Francisca Edwiges Neves Gonzaga, better known by her nickname Chiquinha Gonzaga, was born on October 17, 1847, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Born into a bourgeois family, she received a classical musical education, learning piano and music theory from an early age. From an early age, Chiquinha stood out for her talent for composition and performance, but also for her bold and independent spirit in a society where women were often confined to domestic roles.

Chiquinha Gonzaga quickly became a major figure in Brazilian popular music. She composed polkas, mazurkas, waltzes, and especially choros and maxixes, genres typical of the Carioca music scene. Her most famous work, “Ó Abre Alas” (1899), is considered one of the first hits of Brazilian carnival music and remains a symbol of celebration and national creativity. A virtuoso pianist, she performed in salons and public concerts and actively participated in the musical life of Rio de Janeiro, promoting the spread of popular styles among the elites and the general public.

Beyond music, Chiquinha Gonzaga stood out for her social and political activism. She campaigned for women's rights, the abolition of slavery, and improved social conditions in Brazil. This aspect of her life is reflected in her work, which combines melodic lightness and expressive power, conveying both the energy of urban life and the collective aspirations of her time.

Her longevity allowed her to influence several generations of musicians and consolidate her place in Brazilian musical history. She died on February 28, 1935, leaving behind a prolific body of work that far exceeded the boundaries of her era. Today, Chiquinha Gonzaga is recognized as a pioneer, both for her role in popular music and for her struggle for the emancipation of women and artists. Her music constitutes a veritable Brazilian sound literature, where the spirit of carnival, pianistic virtuosity, and expressive power come together in a joyful, committed, and timeless body of work.

Along his university studies (DEA in musicology, University of Paris IV-Sorbonne), Frédéric Cellier was awarded three first prizes and a development prize at the CNR of Nice and won first prize at the International Competition of Musical Execution - soloist category – of Stresa (Italy).

He is the laureate of the Fondation de France and the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation and accredited teacher at the CNR of Nice, the CNR of Marseille, and at the CRR Olivier Messiaen of Avignon (France).

Frédéric Cellier is the interpreter of Francis Poulenc’s Sonata for clarinet Bb and piano with Jean-Michel Damase, Jean Françaix or Gabriel Tacchino, as well as his own arrangements for clarinet and harp of Erik Satie's Gymnopédies and Gnossiennes with the great French harpist Elizabeth Fontan-Binoche, and for clarinet, piano, and string orchestra of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in blue for Wynton Marsalis or under the baton of Adrian Gershwin, grandson of the composer.

Founder and artistic director of STRADIVARIUS Editions, he is the author of light music pieces played around the world and a considerable number of arrangements of all styles and for all instruments, acclaimed by many personalities in the music world, including Michèle Auric, Jean Françaix, Adrian Gershwin, Wynton Marsalis, Yehudi Menuhin, Madeleine Milhaud, Manuel Rosenthal, Gabriel Tacchino, and Ornella Volta.

"Frédéric Cellier has produced a number of adaptations of Georges Auric's works with such talent and precision that I consider them a natural addition to his chamber music catalogue."
Michèle AURIC - Georges Auric's widow

"To Frédéric Cellier, excellent musician and tireless arranger."
Jean FRANÇAIX - Composer and pianist

"Arranging a musical work is always a delicate and risky exercise, because it requires both modifying it so that it can be played by the desired instruments and preserving its very essence. But that is exactly what Frédéric Cellier has done, preserving the nuances, subtleties and soul of the original works while breathing new life into them.
His arrangements give all the musicians the chance to perform these compositions specially revisited for their instrument, and make music lovers rediscover them in a new light."
Adrian GERSHWIN - George Gershwin’s grandson

"Congratulations for your beautiful new orchestration and rendition of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in blue."
Wynton MARSALIS - Trumpet player, composer, bandleader, general and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York

"It is outstanding that Frédéric Cellier has managed to transpose Saxophone Marmalade from the saxophone to the clarinet. I thank him for it and wish its great and deserved success. "
Manuel ROSENTHAL - Conductor, composer and Maurice Ravel’s pupil

"I am very happy to tell you how much I appreciated your transcription of the Capriccio, based on Francis Poulenc's Le Bal Masqué. It perfectly reflects the spirit and verve of the score for two pianos that I had the opportunity to play and record with Jacques Février, and it was a great pleasure for me to premiere it in Montpellier."
Gabriel TACCHINO - Pianist, Francis Poulenc’s specialist

"I must tell you that I really like your transcriptions and that I think the tone of the instruments you have chosen suits perfectly our beloved composer."
Ornella VOLTA - Musicologist, president of the Erik Satie’s Foundation