classical voice
Applauded for her “lovely medium deep tone, perfect for a pants role” (OperaGene) and the ability to sing “feelingly” (Austin Chronicle), mezzo-soprano Julie Silva has lit up many operatic stages in recent seasons. Her multi-genre approach to her art brings a particular passion, nuance, and versatility to her operatic roles. This past fall, Julie took the stage in the title role of Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel (Shakespeare Opera Theater) and this past spring Julie had the joy of performing Orfeo in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice (Opera McGill, Montréal) as well as Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été in art song (McGill University).
Recent operatic credits for Julie include the Bridesmaid in Le Nozze di Figaro (Austin Opera), the Page in Rigoletto (Opera San Antonio; Austin Opera), the Teacher (cover) in The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Austin Opera), Annio in La clemenza di Tito (LOLA), the Second Woman Dido and Aeneas (LOLA), Siébel (cover) in Faust (Natchez Festival of Music), the Alto Soloist in Handel’s Messiah in Guatemala City and Antigua, Guatemala, premieres with the iSING! International Young Artists Program in Suzhou, China, and the title role in The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Robot (One Ounce Opera). Additional roles performed include Carmen, Mercédès (Carmen), Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Sesto (Giulio Cesare), and numerous role premieres in modern operatic works.
musical Theatre
As a musical theatre singing actor, Julie has been engaged in roles including Charlotte Malcolm in A Little Night Music and Edith in The Pirates of Penzance (Natchez Festival of Music), Nettie (understudy) in Carousel and Rosemary (understudy) in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre), and Nimue in Camelot (Georgetown Palace Theatre). Julie recently performed the role of the mezzo soloist in the world premiere of Satie’s Journey (Imago Theatre, Portland). On one of her favorite engagements to date, Julie performed vocals on Giant Spoon / HBO’s highly acclaimed “Bleed for the Throne” Game of Thrones immersive activation at the South by Southwest festival (SXSW).
On camera
During the COVID-19 pandemic, inspired by the acting work she had been doing for several years on the stage, Julie began on camera scene study and acting work. She’s excited to share that she will play lead roles in two upcoming short films based in the NYC area.
and more
Julie strongly believes in works of art that aim to bring humans closer together and loves collaborative performance work. With a background in ethnomusicology, she has sung (and played percussion) on projects that incorporate world music and instruments from around the globe and from different time periods, with groups such as Bereket Middle Eastern Ensemble and Texas Early Music Project.
Julie is currently based in New York City.