Spotlight on: Diego Silva Photo by Ana Lourdes Herrera

Spotlight on: Diego Silva

Jenna Simeonov
A finalist of the 2013 Operalia Competition, tenor Diego Silva keeps busy with roles like Rodolfo (La bohème), Alfredo (La traviata), and the title role in Faust. In the 201617 season, he’ll sing the Duke of Mantua (Rigoletto) at the Luzerner Theater in Switzerland, and he’s set to make his Metropolitan Opera debut in the 201617 season as Tybalt in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette. Silva chats about loving his work, and the “liberating” feeling of great singing.

Why do you sing, and why are you doing it professionally?

I feel like singing is my way of communicating to people and my way of letting everything I have inside myself out. I sing professionally because I realized I could live from doing what I love!

What does “good singing” mean to you? What does it feel like when you achieve it?

Good singing for me is singing beautifully and healthily. I think good singing is not only being technically perfect, but also being able to express and move other people. When I can achieve it, it feels like my voice responds to everything I want to do with it and the feeling is liberating.

What do young singers need to do more of? What should they do less of?

We need to take more time developing our craft and never stop listening to the people we trust about what we can improve on. Young singers should learn more languages while in school, as they are really important for when you are working in many different countries.

Do you have any “bucket list” roles you’d like to sing (realistically or otherwise)?

There are many roles that I would like to sing in my career and it is difficult to say which ones are realistic and which ones are unrealistic as I really don’t know exactly how my voice is going to grow. One role that I would really want to sing soon is Romeo. I love that music!

How do you explain your job to non-music folks?

I make a living from doing what I love to do, and my schedule is always changing and includes lots of travel. I never get bored because I have to study a lot of different music in different languages and there is always room for improvement.

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