After receiving a BMus from the McGill Conservatorium in 1936, Archer studied with Bart¢k in New York and Hindemith at Yale, where she earned a MMus in 1949. She has received many prizes and awards, including an honorary doctorate from McGill in 1971. She taught at McGill, North Texas State College, University of Oklahoma and University of Alberta. Her compositons reflect the isolation and vastness of her native Canada, employing long dark tones over active rhythms. The influence of Hindemith is apparent in her work, and she makes use of his system of progressive harmonic weights in such compositions as =Fanfare and Passacaglia=. Bart¢k was an inspiration as well, and her interest in Canadian folkmusic stems from her association with him. Her =Three Folk Songs from Old Manitoba= is an example of this kind of composition. She turned to expressionist techniques in 1964, producing works in a dramatic style. This resulted in her first opera, =Sganarelle=, in 1973.