Katie Silva

A composer and pianist, Katie Silva was born in Kearney Nebraska.  Mrs. Silva began studying piano at the age of 7.  As a child she enjoyed trying to teach family members to play from her lesson book.  By the time she was 13 years old she had discovered she could invent variations and melodies and wrote many short piano pieces. After high school she went to UNO to pursue a degree in music. She began teaching piano lessons her first year in college, and found that she enjoyed teaching.  She composed pieces for solo instruments as well as various ensembles.  In addition to composing, she studied piano under the direction of several UNO faculty members including Mr. Misfeldt, Dr. Ono, and Dr. James Johnson.  Her performances include the Annual Celebration of Keyboard Arts at UNO, and a solo composition recital featuring her own original works in a variety of styles and ensembles.  Mrs. Silva graduated from UNO in 2005 with a degree in Music with an emphasis on composition and a degree in Spanish.  Since her graduation, Mrs. Silva and her husband served as co-music directors of Harvest Community Church in Omaha.  She has been teaching at SNJ since 2006.  She especially enjoys seeing how much her students progress through time.  She also continues to compose and record piano music.  Some of her music has been performed at studio recitals.  Mrs. Silva is currently working towards the goal of publishing a book of children’s piano pieces.