In recent years there has been growing interest in studying the careers of itinerant musicians from the North Atlantic axis during the nineteenth century. But much less has been said about travelling musicians between North and South America, a less explored and dangerous direction.This article reviews the years Josefina Filomeno, a pianist and violinist from Valparaíso, spent in the United States. Filomeno serves as an excellent example to broaden our understanding of the plight of women composers-musicians from South America as travellers. She was acclaimed as a child prodigy in the major cities of the United States.The popularity and reception of her concerts were shaped by many layers beyond her control: from exoticism to eroticism, rural to metropolitan audiences, the mainstream to the classical repertoire, and from one instrument to another. Filomeno’s career raises new issues and helps us to reconsider the costs of a career of this kind for young musicians (particularly for women) and their families.