Her real name was Regina Newman. She performed under this name until 1906 but changed it when she was engaged by the Metropolitan Opera. She studied with Emil Fischer and Sofia Scalchi in New York, and with Selma Nicklass-Kempner in Berlin.

She made her debut at the Stadttheater (Opera House) in Hamburg in 1901 as Eudoxia in Halévy’s La Juive. In 1902, she went to Paris to refine her technique under Jean de Reszke. She sang the role of Siebel in Gounod’s Faust at the Academy of Music in Brooklyn in 1903. During the 1904-1906 seasons, she toured North America with the Savage Opera Company.

In 1907, she was engaged by the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where she performed until 1922. Her notable roles included:

• March 14, 1912: Premiere of Horatio Parker’s Mona at the Metropolitan Opera.
• January 25, 1915: Premiere of Giordano’s Madame Sans-Gêne at the Metropolitan Opera.
• 1912: American premiere of Wolf-Ferrari’s Le donne curiose.
• December 14, 1918: Premiere of Puccini’s Suor Angelica at the Metropolitan Opera.
• 1912: Concert rendition of Monteverdi’s Orfeo (as Euridice).
• 1908: Premiere of d’Albert’s Tiefland.
• 1913: Premiere of Der Rosenkavalier at the Metropolitan Opera as Marianne Leitmetzerin.

Her role as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly was particularly acclaimed. She passed away while visiting her sister in Paris.