Patrick T Murphy

Patrick T Murphy was born in Chicago Heights, Illinois on January 26, 1987 and was then raised in Park Forest, Illinois. Since a young age, Patrick had a strong passion for music, writing and composing lightly since he was five years old. Nothing serious ever developed, though, until high school when he started to involve himself with the theatrical community. When he was cast in OKLAHOMA!, he started to push himself into learning music theory and teaching himself multiple instruments, including voice, piano, guitar, and harmonica. From there, he joined multiple choral/vocal ensembles including his high school's Spartan Choir, Madrigals, and Voices in Your Head (a male a cappella group). He also sang for the Grand Prairie Singers, the youngest singer ever accepted into the company. He also performed in GUYS AND DOLLS and then played the lead in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. At the end of his senior year in High School, Patrick wrote and directed a one-act musical called I LOVE YOU, TOO.

Patrick is not a trained pianist, but rather he learned to teach himself. Working as a janitor at his school for tuition, he spent his 15-minute breaks slowly teaching himself how to play piano, slowly but surely. As his skills developed, he became more motivated to release a music album, his lifelong dream. He taught himself music theory and began composing music of all sorts. Patrick then taught himself the guitar, bass, and harmonica.

Patrick now attends Loyola University Chicago as a Theatre Major. Since then he has performed with the Loyola University Chicago Chorus and sang in THE SECRET GARDEN, CHILDREN OF EDEN, and another production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. Patrick started writing songs for this CD in early Summer 2006 and finished writing in Spring 2007. Patrick is very excited now for the long-awaited release of his independent debut album, "Esperanza," to be released Tuesday, August 14th, 2007. The album explores a journey of love, pain, family, friends, hardship, success, and above all, Hope. Patrick considers this to be one of his all-time greatest accomplishments.

The title "Esperanza" is Spanish for the word "Hope." Hope is a concept of life that his grandfather taught him a lot about and what it means in life. Hope can both create and destroy, but it is the one aspect in life that one can always return to. Only when hope fails, is one defeated.