Mezzo soprano Silvia Vasquez, who made her LA Opera debut as Bianca in La Rondine, returns in the 2008/09 season as Scientist #1 in the U.S. premiere of Howard Shore's The Fly. She recently appeared with Opera Pacific in the roles of Larina in Eugene Onegin, Bertha, in Rossini's The Barber of Seville and the First Mother in Deadman Walking. As a young artist at the Music Academy of the West, the mezzo performed the White Cat and the Squirrel in Ravel's L'Enfant et Les Sortilèges in addition to recitals in Santa Barbara. In the fall of 2001, she made her debut with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Carl St. Clair.

Ms. Vasquez received her Master's degree in Vocal Performance from the University of California, Irvine and upon graduation apprenticed with San Francisco Opera's prestigious Young Artist program, Merola, where she sang the role of the Monitor in their production of Suor Angelica. Additional credits include singing in the George London Foundation's Morgan Library Recital Series, Second place winner in the Western Region finals of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, finalist in the Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition, being a featured soloist on the television program "Peeling the Orange" and a Regent's Fellowship from the University of California.