The performance of Perth singer Jeremy Ryan on Australian reality talent show The Voice in July this year had an overwhelming effect on the judges and viewers.
The judges were impressed, not only with the 33-year-old’s soul-stirring rendition of an Andrea Bocelli classic, but by the beauty and size of his family, following an on-stage introduction of his wife, Christina, and their seven children after his performance.
Viewer ratings for the highly anticipated episode – which jumped from the usual 1.4 million to just under 1.9 million – also said something about the public’s interest, and perhaps fascination, in seeing a young couple pursue one of the spouse’s musical talents while raising a large family.
In an interview with The eRecord journalist Marco Ceccarelli, Jeremy spoke about life as a father of seven children under the age of nine, his long-standing love of performing arts and classical music and the faith journey that has been an integral part of his life to date.
“At school, I was always interested in theatre and the arts; I always wanted to do acting,” Jeremy said, tracing back the origins of his passion for music.
“This is where my relationship with singing came in. It was originally meant to assist me in being an actor. Once I started, I became quite good at it very quickly and ventured into musical theatre. Eventually, however, I bridged off into classical singing through the influence of my uncle, Chris Waddell, who was an opera singer.”
Jeremy’s decision to transition from musical theatre to classical music was not taken lightly.
As an aspiring student at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Perth, he was cast in a role where a significant level of vulgarity was required for his performance.
His decision to walk away from the play and subsequent gravitation towards classical music coincided with Jeremy’s desire to live a life that reflected the deeds of the saints he had begun reading about.
“I started praying the Rosary, went back to Confession, and began reading the lives of the saints. That really inspired me. I remember thinking, ‘here I am trying to do great things with my music and my singing and the more I read the lives of the saints, the more I feel like prioritising their actions over my own ambitions’.
“I soon realised I couldn’t be involved with that play, and felt that God did not want me to use my talents for this sort of thing.”
While it was difficult to let go of something he had worked so hard for, Jeremy understood this moment to be a real test of faith.
“It is as if God was asking ‘will you give this up for me?’ I then decided to try classical music as the opera scene is more traditional. From there, I kept working on my classical singing,” Jeremy said.
As the abundant fruits of this change in direction were put on display at his performance on The Voice, Jeremy looks towards those smaller things in life which give him unexplainable joy.
“Seeing my children grow up is a truly wonderful. Whenever my wife and I were expecting a child, we would wonder how we would manage, but God provides graces: I am a witness to that.
“Sometimes I look back and think, ‘how did I get here? How did I manage to have seven kids? But then I realise that this is what God has given me, this is what He has called me to in life.
“I couldn’t imagine taking one away and thinking ‘I’d be happy with just that many.’ Each one is different… I could not put a limit to that,” he said.
Jeremy Ryan was eventually eliminated at the battle round of the singing competition.
However, he is showing no signs of slowing down as he prepares for an array of already scheduled upcoming gigs and performances.
He will be singing at the Astor Theatre on 25 September 2015 as a support act for the Ten Sopranos.
For more information, visit: http://astortheatreperth.com/the-10-sopranos-the-astor-theatre/.