MISSION LOCAL -- Silva’s journey as a musician began with the piano. In the ‘90s he and his family moved out of the besieged Mission for a bigger place in Pleasant Hill, and he made friends with other school musicians and learned to play the instrument. When he attended College Park High School he decided to switch from the clarinet and saxophone to the trumpet after hearing a bandmate play it. He felt drawn to it. Good call: Six months later he became the school band’s lead trumpet player.
Although he transferred to Chico State after a brief stint at Diablo Valley College, San Francisco and the Mission kept calling him back. Living with his grandmother, Silva played weekend gigs and attended classes at San Francisco State where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and jazz performance. He toured worldwide, as a side man for solo performers and with bands like San Francisco-based Rupa and the April Fishes.