Isidora Zegers Montenegro (also known as Isidora Zegers de Huneeus or Isidora Zegers; 1 January 1803 – 14 July 1869) was a Spanish musician and composer. She is known for her contributions to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

an culture during the 19th century.

Biography

Isidora Zegers was born in

Madrid, Spain Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

. She studied voice, harp, guitar, piano and composition in Paris, France, then moved to

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 The Battle of Lircay was the last battle of the Chilean Civil War of 1829–1830 and ended with the Pipiolos (Liberals) being decisively defeated. Pipiolo leader Ramon Freire was exiled to Peru and the Pipiolos defeated to end the war, beginnin ...

. 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 Copiapó () is a city and commune in northern Chile, located about 65 kilometers east of the coastal town of Caldera. Founded on December 8, 1744, it is the capital of Copiapó Province and Atacama Region. Copiapó lies about 800 km north ...

in 1862, seeking a better climate for her health.

Works

Isidora Zegers's compositions are for voice and piano or piano solo, mostly dating 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'' ''Isidora Zegers y su tiempo''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zegers, Isidora 1803 births 1869 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century women composers Women classical composers Spanish emigrants to Chile Spanish women classical composers Spanish Romantic composers