Carreno received early lessons from her father, who is also credited for developing her strong sense of self-criticism, to which she attributed her success. She also studied with Gottschalk and later with Anton Rubinstein. She was very successful in Germany, where she lived for over 30 years. Most of her compositions were for piano, although an interest in strings motivated her to write a String Quartet in B minor. Carreno was married four times, and together with her second husband, Tagliapietra, she organized, conducted, and sang in an opera company in Venezuela. Her third husband greatly influenced her style, changing her performances from the tempestuous to the thoughtful.