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 Isaac Grier grew up in a musical family right here in Flint. His entire family sang in the church choir and his mother Robbie was the church organist. He recalls that his family would often spontaneously break into song, mostly gospel, at the drop of a hat. So, it’s no surprise that he was naturally drawn to a career in music.
Grier attended the Flint Summer Music Academy in 1985 and was exposed to and fell in love with the genre of classical music. He credits choral directors Carolyn Mawby and Mary Alice Stollak with influencing him and nurturing his musical abilities. As a student attending Flint Central High School, Fritz Petrich, choir director, taught him about the order in singing and how to listen to the other voices in an a cappella choir to create a more uniform, harmonious sound.
A “lightning bolt” moment occurred in 1991 when he attended the Northwestern University Summer Music Camp as he heard professional vocalists rehearsing and got a true understanding of solo classical performance. It was shortly after this that he gave up playing saxophone to devote himself full-time to singing.
After graduating from Flint Central, class of ’93, Mr. Grier went on to earn his Bachelor of Music from Xavier University and his Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music. While at Xavier, Grier performed leading roles in Amahl and the Night Visitors by Menotti and Trial by Jury by Gilbert and Sullivan. At the Manhattan School of Music, Grier was featured in numerous productions, most notably Madame Butterfly by Puccini and A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Benjamin Britten.
The opera dream role for Isaac is Frère Laurent (Friar Laurence) in Romeo et Juliette by Charles Gounod, which he performed with the dell’Arte Opera Ensemble in the summer of 2008. He loves the opera for its romantic qualities, and identifies with Laurent because the character mirrors Grier’s real life qualities; calm and gentle-hearted, with a desire to bring balance to everyday life.
Currently, Grier is a performer with the dell’Arte Opera Ensemble in New York City, where he continues to hone his craft while learning everything he can about the opera business from administration to lighting and make-up.
Grier will be fulfilling a life goal when he performs with the Flint Symphony Orchestra before his hometown audience of family, friends and eager listeners. Yes, he is a little nervous, but he knows that once he begins to sing, the anxiety will disappear, as it always does.
Isaac Grier, baritone, is the Guest Artist at the February 20 FSO Classical Concert, which is part of the Black Classical Music Family Festival, held each year as part of the Flint Institute of Music’s celebration of Black History Month.
By Amy Trottier
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