Violet Archer

About

Violet Archer (1913–2000) was a Canadian composer, pianist, organist, percussionist and music educator. Her family changed "Balestreri" name to Archer in 1940. Violet studied at McGill University, receiving a Licentiate in Music diploma in 1934 and BMus degree in 1936, and also acquired an associate diploma from the Royal Canadian College of Organists in 1938. Archer visited New York in the summer of 1942, where she studied composition with Béla Bartók. She continued her education at McGill University with Paul Hindemith, earning BMus in 1948 and MMus in 1949.

In the early fifties, Violet Archer was a composer-in-residence at the McGill University, and also taught at the University of Oklahoma from 1953 to 1961. After returning to Canada, Archer joined the Faculty of Music at the University of Alberta and remained there until her retirement, subsequently taking a chair of the Theory and Composition Department. Some of her notable students included Larry Austin, Shauna Rolston, Allan Gilliland, and Allan Bell. The Canadian indie-rock band The Violet Archers is named for the composer.

Archer wrote over 280 compositions during her career, covering a wide repertoire from electronic to chamber music, choral works, solo flute pieces, and songs for solo voice/piano.

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