Sofía Cancino de Cuevas first quartet for strings, catalogued as Op. 1. In 1940, she received an honorable mention for her symphonic poem "El gallo en Pátzcuaro" for orchestra and male choir, in a contest organized by UNAM. In 1941 she directed the presentation of Mozart's "Don Giovanni" at the Arbeu theater, with the participation of singers (baritone), Carlos Mejía (tenor), and Margarita Cueto (soprano), among others. This made her Mexico's first female conductor. In 1944 she founded the Opera School, with which she conducted "La serva padrona" by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, "Bastien und Bastienne" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and "Il matrimonio segreto" by
Ivana Fišer Institute orchestra. As a conductor, Fišer debuted in 1933 while directing the comic opera Bastien und Bastienne with Zagreb philharmonic orchestra. From 1939 to 1941, she led the Zagreb Red Cross orchestra. Until 1941, she also led the Osijek philharmonic orchestra. From 1947 to 1965, Fišer worked as a prompter at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. Ivana Fišer Ivana Fišer (born Fischer; June 13, 1905 – September 7, 1967) was known Croatian Jewish conductor. Fišer was born in Zagreb on June 13, 1905 to a Jewish family of well-known Croatian architect Ignjat Fischer and his wife Helena (née Egersrodfer).