Queena Marian Tillotson (August 21, 1896 – May 28, 1951), known professionally as Queena Mario, was an American soprano opera singer, newspaper columnist, voice teacher, and fiction writer.

Early life

Queena Marian Tillotson was born in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

,Josephine Van Der Grift
"Famous Opera Singer Born in Akron Will Sing At Armory"
''Akron Beacon Journal'' (March 24, 1925): 1, 9. via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...

the daughter of James Knox Tillotson and Rose Tillotson. Queena was raised in

Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, known by its nickname as "The Queen City."

, where she graduated from Plainfield High School."Queena Mario Gives Concert Here Tomorrow"
''Courier-News'' (March 2, 1932): 6. via

She studied voice with

Marcella Sembrich Prakseda Marcelina Kochańska (February 15, 1858 – January 11, 1935), known professionally as Marcella Sembrich, was a Polish coloratura soprano. She is known for her extensive range of two and a half octaves, precise intonation, charm, porta ...

, who advised her name change. She paid for voice lessons by writing newspaper advice columns under the name ''Florence Bryant'', including childrearing advice; "You know a lot when you're 16, you have a lot of theories," she explained of her qualifications.

Career

Mario made her stage debut with the

San Carlo Opera Company The San Carlo Opera Company was the name of two different opera companies active in the United States during the first half of the twentieth century. Henry Russell's San Carlo Opera The first company was founded by impresario Henry Russell, initi ...

in 1918. She also toured with the Antonio Scotti Opera Company. She sang at the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

over 300 times, beginning in 1922 and with a last performance in 1938. She also gave concerts. In 1925 Richard Aldrich of ''The New York Times'' described Mario's voice: "The voice is light, it has the grace and flexibility of a light voice, together with agreeable quality and much finished skill in vocalism." Mario taught voice at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

in New York and the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on full scholarship. Hi ...

in Philadelphia. Among her students were

Jeanne Madden Jeanne Madden (born Jeanne Ethel Madden; November 10, 1917 – January 15, 1989), was an American singer known for her roles in musical theatre.Hischak p.404 She also appeared in a handful of films. Filmography * '' Stage Struck'' (1936) * ...

Helen Jepson Helen Jepson (November 28, 1904 – September 16, 1997) was an American lyric soprano. Early years Jepson was born in Titusville, Pennsylvania, on November 28, 1904, (Two sources give her birthday as November 28, 1906.) DeLong, Thomas A. (199 ...

and

Rose Bampton Rose Bampton (November 28, 1907 in Lakewood, Ohio – August 21, 2007 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania) was an American opera singer who had an active international career during the 1930s and 1940s. She began her professional career performing mostly m ...

. She can be heard on at least six recordings from 1924 and 1933, made for the

Victor Talking Machine Company The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer that operated independently from 1901 until 1929, when it was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America and subsequently operated as a subsidia ...

. As a writer, Mario published three opera-themed murder mysteries: ''Murder in the Opera House'' (

E.P. Dutton E. P. Dutton was an American book publishing company. It was founded as a book retailer in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. Since 1986, it has been an imprint of Penguin Group. Creator Edward Payson Dutton (January 4, ...

, 1934), ''Murder Meets Mephisto'' (1942), and ''Death Drops Delilah'' (1944).

Personal life

Mario married Metropolitan Opera conductor

Wilfred Pelletier Joseph Louis Wilfrid Pelletier (sometimes spelled Wilfred), (20 June 1896 – 9 April 1982) was a Canadians, Canadian conducting, conductor, pianist, composer, and arts administrator. He was instrumental in establishing the Montreal Symphon ...

on November 23, 1925; they divorced on August 12, 1936. She died in New York in 1951, aged 54 years."Queena Mario Rites Tomorrow"
''The New York Times'' (May 30, 1951): 17.

References

External links

*
Queena Mario's listing
in the San Francisco Opera Performance Archive. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mario, Queena 1896 births 1951 deaths American women novelists 20th-century American novelists American operatic sopranos 20th-century American women opera singers 20th-century American women writers American mystery novelists Women mystery writers Writers from Akron, Ohio Novelists from Ohio Musicians from Akron, Ohio Singers from Ohio Writers from Plainfield, New Jersey Musicians from Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield High School (New Jersey) alumni Novelists from New Jersey Singers from New Jersey Juilliard School faculty Curtis Institute of Music faculty Novelists from Pennsylvania Classical musicians from Ohio Classical musicians from New Jersey Women music educators American women academics