Bidu Sayão (May 11, 1902 - March 13, 1999) was Brazil's most famous opera singer. At the age of only eighteen, the gifted Bidu Sayão made her major opera debut in Rio de Janeiro. Her acclaimed performance led to an opportunity to study in Europe, first in Romania then in Nice, France with the renowned Polish tenor and tutor, Jean de Reszke. During the mid 1920s and early 1930s, she performed in Rome, Italy, Paris, France and in her native Brazil. In 1936 Bidu Sayão made her debut in the United States at Carnegie Hall in New York City singing a work by Debussy. Her performance was under an orchestra conducted by Arturo Toscanini who would become her greatest supporter and lifelong friend. In early 1937, she gave her first performance at the Metropolitan Opera as a mid-season replacement for the Spanish soprano Lucrezia Bori. After fifteen years with the Metropolitan Opera, she gave her last performance in 1952, choosing early retirement while still at the top of her form. For the next two years she was a guest performer throughout the U.S. but in 1957 retired fully from performing in public.