Astrid Achi
Achi in 2015
Born
Astrid Ileana del Carmen Achi Dávila

(1961-09-19)19 September 1961
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Died13 October 2023(2023-10-13) (aged 62)
Guayaquil, Ecuador
EducationAntonio Neumane Conservatory
Occupations
Children2

Astrid Ileana del Carmen Achi Dávila (19 September 1961 – 13 October 2023) was an Ecuadorian operatic soprano based in Guayaquil. She taught at the Antonio Neumane Conservatory and at the University of the Arts. She also performed and recorded popular music.

Biography

Achi began singing at age three and appeared early on programs of Channel 4.[1] She studied singing and piano at the Antonio Neumane Conservatory of Guayaquil, in addition to continuing her studies in singing with Beatriz Parra and Nelly de Rivas, and piano with Lila Álvarez and Divina de Hlavenka.[2] She won the prize from the Philanthropic Society of Guayaquil twice.[2]

Musical career

Achi began singing professionally at age 21. She performed lead roles in Verdi's La traviata, Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore and Lucia di Lammermoor and Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia.[3] In concerts, she performed Orff's Carmina Burana and Verdi's Requiem, among others.[1] She participated in the first Latin American Youth Concert of Classical Music in 1978, representing Ecuador.[2] In 1995, Achi was a semi-finalist at Luciano Pavarotti's International Voice Competitions in New York City.[2][3][4] In 2006, she won the First International Prize at the Song Festival in Egypt.[4][1]

While Achi initially did not want to mix classical and popular music, she began recording boleros in 1996, in arrangements by Pedro Periquín Castro Silva, with songs such as "Arráncame la vida", "Nostalgia", "Alfonsina", and "El hombre del piano".[1] She later recorded pasillo music, ballads, Christmas music, and Latin music.[1] One of her favourite songs was "Como la cigarra" by María Elena Walsh.[5]

Teaching

Achi taught at the Guyaquil Conservatory and at the University of the Arts. She led the Municipal adult choir, and was a cultural manager.[4] She traditionally sang the city's anthem, "Aurora Gloriosa", for a ceremony on 9 November for the last ten years.[4]

Personal life

Achi was married to Nelson Estrella; the couple was divorced.[5] She had two daughters,[4] the younger with her former husband.[5]

She died on 13 October 2023 at age 62 as a result of cardiorespiratory arrest after complications from surgery; she had suffered from lung cancer.[5][6][7]

Discography

  • Voz y sentimiento.[2]
  • Mágico mirar.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Astrid Achi, 25 años en el canto lírico y popular". Diario El Universo (in Spanish). 23 August 2007. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Astrid Achi ofrecerá un espectáculo de música española y zarzuelas". Diario El Telégrafo (in Spanish). 2 September 2014. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Astrid Achi". Kennedy Center.org. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "La soprano Astrid Achi ha muerto". La República (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Fallece Astrid Achi, soprano guayaquileña con más de 40 años de trayectoria" (in Spanish). El Universo. 13 October 2023.
  6. ↑ "La soprano guayaquileña Astrid Achi fallece tras sufrir un paro cardiorrespiratorio". Ecuavisa (in Spanish). 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  7. ↑ "Astrid Achi canta pasillos de colección". 9 September 2003. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
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