From the Track to the Theatre: Fraser Walters of The Tenors

“The Olympics or the Grammys,” reads a portion of University of British Columbia graduate Fraser Walters's high school yearbook.

A member of the award-winning music group The Tenors, Walters was a standout dual-sport athlete in high school and during the early parts of his time at UBC, which he attended from 1998 to 2003.

The Los Angeles-based singer and songwriter competed on the Thunderbirds track and field team in his first and second years of university. On top of track and studying music, he also played varsity soccer. His sporting aspirations would be cut short after being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat, which required surgery.

“Coaches and teachers were all saying the same thing: ‘Do one to excel and to take it further,’” Fraser recalls. “But I did multiple and was lucky to also be studying music. That taught me if you can manage your time well, you can balance a lot of things.”

During his track career at both St. George’s in Vancouver and later with British Columbia, Walters captained the Pan Am Junior Games team for Canada in 1999 after being victorious at the B.C. High School Championships. His provincial championship-winning season in grade 12 came a year after attending high school in Australia for grade 11 and marked his return to the track.

“My form and technique was never the best but I think the event takes a certain level of grit running between the hurdles,” Walters says, recalling his specialty at the 400m hurdles. “What I lacked in technique, I made up for with drive.”

His then-coach, Laurier Primeau, is now the UBC Head Coach for Track and Field. The two recently caught up while Walters was visiting Vancouver.

Since graduating from UBC in 2003 with a degree in music, Walters has been travelling the world playing shows with the group, which has released four albums. Walters says that as many as 300 days are spent on the road each year. Walters connection with sports remains strong. For one, The Tenors have performed at several high-profile sporting events including All-Star games in the MLB, NBA and NHL, three of North America’s four major sporting leagues.

One of Walters’ inspirations is his brother, Steve, who was a national-class runner himself and guided Dustin Walsh at two Paralympic Games. He’s a police officer in nearby Delta.

Because of his heart condition, Walters keeps a check on his heart rate during exercise and makes sure not to peak too high. These days, his workouts consist more of cross-training and boot camps, and says that hockey and soccer are the toughest because of the intense start/stop movements. He still runs when he gets a chance.

The Walters family recently added a new member as Fraser and his wife Kelly, also a singer and songwriter, welcomed Hope Elizabeth to their lives. The three travelled to Hawaii for a show recently, marking Hope Elizabeth’s first flight at eight weeks old.