Biography

Silvio Rivier started working with SBS Television as a subtitler when the network first went to air in 1980.
 
Since that time his contribution to the success of the network has been diverse. From 1981 to 1986 he was the network's chief station presenter - presenting at least 50 per cent of its films, series and documentaries. Silvio has been a newsreader on SBS World News and on the current affairs program 9 O'Clock, and was one of the original presenters of The Movie Show. He produced and presented Sneak Preview, a look behind the scenes at SBS, for more than five years. As producer, writer and presenter, Silvio has made a travelogue documentary series for SBS visiting China, Korea, Yugoslavia, Singapore and The Netherlands. In 1991 he set sail on the visiting Chilean Naval ship, Esmeralda, also known as The White Lady, to make a documentary about this controversial vessel, said to have been used as a torture chamber under the Pinochet regime.
 
On top of his various roles as presenter, Silvio was also the network's continuity announcer for five years as well as providing narration/voice-overs on SBS films and series for the last 15 years including all the voice-characterisations in a series of seven animated cartoons and two animated features - The Woodcutter's Sons and The Magic Flute. Silvio secured funding, initiated and was the associate producer for the documentary program When Friends Were Enemies which was a finalist in the 1991 AFI Awards and New York Film and Television Festival.
 
Silvio was born to a musical family from Croatia. His mother was repetiteur with the Split National Opera Theatre and his father was a music teacher and orchestra conductor/composer. In 1961 his family came to Australia. Silvio's sister, Gita Rivera, became a singer while Silvio gained a Diploma in Opera at Sydney's Conservatorium of Music. Silvio has sung as a tenor with the chorus of the Australian Opera and, through a quirk of fate, changed career course with "the advent" (as he calls it) of SBS Television.

He has also sung major roles with regional companies in Orpheus in the Underworld, The Rakes Progress, Madam Butterfly, The Tales of Hoffmann, Naughty Marietta, Brigadoon including Gilbert & Sullivan's Trial by Jury & Princess Ida. Silvio's expertise in the field of opera resulted in his subtitling and presenting a collection of outstanding opera films in the 80's for SBS. In 1993 Silvio produced a series of ten musical fillers using local talent of South American, Spanish and Middle Eastern backgrounds for SBS called, Spotlight.
 
SBS's viewer response program Hotline started in 1990. Throughout its many seasons on air Silvio has taken on the role of presenter and producer making Hotline one of the most watched weekly programs, and one of the highest rating programs on SBS.
 
After a three month holiday in Europe Silvio returned to Australia in September 1998 when he graduated with a post-graduate degree in Multicultural Journalism from Wollongong University after which he immediately left HOTLINE to take on the role of presenter, narrator and series producer of the documentary series Global Village. The 24th of September 2009 will mark its 2000th episode.