Kearns knows about rural life. He hails from the village of Kiltealy in County Wexford, a town of about 1,500 people. He likes the idea of being able to bring something different to our neck of the woods.

“You never forget where you come from,” Kearns said.

To that end, he’s set up his own music fund, asking fans to make donations on his birthday, August 17, in lieu of gifts. Last year, it raised about $18,500. He’s used the money to purchase instruments for his old school and to set up scholarships for other vocalists.

Though he grew up in an area steeped in traditional Irish music, he credits his school for giving him a love of classical music. His family couldn’t afford an instrument, but the school provided him with a trombone to learn. Of course, the trombone wasn’t exactly his calling.

“I played the trombone, or rather, I wrestled with the trombone,” he joked. “That’s the truth of it. But it introduced me to a whole new genre of music, and it was a fantastic experience.”

At that point, he knew he wanted to sing, but he also needed to eat, so he went to school to study hotel management. It wasn’t until he entered a singing competition that he was finally able to live his dream.

It might be hard to imagine that a world-renowned tenor like Kearns got his start on what is, in essence, an Irish version of “American Idol.” OK, maybe it wasn’t exactly like Fox’s hit show, but it had the same premise. The 10 pound note, commonly called a “tenner,” was introduced with a contest called “Ireland’s Search for a Tenor” in 1993. Kearns sang his initial audition over the phone.

“Most people would turn their nose up at that and think this is crazy,” he said. “I didn’t care. I wanted it that bad. I would have stood on my head and sang on the phone. You have to have that passion.”

Kearns ended up winning the contest and launching his music career. Now he’s toured the world with the Irish Tenors and has his own successful solo career. Not bad for a guy who really had no formal voice training before entering the contest.

“I just had a pure love and passion for it,” he said. “I had a very good ear for music. I could listen to songs and learn from old recordings.”

Patrick Healy, Kearns’ long-time friend and collaborator said he knew there was something special about the young tenor the first time Kearns came to study with him. He said he continues to be impressed by his former student.

“He is involved in the Irish Tenors and people tend to see him in that light, but he’s certainly a lot more,” Healy said. “His potential is a lot greater than the Irish songs allow him to show. He enjoys them and people love hearing them, but his potential is a lot larger. We like to encompass as much as we can in our programs.”

Indeed, in Kearns’ performance you will hear traditional Irish music, but you may also hear opera and even Broadway tunes.

Even with his success and the praise heaped on him, though, Kearns still isn’t completely happy with his skills — may never be. He still takes lessons in New York.

“Singers are never happy,” he said. “We’re always striving and striving and driving ourselves into an early grave, I think. You can never be perfect.”

So much of singing is emotion and the singer’s physical condition, Kearns said. Due to the rigorous touring schedule, he sometimes has to take the stage tired, and though the audience may love the show, he hates those nights.

“When you leave the stage, you know it wasn’t your best, and no compliment will make it any better,” he said. “You’re disgusted with yourself.”

Fortunately, Healy said Kearns doesn’t have to worry about that often.

“Anthony is fortunate; he doesn’t go below a certain level,” he said. “It may not be the level he wants to be at, but from an audience point of view, it’s always very satisfactory. That is a great talent.”

And having legions of loyal fans who follow you around the world to warm up the audience doesn’t hurt. Some people travel from the U.S. to Ireland and vice versa, or from as far away as Australia and South Africa to see him. He’s even had fans tell him they planned holidays in Ireland off the back of an Irish Tenors CD.

“They’re very loyal,” Healy said. “And they stimulate the audience with their enthusiasm.”

With the Internet, those fans are even more connected. Kearns said he’s often shocked at how fast news about him travels.

“I have to consult them sometimes to see where I am and what’s going on,” he joked.

But as much as he enjoys the fans, in the end he said it’s about the music and doing what he loves.

“If you do your job right, by default, success will come your way,” he said. “If you’re on top of your game, good fortune will come with it. I could care less for fame; it just happened. I was playing to 700 or 800 people in Ireland and I was quite content. I don’t care if it’s five people or 5 million. That’s the bottom line.”