KEY POINTS:
My introduction to opera was three-fold; first, The Three Tenors concert with Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras (I have gone on to perform with two of them); second, the New Zealand National Youth Choir and National Secondary Schools Choir (they gave me the love of singing and making fine
music) and finally, the music department of Ashburton College, where I performed as a bass in the choir, rhythm guitar and DX7 keyboard in two rock bands, percussion in the orchestra, and euphonium in the concert band - all accompanied by playing prop in the 1st XV.
Dr Hook's Walk Right In, Sit Right Down - I can remember jiving to this groovy number as a 5-year-old. I started piano with Mrs Perkins at the age of 8 and joining the Ashburton Silver Band as second baritone at the age of 10. Opera did not appear on my radar until my late teens.
1988 sixth-form prize-giving at Ashburton College. My parents, friends and many teachers had never heard me sing a note until this evening. I sang The Music of the Night from Lloyd Webber's "new" musical, the Phantom of the Opera. The performance went well, complete with cape and mask - still, I was completely terrified.
People react differently when I tell them what I do for a living - in New Zealand and London, often with interest, but often accompanied by the perennial question but what is your real job? In New York City yada yada yada, there are 10,000 singers there, it's completely normal.
My iPod is full of many types of music. I'm interested in listening to any musician in any genre, at the top of their game. I play the piano (classical and jazz), I play the pipe organ and have played basic jazz double bass and I've played the tuba in orchestras, brass bands and at university in a Bavarian beer band. I love making music most of all - not always listening to it.
I would love to run for politics one day. I keep threatening my wife with running for the Mayor of Ashburton (a pro sheep-farming and crop-farming ticket enough cows, already). I love New Zealand and care what happens here but being out of the country a lot of the time, it seems appropriate to start in an area where my roots are.
I have not had therapy, but I've lived in New York City for the past 11 years where therapy is commonplace and I would have no hesitation seeking that help if I needed it. I suppose I have lots of avenues to discuss my ups and downs.
I will never order crab if it's on the menu - I found out that I am allergic to crab while dining at the wonderful "all you can eat" Florida Crab house. Living most of my life overseas I usually order anything that is from New Zealand - food or wine.
My golden rule of dressing is one to show and one to blow - as any good Cub Scout will tell you, that's a reference to hankies!
I know who I am now because while the highs in my life have been glorious, the lows have been genuinely character building. A little differently from Nietzsche, I am a firm believer that "what doesn't kill you" doesn't kill you.
* Simon O'Neill will sing the role of Florestan in the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's Opera in Concert performance of Beethoven's Fidelio at the Auckland Town Hall on August 10. He lives in New York and has been performing opera for 15 years.
