About Summer Opera Lyric Theatre

"Ten Most Influential Hispanic-Canadians" (2008) award-winner Guillermo Silva-Marin is the founder and continuing General Director of Summer Opera Lyric Theatre. A modern day Renaissance man, Guillermo Silva-Marin claims experience as a performer, stage director, writer, set and lighting designer, teacher and producer. Performance highlights include appearances with the Canadian Opera Company, New York City Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, Cincinnati Opera, and symphony orchestras in Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, El Paso, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

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He became the General Director of the prestigious Opera in Concert organization in 1994 and founded Toronto Operetta Theatre in 1985. His commitment to the advancement and promotion of Canadian singers has been exemplary. He has maintained a minimalist philosophy as stage director and has, to a fault, emphasized dramatic truth and adherence to the highest standards of excellence in performance with admirable results and enthusiastic response from audiences, critics and artists alike. He was instrumental in producing three recordings, released internationally on the Naxos label including CASTOR ET POLLUX by Rameau, RINALDO by Handel and LA GRISELDA by Vivaldi, all featuring Canadian artists.

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Mr. Silva-Marin has staged a significant number of operas and operettas with companies in Canada, The United States and Ireland. His debut in Ireland for Opera Cork's THE MERRY WIDOW took place in 2007 in association with conductor Kevin Mallon. His CARMEN FLAMENCO! with Arte Flamenco! Spanish Dance Co. received two separate productions. Mr. Silva-Marin joined Opera McGill at McGill University in Montreal as stage director for Ravel's L'ENFANT ET LES SORTILEGES in 1998. In the following 8 years he staged Ward's THE CRUCIBLE. Mozart's LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, Weisgall's SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR, Handel's SEMELE, a semi-staged version of Verdi's FALSTAFF, Mozart's IDOMENEO and Bernstein's CANDIDE. 

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During the 2007-2008 academic year, he served as Co-Director of Opera McGill, sharing these duties with conductor Julian Wachner. He was instrumental in bringing to a successful completion the World Premiere of EARNEST, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING by Canadian composer Victor Davies and librettist Eugene Benson in February 2008, the World Premiere of KAMOURASKA by Charles Wilson in 2009 and the professional World Premiere of TAPTOO! by John Beckwith and James Reaney in 2012. Mr. Silva-Marin appears in recent editions of the Canadian WHO'S WHO.