About

Ian Silverman is a stage director for all forms of music theater, from opera to musical theater to operetta, and creates productions that highlight and shift character focus to enhance the story, connect to the audience, and deliver a vivid personal experience. His own performance background as a singing actor, coupled with a practical knowledge of the totality of stagecraft, make his empathy for the performers’ work central to his process. 

This Season

This Fall, Ian makes his NYC Directorial Debut, directing the World Premiere of Nicholas Flagello’s Beyond the Horizon with Teatro Grattacielo at the historic La MaMa Experimental Theater Club in Downtown NYC. He then heads to The Atlanta Opera to serve as the Associate Director for Tomer Zvulun’s Production of Die Zauberflöte. This Spring, Ian returns to the Houston Grand Opera to assist Francesca Zambello on West Side Story and a New Production of Tannhäuser. He then returns to Atlanta to Associate Direct Semele. Ian and his design team were also chosen as one of the winners of Opera America's Robert L.B. Tobin Director-Designer Prize for their production concept of Fellow Travelers. Their design is on display at the Opera America Headquarters in NYC until December 2024.

Background

Ian has worked in all forms of music theater, from rare operettas to golden age musicals to large scale grand opera. In addition to standard repertoire, Ian has extensive experience with new work and has worked on eleven world premiere productions. Ian also has experience working for film as both a director and video editor. He served as the Associate Director for both The Knock produced by The Glimmerglass Festival as well as Everything for Dawn produced by Experiments in Opera. Both projects received awards nominations for their artistic excellence.

Ian has served on the directing staffs of Houston Grand Opera, The Atlanta Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, The Glimmerglass Festival, Palm Beach Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Utah Opera, Opera Colorado, The Ohio Light Opera, OnSite Opera, and the Brevard Music Center among others. He has also directed productions at Arizona Opera, Lakes Area Music Festival, Amarillo Opera, Youngstown State University, The Rochester Fringe Festival, Miami Children’s Chorus, and Eastman Opera Theater. 

He collaborates often with Papermoon Productions, a company focused on reducing waste in production by using recyclable materials. With Papermoon, Ian has directed a production of Werther at William Jewel College, and co-directed a production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Amarillo Opera.

Ian graduated from the Eastman School of Music with Master of Music Degree in Stage Directing and a Certificate in Arts Leadership in May 2020. During his time at Eastman he assistant directed opera productions, taught opera theater classes, and created his own productions. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, with degrees in both Classical Vocal Performance and Music Business. Upon graduation, he was awarded the Overall Outstanding Senior Award for the Frost School of Music. 

PC: Michelle Chin