[1] Silverthorne studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Clarence Myerscough, Max Gilbert and Sidney Griller.
In 1988, Silverthorne was made principal of the specialist contemporary music ensemble London Sinfonietta.
In addition to his orchestral work, Paul Silverthorne is an active viola soloist and has performed with major English, American and European orchestras with conductors such as André Previn, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Kent Nagano.
[3] Silverthorne is a specialist in contemporary music and has given many first performances both with the London Sinfonietta and in recitals.
[4] Since 2015, Silverthorne has taught at the newly founded school of music in Soochow University, in Suzhou, China.