You met his brother Alexandre. Now meet Raphael Grand'Pierre, who followed him into the Choir and out toward an Olympic dream of his own.
Not long ago, we told you about Alexandre Grand'Pierre, the Olympic swimmer who found his start on the risers of the Atlanta Boy Choir. He is not the only one in his family with a story like that. Meet his younger brother, Raphael.
Raphael Grand'Pierre is a Haitian-American record-holding swimmer with his sights set on the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Like his brother, he traces part of his standard of excellence back to the Choir, which he first walked into by following Alexandre through the door.
“I joined the Atlanta Boy Choir simply to follow in my brother's footsteps,” Raphael says, “and I quickly discovered the Choir had far more to offer than singing.”
The discipline came first. “The discipline and work ethic it instilled were unmatched,” he says, “learning songs in multiple languages, perfecting pitch, and practicing focus every day.”
He also learned something a soloist never does. “The Choir reinforced the power of the ensemble,” he says, “the way individual voices unite into something far greater than themselves.”
That standard shows in the water. At The Walker School in Marietta, Raphael became a Georgia High School State Champion and rewrote the record books, holding school marks in the 50, 100, and 200 freestyle and the 100 butterfly. At Bowdoin College he broke multiple school records, including the 100-yard butterfly at 48.51 seconds, powered the Polar Bears' relays to program-best finishes at the NCAA Division III National Championships, and was named Bowdoin's 2024 Outstanding First-Year Male Athlete. Swimming for Team Haiti, he is the reigning national record holder in the 100-meter freestyle, a mark he shattered twice in a single day at the Central American and Caribbean Games. As a recipient of an International Olympic Committee Solidarity Scholarship, he now trains on the road to Los Angeles 2028, following his Olympic siblings Naomy, Emilie, and Alexandre.
This is what we mean when we say a boy enters as a student and leaves as an artist, a leader, and a person of character. For Raphael, the standard he first met in rehearsal is the same one he carries into the pool today.
One memory still stands out. “Being part of the Captain America movie finally opened my eyes to the level of recognition the Choir carried,” Raphael says. “Being on set and recording the song are experiences I still talk about to this day, and they taught me what true dedication and elite-level practice require.”
“I will never forget what the Choir gave me,” Raphael says, “and I look forward to seeing what it continues to give to the students who come after me.”
The Grand'Pierre brothers are two of many. As we continue featuring our alumni around the world who are still singing, their stories keep pointing back to the same place: a boy, a stage, and a standard that lasts a lifetime.
Every chorister who walks through our doors is the beginning of a story like this one. To follow along, or to add your son's voice to ours, visit atlantaboychoir.org.