Jonathan Silvia, bass-baritone, is a graduate of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, with a degree in Voice Performance and Pedagogy. Returning to Washington, he has since been involved with a wide variety of organizations. A few of his most recent operatic productions include Quince in A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Seattle Opera Young Artist Program (2009), Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with Kitsap Opera (2008), Barone Duphol in La Traviata (2008) with Skagit Opera, Dottore Grenvil (2007) in La Traviata with Lyric Opera Northwest, Sam in Trouble in Tahiti (2007) with Tacoma Opera, Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea (2007) with the Early Music Guild, and with Bellevue Opera: Filippo in Don Carlo (2010), Luther/Crespel in Les Contes d’Hoffmann (2006), Alidoro in La Cenerentola (2006), and Colline in La Bohème (2005). Locally, he has also performed with Puget Sound Opera, Seattle Opera Guild, The Ladies Music Club, Seattle Civic Light Opera, Eastside Music Theater, and the University of Washington, where he studied in the Master of Music program under the recently late Julian Patrick.
Mr. Silvia is a Regular Member of the Seattle Opera chorus since April of 2007. In that time he has sung ten productions (and counting). His solo debut with the company was in January of 2008, singing the role of the 1st Peasant in I Pagliacci. In October of 2009, he made his mainstage debut at Seattle Opera as a principle, singing the role of Marchese d'Obigny in La Traviata, sharing the stage with Nuccia Focile and Eglise Gutiérrez among others.
In the summer of 2010, Mr. Silvia joined Des Moines Metro Opera as an Apprentice, covering the role of Banquo in Macbeth on the mainstage. There he also has the opportunity to sing the title role in the one-act opera Markheim by Carlisle Floyd - a role originally created for Norman Treigle. The composer was in attendence.
He is a frequent soloist in the area, and a professional in choral music, having sung with the Renaissance Singers, Mercer Island Presbyterian Church, Plymouth Congregational Church, Cascadian Chorale, Issaquah Chorale, Annas Bay Music Festival, and the acclaimed Santa Fe Desert Chorale, among others. Always a teacher and advocate for singing, he has performed two seasons with Northwest Opera In Schools, Etc. (N.O.I.S.E.), an elementary school opera outreach program, and teaches privately from studios in Redmond, Renton, and Kent, WA.
In October of 2009, Jonathan became a winner in the Western WA / Alaska district competition for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition, and competed in the Northwest Regional Competition in February of 2010.