I met Francis Reddy, whom I barely knew, but whose image of serenity has always intrigued me. How can we exude such joy in life? In these rather gloomy times which exhaust our nervous system, I wanted to meet the person behind this impression, to discover the secret of his good humor.
Published yesterday at 10:50 a.m.
Authenticity, smile, but also introspection. Three words to describe my meeting with someone who engages in everything he does with passion, sensitivity, but also great curiosity. Not to mention his ability to freeze frame, prolonged silence and reflection to formulate sincere responses.
Listening to it feels good. To me, but probably also to all his listeners Seasons of Francis which he hosts on ICI Musique on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Since childhood, Francis Reddy wakes up in a good mood, never anxious. “My basic nature is to feel good,” he explains. And especially on Saturday and Sunday mornings! “Those were the best moments of the week for me! I felt like the Earth belonged to me. »
This is still the case and he is delighted to be on the air, with his listeners, at the dawn of these weekend days. He dares to believe that he is not the only one to cherish these privileged hours stolen from the hectic pace of our weeks.
For each show, he prepares carefully to stage the images that will describe the works he will present. “Each musical piece must have meaning for those who listen to it, and be appropriate for the time, day and moment,” he explains. The appeasement he tries to create in his broadcasts can counterbalance, he hopes, the cloud of bad news heard during the week.
It is through his sincerity that he wants to reach his listeners. The day he no longer feels authentic, he will stop hosting his show.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Francis Reddy
In my face, I have wrinkles that are only smiling. I think I really like human beings. I have always embodied the role of bringing joy. I like to bring people together, to give them pleasure.
Francis Reddy
He never had a career plan, he was always a freelancer. After his diploma in theater from CEGEP Lionel-Groulx, he participated in numerous shows, productions and animations. We weren’t necessarily expecting it in a classical music niche. It was not knowing him well.
His journey is influenced by the loss of his father. “Before my father’s death, I told myself that I would never be able to live up to his goodness, his immense capacity to speak with everyone and to be interested in everyone with empathy. And take the time necessary to do it. My father had unimaginable goodness in him. Since his death, I have given myself the right to truly express what I feel and to expose all the images that come to me when I listen to music. »
It was only after his death that he was able to grant himself permission to expose his vulnerability, in addition to assuming what he calls “the legendary slowness of [son] father “. “Me, the hyperactive one!” », he said, bursting out laughing.
His mother, a music teacher, also had an important influence. One of his favorite teaching tools was to transform musical scores into images for his students to guide them in their interpretation.
Francis will therefore have received from his parents the ideal premises to transmit the richness of classical music. He now embodies the role of a conveyor of images and emotions.
His life experience, the departure of his parents and what they left to him have shaped him lastingly. “I want to be able to carry all of this within me and transmit it to listeners. Before I expressed myself through the roles I played, the characters to embody. Now, I embody myself, as authentically as possible and in the present moment. »
Francis is, like many of us, affected by the aggressiveness and withdrawal, which are very present in our societies. He regrets a certain indifference in the face of the enormous challenges we face. “I feel affected, I’m not always smiling, but I deeply want to believe in human nature. I will probably be optimistic until I die by living in the moment, in authenticity and in hope. »
Francis Reddy’s personality goes well beyond the epithets of happy, candid or kind man. He is a being endowed with depth, sensitivity and great emotional intelligence. He experiences his aging serenely despite the trials he has overcome and he says he is ready to face other obstacles, hoping that his unshakeable hope in human nature will always prevail over the challenges that life has in store for him.
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