The San Francisco Opera has announced a major cast change for its upcoming production of “Don Giovanni.”

The company revealed that Nicole Car will take over the role of Donna Elvira, replacing Carmen Giannattasio who was originally scheduled to perform.

“I am incredibly sad to share that I will not be singing Donna Elvira in San Francisco Opera’s new production of ‘Don Giovanni.’ I had been postponing a necessary surgery in my abdomen for quite some time,” Giannattasio said in an official press statement. “Between my performance schedule and COVID delays at the hospital it was not possible to have this procedure until just weeks ago, and I am facing a more difficult recovery than expected. I had hoped to be completely recovered by the time I started rehearsals, but unfortunately, I am not healed properly and must return home for additional physiotherapy to be able to meet the physical demands of singing in a staged production. I want to thank the San Francisco Opera and my colleagues, as well as my family and friends for their support, especially during these last couple of months. I look forward to returning to the stage this summer to sing ‘Tosca’ in Macerata, Italy.”

Car was originally scheduled to appear in the June 30 concert “Eun Sun Kim Conducts Verdi” and has performed the role of Donna Elvira at a number of companies around the world. Of her performance in Paris, OperaWire’s Mauricio Villa noted, “From the first lines of her entrance aria, ‘Ah chi mi dice mai,’ it was clear that Australian soprano Nicole Car’s interpretation of Donna Elvira was going to be a great success.”

She joins a cast starring her husband Étienne Dupuis, Luca Pisaroni, Adela Zaharia, Christina Gansch, and Amitai Pati, among others. Bertrand de Billy conducts. “Don Giovanni” opens on June 4, 2022.