AMBER ARCHIBALD

Dr. Amber Archibald-Sešek has been praised for her vivacious playing that matches her personality and enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher.  Mrs. Archibald has appeared as a soloist with the Seattle Symphony, Bellingham Symphony, Olympia Symphony, Philharmonia Northwest, the Leipzig Akademische Orchester in Germany, and other organizations throughout the United States. Notable chamber invitations include the Grand Tetons Music Festival, Lyrica Baroque in New Orleans, the Seattle Russian Chamber Music Society, Arizona Bach Society, Caroga Lake Music Festival, and the Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival in Winthrop, WA. From 2016-2020, you could regularly catch Amber on stage with the Seattle Symphony and in the pit with the Seattle Opera as a substitute member. 

After returning to her hometown of Houston, Texas in 2021 after living in Seattle for 13 years, Mrs. Archibald has reconnected to the arts scene, performing with the Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, ROCO, Mercury Chamber Orchestra, and other musical organizations in the city. 

Beginning in August of 2023 Dr. Archibald is the newly appointed Professor of Practice for Viola at the University of Houston. Teaching has always been Mrs. Archibald’s biggest passion and at the forefront of her career. Prior teaching posts include professorships at Seattle University and Seattle Pacific University. The viola studio at Seattle University was awarded the Collegiate Ensemble Prize by the American Viola Society for their performance of the society’s commissioned work in 2016. For two summers, Amber was the youth viola coach in the inaugural Los Angeles Philharmonic’s YOLA Summer Festival (NTASF) under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel in 2018 and 2019.  Prior to her time in L.A., she was on faculty at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival in Tennessee and at the Burgos International Music Festival in Spain.  

Amber and her husband, violinist Ervin Luka Sešek, are the proud founders of the Sešek String Studio in Sugar Land, TX. With around 60 students, Amber and Luka stay in demand as their instruction over the years has produced a number of outstanding students who pursued music at the collegiate and professional levels. 

Amber was born and raised in Houston, Texas to parents from the Dominican Republic and Panama. Dr. Archibald earned her Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Washington. She holds her Master of Music from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and her Bachelor from Indiana University’s Jacob School of Music. Her principal teachers include Melia Watras, Karen Ritscher, and Mimi Zweig. Outside of music making, Amber enjoys cooking, reading self-development books, and playing with her Standard Poodles, Fanny and Felix.