Patrick J. Flynn was born in New York City and moved to South Florida in 1973. He holds a bachelor's degree from Manhattan College, Riverdale, NY and a Master's in Music from the University of Miami. After moving to Florida, he taught music at Cardinal Gibbons High School and was Director of Bands at Stranahan High School and also performed as a musician with the Fort Lauderdale Symphony and the Miami Opera Orchestra. In 1980, he was appointed General Manager of the Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale. In 1989, Patrick accepted an offer as Managing Director of Opera Pacific in Costa Mesa, California - a post he held until 1991, at which time he was invited to join the Greater Miami Opera as Director of Planning and Development. Shortly after, he helped to bring about the merger of the Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale and the Greater Miami Opera, creating Florida Grand Opera in 1994. Patrick then served as Managing Director for Broward and Palm Beach until 2007 when he accepted an invitation to lead a major expansion of the Museum of Discovery and Science.

Along with his career in opera management, Patrick has been very active in a number of community organizations. He served on the Broward Cultural Affairs Council from 1982 through 1989, holding the offices of vice chairman and chairman. He was an early champion of cultural tourism for Broward County and chaired the Cultural Tourism Committee as well as the Cultural Executives Committee. Patrick has also served on numerous State arts panels, including the cultural institution grants programs. Most recently, he serves on the Board of Directors of Riverwalk Trust and chairs the Broward Cultural Council’s Finance Committee.

Patrick lives in Fort Lauderdale with his wife, Karen and son, Elliott, who is in his senior year at Florida State University.