_{Artist of the Week} 22 Qs for Clarence Frazer

When was your first singing lesson and with whom?
My first singing lesson was when I was 16, with a man named Tom Oliver. A friend of mine, Cheryl, asked me to sing “The Prayer” with her and invited me to join her at her voice lesson so her teacher could help us prepare. I remember racing straight from high school football practice to get to that lesson. Within a month, I was studying with him weekly. At the time, I was especially drawn to musical theatre for its athleticism, energy and entertainment value, but also how singing it made me feel. To Tom’s credit, he encouraged that interest while also insisting on classical training, laying the technical foundation I still rely on today across genres.

If you weren’t a singer, you’d be?
If I wasn’t singing, but stayed in the arts, I’d be very interested in casting. Part of that interest comes directly from my sports background, where one of my favourite parts of coaching was the tryouts (the audition!). Evaluating talent, understanding personalities and building a team that could truly function together… aspects remarkably similar to casting opera. It’s not only about choosing the most skilled individual for each role, but assembling an ensemble who can collaborate closely (physically, emotionally and dramatically) over weeks of rehearsal. Like sports, opera succeeds when the right people are placed together at the right time, and, in both cases, you make your choices, trust the people and the process, step back, and let the work reveal itself in performance.

What’s the strangest/funniest thing that’s happened to you on stage?
Throwing it back to 2016, one moment definitely stands out. On opening night of Barber of Seville with Saskatoon Opera, I made my entrance as Figaro pushing a cart full of barber, dental and medical tools… only to feel it tip over as I rounded the corner. It felt like it was almost happening in slow motion as the cart spilled open and, within the first seconds of “Largo al factotum,” the entire stage was covered in wigs, razors, bottles, and tools I needed for the aria. But we didn’t stop! I sang while picking things up as I went, with chorus members and supers seamlessly jumping in to help. Stage management quietly turned the cart over, and somehow we still managed most of the staging. It was hilarious and a little terrifying watching all those sharp tools fly all over the stage.

What TV show did you binge-watch last?
The Pitt. Phenomenal TV, and I really love the casting process they used to find their actors.

What’s your favourite movie?
Rudy. Inspirational, motivational, a feel-good flick. To this day, I still pay attention to how the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are doing each season.

What’s the first opera you ever saw?
The first opera I ever saw was Hansel and Gretel, with my Aunt Karen, at the Canadian Opera Company some time in the late 90s. I don’t remember the singing much, but I do remember wondering if the house was made with real candy.

What’s your favourite thing about singing with an orchestra?
I love the feeling of being carried by the sound. Singing with orchestra is a real partnership that shapes how you phrase, breathe, and respond in the moment. There’s something deeply collaborative about sharing the music with so many artists, all listening and contributing at the same time. Plus, the colours and energy of the orchestra naturally draw out more emotion and freedom from of the voice. It makes the experience of singing feel bigger and more alive.

Do you enjoy cooking? If yes, what is your best dish?
It’s no surprise to anyone close to me that the answer is yes. I really love to cook! When I’m on the road, it’s one of things that keeps me grounded and connected to a sense of routine. I would say some of my strongest (and most meaningful) dishes are Korean, shaped by growing up with my mother and halmonie (Korean for Grandmother) who were both wonderful cooks. I’m always grateful for the time I spent with them in the kitchen. Whether they were teaching me, or letting me help, absorbing the process by doing a little bit of everything. In that way, Korean dishes always make me feel at home.

Top 3 favourite operas?
In no particular order: Il barbiere di Siviglia, Le nozze di Figaro and La bohème.

Top 3 favourite composers?
In no particular order: Mozart, Schubert and Verdi.

The music industry is tough, and filled with rejection. How do you cope? Does it get easier?
What has helped me most is the day I realized that these decisions are rarely personal. At the end of the day, this is a business. People are making choices based on many factors that have nothing to do with whether you sang well, are “good enough,” or if they like you. Sometimes it’s as simple as being in the right place at the right time or fitting a specific vision a director or designer has.

You have to focus on what you can control. Whether I’m cast in a role or chosen for a project is ultimately outside of my hands, but how I prepare is not. I can control my technique, diction, musical accuracy and how I treat my colleagues. If I know I’ve done everything within my control and to the best of my ability, then the rest belongs to the decision-makers. When it doesn’t go my way, I remind myself it isn’t personal, it’s business. I move forward with respect, too, for how difficult those decisions are to make.

Were there any directors in the past that have really inspired you?
Plenty, but perhaps most notably Michael Cavanagh. I first met him as a young singer at Opera NUOVA. I was still in school and truly just beginning to even scrape the surface of who I might be as an artist. Coming at opera with a background in athletics, I hadn’t yet encountered many people who fully embraced that, or saw things in the same way as me. In his acting classes, our conversations about rugby and football, and playing rounds of golf together, Michael helped me see how closely those worlds were connected. He showed me that the discipline, preparation, focus and mental resilience I learned through sport could translate directly to the stage. Just as importantly, he made space for sensitivity, vulnerability and openness within that. That realization was pivotal for me, especially at that stage of my life. It shaped how I approach preparation, performance and collaboration, and it continues to influence how I think about this career today.

Drink of choice?
Wine from Niagara. Sketches Riesling from Tawse or the Terraced Vineyard Syrah from Kacaba Vineyards & Winery.

Tent or Hotel?
I really could go either way. I prefer a hotel or renting a condo while I’m on a gig, but I also like camping and canoe-portaging through the lakes and trails of Algonquin Park in the summer.

Are there more musicians in your family? If yes, who and what do they play/sing?
While there aren’t any other professional musicians in my family, music was a huge part of how I was raised. My paternal grandparents were deeply musical and made the arts an important aspect in family life. Music was always present when we were together. My grandfather was an electrical engineer, but also a very accomplished organist who played and led church choirs in Mississauga. He instilled in me a love of sacred music and the organ. My grandmother was a schoolteacher who played piano and loved to sing, so I have very fond memories of singing along to Disney tunes as she played for us. My father also sang in the Canadian Children’s Opera Chorus under Lloyd Bradshaw, and that musical tradition naturally carried on to my siblings and me, as we all sang in the Toronto Children’s Chorus. While I’m the only one who pursued it professionally, we all grew up with a deep appreciation and love for music in all its forms.

What’s your favourite mind-calming practice?
There are a few things that consistently bring me a sense of calm. Cooking, as above, has always been grounding for me. I also love playing golf – being outside, following a routine, spending time in nature, and spending time with my best friends really settles my mind. I find a similar sense of calm in putting in focused work at the gym. Over the last couple of years, though, the most meaningful practice has been walking my dog, Juniper. Quiet walks, just the two of us, moving through our usual trails, help me tune out the noise of daily life. Focusing on her and our time together brings me back to the present, and I’m deeply grateful for that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Coffee or Tea?
Coffee. We have a wonderful espresso machine at home and have started to build quite the coffee station. We’re also trying a coffee subscription for the first time, and so far that has been lovely.

Do you sing in the shower?
Not really. If I’m singing that day, I might do some light warming up, but that’s about it. The acoustic is great in there!

Which album did you listen to last?
Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl.

What’s the best thing about being an opera artist?
One of the best things about being an opera artist is the community it creates. Opera brings together people from all over the world, with different life experiences, and asks them to collaborate, create and make something meaningful together. In the process, colleagues often become close friends, and in a profession that is demanding, competitive, and uncertain at times, that sense of shared support is invaluable. I have a group of eight lifelong best friends I met through opera. All of us singers. We went through the grind together as young artists, chasing the same dream, collecting the same scars, and coming out tougher and more resilient because of it. Even though our careers have taken different paths, that bond has never faded. We still come together every year for a golf trip, sharing life, wonderful memories of a shared passion, and fellowship – a tradition that exists only because opera first brought us together.

Favourite city that you’ve worked in?
My favourite city that I’ve worked in has to be Vancouver. And how lucky I am that I’m writing from there today! It’s a breathtakingly beautiful part of the country with vibrant, big-city energy balanced by an incredible sense of calm being surrounded by mountains and ocean. No matter how you like to connect with nature, it’s always within reach.

Artistically, Vancouver has become a true home for me over the past four seasons through my work with Vancouver Opera. I’ve been very fortunate to build this relationship and collaborate with the team here. I’m endlessly grateful to Tom Wright, Nicole Lamb, Jacques Lacombe and Les Dala for their belief in me and their trust in my development as an artist. They’ve supported me through important roles, witnessed my growth and encouraged where my voice and artistry are going next. I feel genuinely seen, heard, supported and inspired by the people here every season.

What is happiness for you?
Happiness for me is pretty simple: waking up healthy, sharing a quiet breakfast and coffee with my partner Morgan and our dog Juniper. I’m a fairly simple person and I don’t need much to feel content. Spending so much time on the road really clarifies what matters most. Being at home, doing ordinary everyday things, and knowing that the people I love are healthy means everything to me. Knowing I have a deeply loving and supportive partner, a strong family and an incredible group of friends I can always rely on brings me an immense sense of peace. That sense of connection is what keeps me steady.