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.
n 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.
Web: http://www.guarani-raity.com/html/silagodoyinenglish.html (2010)

El Dr. Juan Max Boettner escribe sobre (x): SILA GODOY.
Digno émulo de Barrios dentro de nuestra nueva generación. Inteligente artista, con la vida por delante, tocado por la chispa divina.
Nació en Coronel Oviedo (xx) (Paraguay) en 1919. Muy pronto la familia se trasladó a Villarrica. Sus tíos, los  Echauri, eran músicos aficionados, se dedicaban al  violín, la flauta y la guitarra. Estudió en la niñez con su madre, y con su tío Marciano Echauri la guitarra. Más tarde en Asunción ingresó al Ataneo Paraguayo, donde aprendió Teoría y Solfeo. Juan Carlos Moreno lo inició en los secretos de la armonía. Prontó se destacó y buscó más amplio horizonte. En Buenos Aires estudió con la guitarrista argentina Consuelo Mallo López, con beca del Gobierno Paraguayo.
Su actuación en el extranjero fue importante, dando conciertos y abriéndose camino exitosamente: Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Chile, San Salvador, Centro América. En una interesante gira siguió las huellas de Barrios. Pudo recopilar así sus obras, sus recuerdos, las crónicas periodísticas.
La produccción de Sila es ya importante: Fiesta Campesina, sobre aires paraguayos, Tolderías, sobre temas indios, Capricho, Serie popular para guitarra: a) Vals, b) Habanera, c) Polca, Fantasía Heroica, en tres movimientos, para orquesta, dedicado a Cerro Corá.
(x) Del libro: “Música y  Músicos del Paraguay” (pág.242), del Dr. Juan Max Boettner, que fue editado por APA, en 1956, y reeditado, con autorización de los herederos del Dr. Boettner, por la Revista Paraguaya FA-RE-MI en 1997 (hoy prácticamente agotado).
Web: http://www.musicaparaguaya.org.py/godoy.html