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Washington Isaac Holmes
Lecturer (Baritone)
Office: Etherredge Center, Room 126
Email: IsaacH@usca.edu
Washington Isaac Holmes, a native of Graniteville, SC, received a B.M.A. from The University of South Carolina, where he studied with Laurie Christie, Harry Cardwell, and Donald Gray; he has an M.M. from The University of Michigan, where he majored in vocal performance studying with George Shirley and Leslie Guinn. While at U of M, he studied vocal literature with Martin Katz, Mitchell Krieger, the late Geoffrey Parsons, and Margo Garrett, among others.
Holmes has performed as soloist, dancer, instrumentalist, and chorister in the United States, South Korea, Germany, France, Great Britain, Holland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Belgium. Further, he has traveled abroad for vocal and language study.
While in Ann Arbor, MI he performed with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Leonard Bernstein’s protégé, Carl St. Clair in African-American composer Hale Smith’s Meditations in Passage, The U of M Orchestra, The 20th Century Music Ensemble named Contemporary Directions and in Igor Stravinsky’s Pulchinella Suite with The U of M Philharmonia. Also, he performed with the Papageno Opera Company in several productions as well as with the U of M Opera Theatre as Danilo in Lehar’s The Merry Widow. Also, he performed in Stravinsky’s A Rake’s Progress, directed by famed film director Robert Altman in Lille, France.
Holmes has been a fellowship student at the Aspen Summer Music Festival in the Vocal Chamber Music Program and The Opera Theatre Center. He studied with the late Jan De Gaetani, Ms. Adele Addison, and Leslie Guinn. He performed as soloist with The Aspen Concert Orchestra and the Aspen Concert Band.
At USC, Holmes was Drum Major of the USC Marching Band (the first African-American to do so in the school’s history); he was in the USC Concert Choir directed by the late Arpad Daraz; he performed with the USC Dance Company, directed by Susan Earle-Anderson; he performed with the CBS Dance Company under Anita Ashley; and, he made regular appearances with the former Columbia Lyric Opera Company and The USC Opera Workshop.
His local performances have been at the University of South Carolina-Aiken, Augusta State University, and Paine College. Recent performances have been as a singer, conductor and in purely dramatic roles which include The Ghost of Christmas Present with The Augusta Players in A Christmas Carol, directed by Debi Ballas and Richard Justice; Creon in Paine College’s production of Antigone, and as Prospero in Behind the Masque’s production of The Tempest, both directed by Don Cleary.
Holmes is an assistant professor of Music at Paine College, as well as artistic director and conductor of the Columbia County Choral Society. He is the son of the late Mildred Holmes and Mr. and Mrs. Booker T. and Martha Holmes.
