Mary Tortorich, American voice teacher, Died at 102

Mary Angela Tortorich was born on December 8, 1914 and died on March 24, 2017.

She was an American voice teacher.

She was recognized as one of the South’s leading voice pedagogues, and taught at Loyola University of the South (Loyola University New Orleans) for 55 years.

Tortorich was born in New Orleans on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception to a devout Roman Catholic family of Italian heritage.

She had an exceptional soprano voice, she attended Loyola University of the South’s College of Music, where she studied Voice under Elisabeth Wood (who taught Norman Treigle and John Macurdy).

After her 1942 graduation from Loyola, she matriculated at The Juilliard School, and in 1947 was heard in recital at Carnegie Hall.

She returned to New Orleans, and began teaching Voice at Loyola in 1948; she also taught French Diction at the College of Music.

Some of her celebrated pupils are Ruth Falcon and Phyllis Treigle.

She retired from Loyola in 2003.

Mary Tortorich passed away at 102 years old.