Patrick Owen-Leary

Guitar and Chordophone Studies

Hailing from Chicago’s north-side, Patrick Owen-Leary (he/him) is a composer/ performer and singer/songwriting who pushes the boundaries of music in all genres. A product of the Old Town School for Folk Music and the Chicago High School for the Arts, Owen-Leary is a well-versed guitarist in the styles of bluegrass, jazz, rock, and classical music.

Owen-Leary has received a B.M. in Music Composition and Guitar Performance from Baldwin Wallace University and an M.M. in Music Composition from University of Missouri-Kansas City. As an undergraduate, Owen-Leary performed as a soloist with the BW Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Band and also played in productions of BW's highly acclaimed musical theatre department. As a graduate student, his work was used as part of the UMKC Composition/Dance Studio Collaboration. Owen-Leary also co-founded UMKC’s first student curated new music group, ’Crossroads Contemporary Ensemble.’

Throughout his collegiate career, Owen-Leary has also been an avid songwriter. Since graduating in 2021, Owen-Leary has deepened his connection to the Chicago music scene as a promoter through his podcast, the Red Button Room. His career interests include songwriting, new music performance, and media scoring for film and video games.