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Sila Godoy, without a doubt the most accomplished new world classical guitarist in the generation following Agustín Barrios, was born in Villarrica Praguay on December 4th, 1919. As child Sila had the advantage of growing up in a dich musical enviroment. His mother and his uncles were talented musicians who exposed him at the early age to the piano, violin, mandolín, harp and guitar. Sila soon began to play each of these with a precocity that amazed his elders. By this time the guitar had become his lifelong obesession as de began already interpreting the traditional masters of the classic spanish guitar, Tarrega and Sor.
Having set his course, Sila left his home of Villarrica at the age of 16, carrying two guitars and a smsll satchel of his music, to accept a scholarship at the National Music Conservatory in Asunción Paraguay. At the age of 22 he was requested by the president of Paraguay to play in a special command performance. By age 24 he graduated from the conservatotry as a professor of music theory and musicology.
Following graduation he was awarded a grant to continue his musical aducation in Buenos Aires, where he remained for nine years under the tutelage of Consuelo Mallo López. During these years Sila concentrated on refining his tecnique into the virtuosity we admire today.
In 1959, the world master Andrés Segovia invited Sila to study in Spain, with all expenses paid, at his renowed classical guitar school at Santiago de Compostela. For 3 years he sudied and traveled with Segovia.
In 1963 Mr. Goody, at the personal invitation of Presidente Kennedy, first visited the United States to do a concert tour. Duriong this trip he was featured as a broadcast soloist on the voice of America and played with such notable American guitarists as Charlie Byrd, Sophocles Papas and Richard Pick. In subsequent U:S: tours he has played in most major cities and in 1977voluntered to tour Kansas, Paraguay's "sister state" where he also taught master classes at the University of Wichita. Most recently he has toured Japan (1980), Australia (1983), and has made numerous appearances in the Latin American nations.
Besides being a consumate performer. Mr. Godoy is a composer in his own right. He has a considerable body of compositions to his credit such as "Ekstasis" and "4 pieces for classical guitar", both published in Buenos Aires.
Perhaps his masterpiece, however, is the composition "Jana Szenes". This composition containing 6 pieces following the aesthetics of Arnold Schoenberg was written in 1945 to honor the Jewish heroine, Jana Szenes, who was executed by the Nazis for her activities to help her people in Hungary in 1944.
At present Mr. Godoy, known as "El Maestro" by his afficionados, resides in Asunción Paraguay where he performs, teaches and writes.
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