[5] Collier had a fine baritone voice, and was a member of the choir of St Philip's Church of England, Collingwood, and took lessons from organist Arthur Nickson.
[6] In 1908 he competed successfully in a vocal competition run by the Australian Natives Association at the Athenaeum Hall, Melbourne.
[9] In 1919 he joined Frank Rigo's Grand Opera Company, appearing in La bohème alongside Guido Cacciali and A. C. Bartleman, with Vittorio Lois as Rodolfo.
[11] He returned to Melbourne in 1934, and in January 1935 played Mephistopheles to Browning Mummery's Faust at Sir Benjamin Fuller's Tivoli Theatre, Sydney.
In 1937 he played in Elija with the Melbourne Philharmonic Society under Bernard Heinze, Essie Ackland's first appearance in opera since her return to Australia.