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The Canadian-Korean baritone, Clarence Frazer, began singing at the age of 7 as a member of the Toronto Children’s Chorus under the direction of Jean Ashworth-Bartle, and choral singing is what has laid the foundation for his career as a soloist. He studied Music Performance at The University of Western Ontario (2006-2010). An alumnus of the Canadian Opera Company’s prestigious Ensemble Studio (August 2013-June 2016), and Calgary Opera’s Emerging Artist Development Program, he has starred in a number of roles with leading companies across Canada.
Clarence Frazer brings his athletic presence and “silky-smooth baritone” to a wide range of roles and concert repertoire. He starred as Figaro in G. Rossin's Il barbiere di Siviglia with Pacific Opera Victoria (January-March 2016) and Saskatoon Opera (May-July 2016) and sang Marcello in Against the Grain Theatre’s acclaimed production of La bohème, touring from the Yukon to Toronto (September-November 2019). This season, he kicks off his season as Papageno in Vancouver Opera’s production of W.A. Mozart's The Magic Flute, followed by his debut with Orchestre classique de Montréal in Piazzolla’s “tango opera” María de Buenos Aires, Jacques Lacombe, conducting. Concert performances include George Frideric Handel's Messiah with Symphony Nova Scotia, and J.S. Bach's Markus-Passion BWV 247 with Metropolitan United Church, Toronto. He recently debuted with Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Thunder Bay Symphony in performances of Messiah, and was a guest soloist in God, Thy Earth is Aflame by Latvian composer Lucija Garuta, with Ottawa Choral Society. Clarence performed with Chorus Niagara in The Houses Stand Not Far Apart (Estacio) and Ralph Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem. He recently added Demetrius in Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night’s Dream (February 2023) and Guglielmo in W.A. Mozart's Cosi fan tutte (March 2022) to his repertoire, with Vancouver Opera and Edmonton Opera.
Clarence Frazer's association with Caelis Academy Ensemble began through his association with Matthew Larkin as a professional chorister at St. Thomas’s Church in Toronto, and since then, they have shared in many collaborations. Clarence writes, “there is a reason why after three centuries this music is so widely known, but rarely does one get to perform it with such a fine ensemble. He is featured in several OperaBreaks cinematic videos directed by François Raçine and produced by Domoney Artists during the pandemic. |
