Andrés Archila
During his childhood and adolescence, Andrés studied violin with the most prominent musicians in Guatemala, many of whom were Italian or German expatriates from the late 1800s, and assumed principal positions in the military band/orchestra and conservatory.
Musical and artistic oppression and dictatorship continued in Guatemala, to the point that Maestro Archila would be jailed on nights prior to performances that were demanded for the dictator's events.
With the overthrow of the Ubico dictatorship in 1944, and the ensuing economic and social reforms of the first democratically elected president of Guatemala, Dr. Juan Jose Arevalo, Andrés Archila was made the director of the Guatemalan National Symphony Orchestra.
As soloist, his virtuosity was displayed before sold-out concerts performing the classic violin concertos of Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruch, Mendelssohn, Mozart and Lalo.
Maestro Franz Ippich, who fled to Guatemala escaping the Nazis in Vienna, wrote a violin concerto for him encapsulating Wagnerian and Guatemalan Son riffs that Andres interpreted with utmost grace, passion and humor.
Maestro Jorje Sarmientos, who would take over the role of conductor after Andres’ departure, also wrote a modern dodecaphonic violin concerto for him.
In addition, Andres would strive to introduce new modern pieces to the standard repertoire like, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Barber, Berg and Dvorak violin concertos.
At the height of this Guatemalan artistic renaissance was the birth of a new generation of virtuosi, such as pianist Manuel Herrarte, bassoonist Nacho Vidal, timpanist and composer Jorge Sarmientos, to name a few.
In the summer of 1959, Maestro Archila auditioned for the National Symphony Orchestra and began work in the US as Associate Concertmaster that September.
In daily American life Maestro Archila communicated through music, gestures and a mixture of Spanish, Italian and nascent English.
He eventually learned English, on his own, by intermingling with his National Symphony Orchestra friends (most notably Maestros Edward Gummel, Kenneth Pasmanick, John Martin, and Maestrina Virginia Harpham), his siblings, and by watching westerns and wrestling on TV.
Andres Archila was Associate Concertmaster for the National Symphony Orchestra under the batons of Maestros Howard Mitchell, Antal Doráti and Mstislav Rostropovich.
