CALLIAS, Nina De

Nina de Callias, also known as Nina de Villard and born Anne-Marie Gaillard, was a French pianist and composer active in nineteenth-century Paris. She was known above all as a gifted pianist and musical figure within the artistic circles of her time. Contemporary accounts describe her as a virtuoso performer and mention her activity as a composer of salon music.

Her musical output is not well documented today, but she is reported to have composed waltzes, songs, mazurkas and variations. These genres place her work within the French salon tradition of the nineteenth century, where piano performance, song and intimate musical gatherings played an important cultural role. Although few concrete details about her compositions have survived, her reputation as a pianist and musical creator makes her a relevant figure among women active in French musical life of the Romantic period.