Regina is a proud Filipino-Canadian, who spent the first half of her life in Manila and the other half in Toronto. She is a graduate of Ryerson University and is now a registered nurse working in the Reseach Department of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. But her love for music and theatre has always been a part of her life for as long as she could remember, as her family claims that Regina's first stage was her grandmother's kitchen table, where she sang and performed television jingles for her family at age three.
She had her first taste of a real stage at age 16 when she performed at the Bulwagang Huseng Batute of the Cultural Centre of the Philippines for a theatre workshop, vowing to return someday as a real actor to perform in the CCP's Main Stage. Since then, Regina has performed with various theatre groups in Toronto. Notably with the Carlos Bulosan Cultural Workshop (now the Carlos Bulosan Theatre Collective), DiwataWorks, Knightflight Productions, and The Alexander Players and Singers.
She was part of the ensemble chorus of "Miss Saigon" by City Centre Musical Productions in Mississauga earlier this April and will appear as a cast member of "Baggage" by Pulang Maleta Colllective under the banner of the 2008 Toronto Fringe Festival. She will also appear as the sole Filipino cast member of this year's Crossroads Theatre Workshop production, "Clown: The Musical".
Her love for singing was nurtured by her church choir when she was a child back in the Philippines, making church choir and Gospel a great influence in her taste in music. She was given an opportunity in 2001 by Chito Cabrera, when he chose her to be one of the vocalists for his CD, "Let It Begin", in which his version of "The Lord's Prayer" which Regina originally sang is still being sung in a few Filipino parishes in Toronto today.
The Lord granted Regina another opportunity to sing his praises in 2006, when Regina won a place as part of a 16-member choir to represent Toronto in Vision TV's "Gospel Challenge". She was the only choir member of Filipino origin to make it to the final choir.
Regina has also sung back-up to various Filipino talents, notably for local Filipino-Canadian celebrities, Crystal Sahagun and Chyrell Samson. She also had the opportunity to sing back up to Canadian Idol Season 1 Finalist , Mikey Bustos and for American Idol Season 3 runner up, Jasmine Trias.
Aside from theatre and singing, Regina was involved in a few independent films and student projects. One recently was lending her voice to play Naoimi, the main character of Adam Brown's stop motion animated film "Starsearcher", will be featured as one of the short films competing in the Air Canada enRoute Student Film Festival, that will be airing in all Air Canada flights for the entire month of August.
Regina is also one of the finalists competing for a recording contract in the Mobistar Singing Contest Grand Finals, on August 16 2008 in Ontario Place. (See Mobistar for details)
Regina's voice can also be heard every Thursdays on the radio airwaves as one of the co-hosts of "Todo Banda" from Boses Pinas CHHA 1610 AM, where she also double duties as the show's producer.
Catch Regina at "Todo Banda" every Thursday @ 10 -11PM, Eastern Savings Time
On Radio (In Toronto): CHHA 1610 AM On Rogers Cable: Rogers 951 Live Streaming: http://www.voceslatinas.ca/
Look Ma! I'm in da moobies!!! (^o^)/ Here are a couple of films I've been involved with...
