About

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MY JOURNEY

From the time I was 11, my dream was to become a singer. I grew up in North Palm Beach Florida and sang whenever and wherever I could.

Later, I studied vocal performance at Florida State University and worked as an apprentice at the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theater where I earned my equity card.

I took that card along with the overconfidence of youth and moved to NYC with a few of my fellow apprentices to become famous! I honestly thought getting a job as a singer would be easy and that everything would just fall into place. It didn’t.

The Agony of Defeat

Eventually, too much discouragement, partnered with too much alcohol, got the best of me and I realized I just wasn’t emotionally cut out for the big city.

I had done a summer cabaret show in Newport, Rhode Island and had fallen in love with the place, so, I chose to make my escape there. I was floundering and needed to find my way. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever made. I was giving up on my dream but I knew I had to for my own well-being.

I made a really good life for myself in Newport. I got sober, got married, had 2 wonderful daughters, did a little singing here and there — in a band, at churches, and in some local cabaret shows. I even went back to school at Berklee College of Music to hone up my jazz vocal skills.

A Spark Rekindled

When I began singing again, I realized the dream was still alive. I felt like “me” again. Singing makes me feel in full alignment with all that I am meant to be.

When the girls began elementary school, I began training to become a certified life coach. Once certified, I was struck with the idea to create an inspirational cabaret show that combined elements of my coaching practice with songs that touch the heart, make people laugh, cry and remind them that life is about living your passions – no matter what! I called it The Spark of Creation.

Life Is What Happens While You’re Making Other Plans

Unfortunately, at the same time that my dream was coming back to life, my husband Michael started losing his. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer and after courageously battling the disease for 10 years, he died in 2010.

To say that his illness and the time after his death was incredibly difficult, is a huge understatement.

It’s not easy to admit this, but there were days when I just wanted to drive away and never come back. Returning to New York to rehearse The Spark of Creation was a balm for my soul.

Staying connected to my dream gave me the strength to get through those days. I knew I had to be strong for my girls. It was a time when I had to hold the space for everyone. My trips to New York renewed me and helped me know I was strong enough to do that. I knew I wanted to always be the best mom I could be to my daughters and I knew that in order to do that, I had to sing again!

The Hidden Blessings

What matters most about my story is not what makes it unique but what makes it the same as everyone else. We all face challenges and struggles. No one is immune.

What my life has shown me, is just when you’re sure you have no strength left, more appears. In my case it often came in the form of friends, family, acquaintances, even strangers showing up at just the right moment with exactly what I needed!

One of the greatest gifts these hardships have given me is an unshakable sense of gratitude for life and the people who have given me and my girls so much love, support and strength along the way. Now, it is time to give it back in the best way I know how. As the singer I was born to be.

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In 2010 Patrice created her first cabaret show, The Spark of Creation. She came full circle and returned to New York 28 years after her youthful sojourn and debuted her second show in 2012, This Moment.

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“This Moment entertains, inspires, touches the heart….I loved EVERY moment. Patrice McKinley is sublime!”  ~Elisabeth Remming Vergun