Jack Colwell, Sydney singer-songwriter and Polyphony Choir director, who was a one-man séance, reaching operatic heights and terrifying the horses with raw, primal lows when he played live has died at 34. He looked like a vision board of idealized love scenes, complete with a knight in shining armor indulging in an ice cream sundae and a shirtless dreamboat falling into a flower bed. He will be missed by all his fans and his community.

The mother of Colwell was a concert pianist. Sydney Conservatorium of Music High School was his school of choice. Before beginning his solo career, Colwell was employed in the Australian music industry’s backroom, helping Karen O with her 2012 Sydney Opera House performance of “Stop The Virgens” and arranging vocals for Architecture in Helsinki. Moreover, he was in a band known as Jack Colwell & The Owls.

When Colwell’s music video for “Don’t Cry Those Tears” debuted in August 2015 on Rolling Stone Australia, the public took notice. Although Colwell, who was 25 years old at the time, was informed by Triple J programmers that “Don’t Cry Those Tears” sounded “too old” to be aired on the station, the song topped AMRAP’s Metro radio chart for four weeks in a row.

Additionally, Jack served as the music director for the happy Polyphony Choir in Sydney. The choir helped a large number of diverse individuals find a home and a family by bringing them together. Jack frequently conducted the choir in a sparkly cloak or a leather chest harness. I have some idea of the choir’s current emotions. In 2015, I planned a concert in the newly minted Amphlett Lane in Melbourne, and Jack came on board without hesitation as choirmaster. He put a lot of effort into teaching us how to sing this challenging a cappella and converted Divinyl’s songs into four-part harmonies. His energetic visage served as our conductor for the evening, providing us with the necessary support.