tragic Lady Macbeth. Over the next two years she refined her skills with the New York City Opera and in small venues, and in 1943 made her first international appearance in Mexico City as Leonore from Beethoven's "Fidelio;" scheduled to bow at the Metropolitan Opera as Santuzza from Pietro Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana," she got an early debut on December 6, 1944 when she filled-in on short notice for an indisposed Zinka Milanov as Leonora from Verdi's "Il Trovatore." Regina sang Santuzza 10 days later and quickly established herself as a star at the Metropolitan, at the San Francisco Opera, and elsewhere, her roles including Chrysothemis of Richard Strauss' "Elektra," both Donna Anna and Donna Elvira of Mozart's "Don Giovanni," Musetta from Puccini's "La Boheme," Ellen Orford in Benjamin Britten's "Peter Grimes," Sieglinde of Wagner's "Die Walkure," Alice Ford in Verdi's "Falstaff," and the title leads of Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" and "Tosca" and Verdi's "Aida." A number of knowledgable individuals had noted a darkening of her voice and following a year's study with respected baritone Giuseppe Danise she began her career as a mezzo. After singing Laura from Ponchielli's "La Gioconda" and the frustrated Amneris of "Aida", she made her 'second' Metropolitan debut on February 15, 1956 as Marina from Modest Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov" under the baton of Dimitri Mitropoulos, a performance over which the critics raved. For the next three decades she was to be acclaimed at the Metropolitan and at theatres throughout the world including London's Covent Garden, the Salzburg Mozarteum, the Paris Opera, and La Scala Milano, numbering among her roles Princess Eboli of Verdi's "Don Carlos", Mistress Quickly in "Falstaff", Klytemnestra from "Elektra", the witch Ulrica in Verdi's "Un Ballo en Maschera," the trouser role of Prince Orlovsky from Johann Strauss II's "Die Fledermaus," and the title cigarette girl of George Bizet's "Carmen". Not afraid of new music, she was the Old Baroness for the January 15, 1958 world premiere of Samuel Barber's "Vanessa" and Sister Elisabeth at the August 1960 world premiere of Frank Martin's "Mysterium von der Geburt des Herrn." Many assumed that with the retirement of Rise Stevens she would be the Metropolitan's reigning Carmen, but she proved to be neither the first nor the last to suffer from Rudolf Bing's shortsightedness, and thus New York audiences mainly saw her in character parts. Over the final years of her career, Regina became a noted director, often partnering with her second husband, artist Arbit Blatas (1908-1999). Though she officially left the stage in 1983, retirement proved to be a nebulous concept as she earned a 1987 Tony Award nomination for portraying Mrs. Schneider in "Cabaret," was praised as Mme. Armfeldt in "A Little Night Music," and made occasional appearances as the Old Baroness until well into advanced years. A respected teacher, competition judge, and master class presenter, she held a professorship at the Mannes College of Music, received honorary doctorates from Hunter and from the New England Conservatory, and served on the board of the Metropolitan Opera Guild. At her death much of her large recorded legacy, which includes a complete "Carmen," remained in print.