UA alumna undergoes role-switch in Arizona Opera's 'Don Giovanni'

For recent UA graduate Regina Felsing, being an opera performer is a never-ending process of refinement and reevaluation.

"It takes so much persistence and determination and constant reevaluation," said Felsing, who attained her master's degree in music in 2000. "Always be willing to be flexible and to change. You're never a finished project. You're always studying, revising, developing."

Felsing certainly needed to use her adaptability when she was asked to switch roles in the upcoming Arizona Opera production of Amadeus Mozart's "Don Giovanni." One week into the three-week rehearsal period, Felsing, originally cast as Donna Elvira, took over the role of Donna Anna for a castmate who "got tied up in customs in Canada," said Arizona Opera public relations manager Liz Warren.

"I just mentioned that I knew the role (of Donna Anna) and that I had done it two times previously to the conductor and the stage director," Felsing said.

Felsing's first performance as Donna Anna in Mozart's operatic masterpiece about the legendary Don Giovanni - and his equally legendary lust for women - was in the New OperaFestival di Roma in Italy. The second came when the University of Arizona asked her to reprise that role in its production of the opera, when Felsing was working toward her master's degree.

Despite her familiarity with the role, switching parts so late in the process of putting on an opera proved challenging for Felsing. She said she stayed for extra rehearsals and basically had to unlearn all the preparation she put into her role as Donna Elvira.

"I almost had to purposely forget what I had learned with Elvira and completely focus my attention on Anna," Felsing said. "It takes concentration and focus - to constantly focus on what I'm feeling, what I'm doing, what my motivations are and almost forget Elvira."

Felsing said that while she would enjoy playing either role, she feels that Donna Anna suits her and her vocal range as spinto soprano - "a fuller, heavier, bigger-voice soprano - not your light, Snow White variety" - better.

"I'm a heavier voice, and Anna is a role that suits me very well and is comfortable for me," she said. "It's a little more dramatic and fuller in the orchestration."

The Arizona Opera's production of "Don Giovanni" is much different from other productions in which Felsing has acted. Featuring a more modern staging, this production employs an intricate array of mirrors and trapdoors in its set design, as well as large-scale reproductions of paintings by the Spanish painter Francisco de Goya.

"The UA production was very traditional. Much of what we're (Arizona Opera) doing has a little more modern twist," Felsing said. "The stage is black with a lot of mirrors. The stage has an incline to it, called a rake, that adds an interesting visual element. It's a challenge to work on that rake too. There's the possibility of sliding downhill into the orchestra pit, if you will."

This lead role as Donna Anna is just one of several that had helped Felsing transition from a student to a professional level. During her time at UA, she sang Hanna in "The Merry Widow" and Aida with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. She was also a 2001 finalist in the Marjorie Lawrence International vocal competition.

Felsing attributes her burgeoning success in part to the strength of the music program at UA, a compliment the department returns.

"(Felsing) is a fine singer," said professor of music Charles Roe. "She's been successful in different competitions. We're proud to see that she's doing well."

Performances of the Arizona Opera's production of "Don Giovanni" are tomorrow and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Tucson Convention Center Music Hall, 260 S. Church St. Ticket prices range from $25 to $72, with student discounts available. For tickets, call Ticketmaster at (480) 784-4444.