Opera Singer. A mezzo soprano, she is remembered for her 595 performances of roughly 75 roles over her 13 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera. Raised in The Bronx, she taught herself to sing at around 10, earned a degree in Romance languages from Hunter College, and studied at Juilliard on a scholarship while supporting herself as a secretary with a Wall Street firm. Though her immigrant parents opposed her theatrical ambitions Margaret began working as a chorister and performing in summer stock; she married accountant Albert Ludwick (deceased 1987) in 1947 and in 1950 was understudying the Secretary in Gian Carlo Menotti's "The Consul" on Broadway when she was called for a Metropolitan Opera audition that led to her debut as Annina in Richard Strauss' "Der Rosenkavalier" on November 11, 1950. Over her time before the public she was heard as Cherubino from Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro", Lola in Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana", Siebel in Gounod's "Faust", Wowkle from Puccini's "La Fanciulla del West", Berta in Rossini's "The Barber of Seville", and many other characters. While her most frequent role was that of Mercedes in Bizet's Carmen, a part she sang 94 times, her signature piece was Cio-Cio-San's servant Suzuki from Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" which she performed on 65 occasions opposite all the great Butterflys of the day including Renata Tebaldi, Dorothy Kirsten, and the incomparable Licia Albanese. Margaret made her 1952 San Francisco bow as a Priestess in Verdi's "Aida" and was seen there a number of times up thru 1956, her portrayals in the City by the Bay including, in addition to Suzuki and Mercedes, a Shepherd in Puccini's "Tosca", Mrs. Page from Verdi's "Falstaff, and and Rosseweisse in Wagner's "Die Walkure". After giving her final Metropolitan performance in 1963 as Berta she worked as an executive secretary before relocating to South Florida in 1983. Active into advanced years, she volunteered at a Fort Lauderdale hospital. At her death following an extended illness she left a significant legacy of complete operas recorded in the 1950s including Verdi's "Il Trovatore" and Hector Berlioz' "Romeo and Juliet" as well as "Carmen", "Faust", and "The Barber of Seville". Looking back with irony at the typical assignments of a comprimario mezzo she said: "I was either a boy or a whore. That's the story of my career".