Archer, Violet Balestreri (1913–2000)
Archer, Violet Balestreri (1913–2000)
Canadian composer, pianist, and teacher. Born Violet Balestreri in Montreal, Canada, April 24, 1913; died in 2000; studied with Douglas Clarke and Claude Champagne at McGill Conservatory, earning her Bachelor of Music in 1936; studied with Bela Bartók, 1942, and with Paul Hindemith, 1949, both of whom strongly influenced her orchestral and choral works.
Preoccupied with Canadian folklore, often used folk music as a source of creative material; taught at McGill (1944–47), at North Texas State University, where she was also composer-in-residence (1950–53), at University of Oklahoma (1953–61), and at University of Alberta, where she became professor and chair of the theory and composition department after 1962. Won the Woods-Chandler composition prize at Yale; was the 1st woman composer to be chosen Composer of the Year by the Canadian Music Council (1984).