Brandi Icard ’04 and Grace Frazor ’17: Sharing the Gift of Converse

Fort Worth, Texas, is a long way from Spartanburg, but Converse is so close to Brandi Icard’s heart that she recruited a student there to find her voice at Converse, too. Icard earned her master’s in music from Converse in 2004 before moving to Texas, where she taught high school and performed with the Fort Worth Opera Company for two years. There, she met the talented and determined Grace Frazor. “I knew Grace was really serious about music, and I definitely wanted to recommend a place for voice instruction that I trust,” Icard said.

“My girlfriends are all Converse girls. We’re all successful, 100 percent of us.”

Today, Frazor is a Converse senior majoring in music theory and vocal performance. A dynamic addition to the Converse community, she is involved in organizations like Model Programs, Delta Omicron, Alpha Lambda Delta and Honor Board. Icard now lives Charlotte, NC, where she teaches voice and piano and even drops in occasionally to see Frazor’s recitals. “I wanted to go to a bigger school,” Frazor admits. “Having a football team was really important to me.”

But Icard persuaded her to call Converse. “They were super kind and considerate, and they seemed to personally care about me. I called another school— ‘This isn’t the Music Department’—and they hung up on me.” Icard still sings her alma mater’s praises to potential recruits. “My girlfriends are all Converse girls. We’re all successful, 100 percent of us, and it’s just an environment I trust.

Originally published in The Converse Magazine