Claim: Marie-Marguerite-Denis or Marguerite Canal was the first woman in France to conduct an orchestra and the first woman to receive the First Grand Prix of Rome.
Evidence: In 1919, she was named professor of singing at the Conservatoire and, in 1920, became only the second woman to receive the First Grand Prix of Rome in musical composition with Don Juan, with the congratulations of Camille Saint-Saëns.