Isidora Zegers
Isidora Zegers Montenegro (also known as Isidora Zegers de Huneeus or Isidora Zegers) (born 1 January 1803, died 14 July 1869) was a Spanish artist and composer. She is known for her contributions to Chilean culture during the 19th century.
Biography
Isidora Zegers was born in Madrid, Spain. She studied voice, harp guitar, piano and composition in Paris, France, then moved to Chile in 1823 with her father, who had been hired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Zegers married twice. In 1826 she married Colonel William Vic Tupper, who died in the Battle of Lircay. In 1835 she married Jorge Huneeus. She had two children from her marriages, including Chilean lawyer and politician Jorge Huneeus Zegers (1835-1889).
In 1852 Zegers was named honorary president of the National Academy of Music. In 1826 she founded the Philharmonic Society of Santiago. In addition, she contributed to charities as a singer and organizer of musical events.
Because of a painful illness, she moved to the city of Copiapó in 1862, seeking a better climate for her health. She died on 17 July 1869.[1][2]
Works
Isidora Zegers's compositions are for voice and piano or piano solo, mostly dated from her years in Paris and some written in French. She completed five compositions during her years in Chile. Selected works include:
- Figure de Trenis
- La Bedlam
- La Camilla
- La Mercedes y Le Calif de Bagdad
- Valze per Maximino
- Romance
- Les regrets d'une bergère
- La coquette fixée
- La Absence y Les tombeau violés
Her work is recorded and available on CD:
Isidora Zegers y su tiempo[3]
References
- "ISIDORA ZEGERS". Retrieved 27 September 2010.
- Sadie, Julie Anne; Samuel, Rhian (1994). The Norton/Grove dictionary of women composers (Digitized online by GoogleBooks). Retrieved 4 October 2010.
- Grandela del Río, Julia, Revista musica Chilena, retrieved 3 September 2014