Check Out Justin Gray’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Gray.

Hi Justin, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My family moved to San Diego County in the 60’s, and my mom and dad were drawn to Valley Center, where they could purchase a 2.5 acre lot and raise the family of eight on a farm. Dad became the English/German/ Band teacher in 7th and 8th Grade. The entire family loved to sing and I was the pianist of the clan (Dad having started me at age three or so).

I started piano lessons with my 4th Grade teacher, Mrs Elaine Tracy – who used to be a silent film accompanist in the 1920’s (yes, I’m that old). She introduced me to reading music and classical repertoire since up to that point, I only played by ear.

I really wasn’t involved in music much in high school since my interests were mostly in math and science. I figured music would be just a hobby. I attended Palomar College, majoring in Aerospace Engineering, while at the same time taking flying lessons our of Palomar Airport. I actually soloed in an airplane (a Citibrabia “tail dragger”) before I drove a car. Due to a close call in the sky, not great grades in college, and a hesitancy on the part of my mother to allow me into the Air Force to further my career, I came to the conclusion that a career as an airline pilot was not going to happen for me, and I switched my major to music, and soon transferred to San Diego State University.

I still didn’t know what I was going to do with my degree in music. I told friends I was planning on hanging the diploma on the wall and get a job at a bank. But the universe had other plans for me. A professor by the name of Dr. Terry O’Donnell taught in both the music department and the drama department at SDSU. He asked me to become the accompanist of the MFA program they were just putting together. I exchange, SDSU would pay for my Master’s Degree, as well as provide a small stipend. I thought, “what the hell, I’ll do it.”

Soon Dr. O’Donnell introduced me to the Artistic Directors of Starlight, and I became their Music Coordinator and orchestra contractor. From there, I was introduced to the management at the Welk Theater, and I became the Music Director there, a position I held for about 25 years.

When the Welk Theater transitioned to using tracks to accompanying their shows, I knew the time had come to move on. I had been working with Pacific Lyric Association Opera for a number of years as their accompanist and orchestra contractor when the founders, Carlos and Terry Oliva, decided to retire and close the opera company. I couldn’t see that happening so I became to be the Executive Director in 2018. I had experience producing concerts and musicals, but the world of opera was relatively new for me. To this day, I work regularly with singers who know much more about the genre than I do.

Together with Alexandra Keegan, the Artistic Director, we transitioned the company from a single source to publicly-funded. We had only a year to pull this off since the opera company was already well established and audiences were accustomed to seeing fully staged productions with professional actors, costumes, and sets – all with a 28-piece orchestra in the California Center for the Arts Escondido. Downsizing simply wasn’t an option. We managed to do it and PLA produced Romeo and Juliet in 2019 and Die Fledermaus in 2021 (for some reason, we didn’t do a production in 2020 – I can’t remember the reason now).

Since Alexandra and I took over the opera company, we have established an Opera Education Program (which allows local youth to see our dress rehearsal free of charge), an Opera Internship Program (which trains up and coming professionals and gives them rare time with an orchestra), a monthly OpenMic night (an evening of wine and opera at Forgotten Barrel), and finally, a new youth orchestra called Pacific Lyric Association Youth Symphony (PLAYS).

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
LOL, a career in music is never an easy road. I remember lying awake at night during my last semester at SDSU thinking, “I’m not gonna make it…I’m not gonna make it.” Somehow I did.

One of the challenges of choosing a career path in music is that you have to decide whether you want the relative stability of a regular job, like a high school band instructor, or the excitement and uncertain lifestyle of a gigging musicians. I have experienced both. My time at the Welk Theater was stable, complete with salary and benefits. But I gave up a lot of opportunities. Luckily one of those opportunities that circled back around was the Old Globe Theater. Once I was no longer tied down to a regular position, I could say yes. And it’s been very gratifying.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I run a soundtrack/music preparation business out of my home. Most of my clients are in theaters and high schools in the Western United States. I provide soundtracks for their productions, as well as work with songwriters to help them put their creations on paper and produce recordings. I also love music direction, arranging, and orchestrating. I have a handful of highly motivated piano students. But my primary work is as a pianist. I find it very satisfying to work with good singers and accompany them in concert.

What sets me apart is my ability to both sight read well and to play by ear. Oftentimes we pianists tend to specialize in one field or the other. You can place me in most any musical situation and I’ll do pretty well.

What are your plans for the future?
My plans for the future include expanding PLA into a company able to offer one production per month, including opera, ballet, orchestra concerts, choral concerts, musicals, etc. Escondido has a wonderful Arts Center and I’d like to see it become a center for high-class entertainment in North County.

I also completed my piano method during the lockdown, and I’m concentrating on marketing that. It basically describes step by step how I approach the piano and how I think.

Contact Info:

• Email: justin.pacificlyric@gmail.com
• Website: www.pacificlyricassociation.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PacificLyricAssociation