Patrick Burke
Born in St. Catharines in November 1972, youngest of four to Chuck and Jane, and frequent (alleged) fall guy for my siblings. Grew up on Green Machines and BMXs—road hockey, scraped knees, and piano lessons. The piano stuck.
Graduated Laura Secord SS (’92), then Wilfrid Laurier (Dean’s Honour Roll, BMus Ed & Performance, ’96) and Western (Dean’s Honour Roll with Distinction, BEd). High school music jobs were scarce, so I took a three-week cruise ship gig in San Juan that turned into multiple contracts and a role as Musical Director leading a 10-piece orchestra—wrangling reggae, strings, and country rock taught me plenty about people.
Met Alice from England on board; we married at Ball’s Falls in Niagara in June 2002 with a transatlantic crowd. Now very proud parents of Jasmine and Elliot.
I still play, and discovered music, real estate, and family life can happily coexist.