Meet Dr. Regina Zona
Award-Winning Singer, Master Teacher & Career Coach for Singers
Hi, I’m Dr. Regina Zona — a career coach, educator, and passionate mentor who helps singers transform their talent into thriving, sustainable careers. With over 35 years of experience across opera, cabaret, recording, and education, I created Singer Savvy Academy to empower singers like you to become confident performers, savvy entrepreneurs, and unstoppable artists.
Whether you’re navigating the post-COVID career landscape, pivoting genres, or simply trying to figure out how to make singing your full-time income — I’ve been there. And I’m here to help.
As Seen and Heard on…
As a Career Coach for Singers
With over 16 years of coaching experience, I help singers in opera, musical theatre, and cabaret build thriving, full-time careers on their own terms.
During my time as a faculty member at Shorter College and the University of Minnesota Duluth, I created and led the Business of Singing Workshop — a game-changing curriculum that gave students the real-world tools they needed to transition from school to stage with clarity and confidence. In my private studio, I’ve worked with both emerging and established artists navigating everything from their first professional gigs to major career pivots.
Now, through Singer Savvy Academy, I bring that same level of mentorship online. My signature program, Savvy Singer CEO, teaches singers how to build a business around their artistry — from branding and networking to creating multiple income streams. And with courses like The Savvy Singer’s Marketing Blueprint, I help artists craft campaigns that grow their audience and get them booked.
Whether you’re dreaming of launching your own recital series, getting booked consistently, or finally ditching your day job — I’m here to help you design and run your singing career like a business… because that’s exactly what it is.
As a Singer
Regina Zona, praised as “nothing short of sensational” (Sarasota Herald Tribune) and “the absolute rapture of the evening” (Rome News), has captivated audiences worldwide with her acclaimed performances in both opera and concert. She made her New York debut at Lincoln Center with the National Chorale and has since performed with esteemed orchestras such as the Tokyo Symphony, Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de México, and the Buffalo Philharmonic. Her repertoire includes Strauss’s Vier letzte Lieder, Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, and operatic heroines like Ariadne (Ariadne auf Naxos), Chrysothemis (Elektra), and Donna Anna (Don Giovanni). A powerhouse early in her career as the Queen of the Night across major U.S. opera houses, Regina garnered international recognition by winning the Neue Stimmen International Vocal Competition and top prizes in several prestigious vocal contests. In 2019, she boldly reinvented herself as a cabaret artist with Becoming…the Queen 2.0, earning a MAC Award for Best Female NY Debut and solidifying her place as a multifaceted and magnetic performer.
As a Recording Artist
Regina’s first album entitled Connection: Three Song Cycles, released worldwide in 2014 by the NAXOS American Classics label, features the song cycles of American composer, Jake Heggie. Critically acclaimed internationally, the work garnered praise from Heggie himself, proclaiming Dr. Zona to be a “truly phenomenal performer.” Her second album, Heart Songs: An American Medley, released in 2021, bridges her performing journey from classical singer to cabaret singer through songs in the American classical art song tradition and the Great American Songbook. Her third album, It Must Have Been the Mistletoe will be released in the fall of 2022 where she celebrates a jazzy Christmas with internationally acclaimed guitarist, Sean Harkness.
As a Master Teacher of Voice
Dr. Zona has been teaching for over 35 years. She has held teaching and director positions at several universities in the U.S., including serving as the Opera Program Director at the University of Minnesota Duluth from 2008 to 2012 and as Artistic Director of the Sieur Du Luth Opera Training Program for young aspiring opera singers from 2008 to 2010. From 2006-2008, she was Assistant Professor of Voice and the Opera Scenes Director at Shorter College in Rome, GA. Dr. Zona’s students have appeared on the most prestigious opera stages across the world, Broadway, and regional theatres. She is an in-demand clinician at universities and training programs offering classes in vocal pedagogy, dramatic performance, opera history and appreciation, and audition techniques. Dr. Zona was a short-term substitute professor at the Juilliard School teaching English diction to Vocal Arts Masters students. She has also served as an adjudicator in several Regional, State, and local competitions.
Regina received her Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the Manhattan School of Music, an Artist Diploma from the Academy of Vocal Arts, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University. She currently resides in the New York area, where she offers voice and piano lessons, dramatic coachings, and career consultations for singers in all genres and at all levels.