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Patrick Flynn

1936 – 2008

American composer

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About Patrick Flynn

Lived 1936 – 2008 (aged 72). Patrick Flynn was an American composer.

Patrick Flynn (18 May 1936 — 10 September 2008) was a composer and conductor who was active in the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia.

Flynn conducted for many prominent orchestras and festivals worldwide, including the BBC, the Paris Opera, the Spoleto and Varna International Festivals, the Finnish National Opera, Holland Simfonia and the orchestras of New Zealand, Rio de Janeiro, Cologne, Louisville, and San Diego.

Flynn conducted numerous orchestras in the US and was at the time of his death Music Director of the Riverside County (California) Philharmonic and the Saginaw Bay (Michigan) Symphony Orchestra.

Audio recordings Flynn's commercial recordings include Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake (published by the Royal New Zealand Ballet), Hair, three versions of Jesus Christ Superstar (two as conductor and the third as music director), and two versions of Ned Kelly, for which he composed the music. He arranged and conducted music for a film promoting North Carolina. His arrangements of Ludwig Minkus' score for Don Quixote (Kitri's Wedding) are heard in a DVD of the American Ballet Theatre's telecast of the ballet for PBS (Kultur). He conducted for Kiri Te Kanawa's film debut in New Zealand (Don't Let It Get You) and for Marjorie Lawrence's last commercial recording "Waltzing Matilda", with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

He made split-second cameo appearances in several of the aforementioned films.

There are a considerable number of recorded concert performances, mostly stemming from radio broadcasts, none of which are commercially available.

Flynn's music has also been recorded by others, including by Suzanne Steele ("Lullaby", from Ned Kelly), and Geraldine Turner (the same) in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation soundtrack Once in a Blue Moon: A Celebration of Australian Musicals (from the telecast of the same title).

He was famous for his interpretations of Nutcracker, the absence of any documentation of which is the biggest single loss from his discography/videography.

Notes and references

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Important facts

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People in Patrick Flynn's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Patrick Flynn's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Patrick Flynn?

American composer (1936-2008)

When was Patrick Flynn born?

Patrick Flynn was born on 18 May 1936 in Birmingham.

When did Patrick Flynn die?

Patrick Flynn died on 10 September 2008.

What was Patrick Flynn's occupation?

Patrick Flynn was a composer.

What nationality was Patrick Flynn?

Patrick Flynn was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Patrick Flynn

· Wikidata: Q7146510

· DBpedia: Patrick Flynn (composer)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Patrick Flynn. https://biography.guide/patrick-flynn-composer/

MLA: "Patrick Flynn." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/patrick-flynn-composer/.

Chicago: "Patrick Flynn." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/patrick-flynn-composer/.

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