Chiquinha Gonzaga

Francisca Edwiges Neves Gonzaga, better known as Chiquinha Gonzaga (October 17, 1847, Rio de Janeiro – February 28, 1935, Rio de Janeiro) was a Brazilian composer, pianist and the first woman conductor in Brazil. Chiquinha Gonzaga was the first pianist of "choro" and author of the first carnival march, "Ó Abre Alas "(1899).Her plays and operettas, such as Forrobodó and Jurití, were a great success with the public because they used elements of Brazilian popular culture of the time. In the Passeio Público of Rio de Janeiro, there is a herm in her honor by the sculptor Honorius Peçanha.In May 2012, it was enacted the law 12624 establishing the National Day of Brazilian Popular Music, celebrated on the day of her birthday.