Patrick Rafferty,  an active performer and teacher, concertizes across the Midwest and teaches in a variety of studio and classroom settings across the area. A polished interpreter of the traditional guitar repertoire, he is equally at home in a wide range of popular and world music styles. Patrick has extended his interests to early guitar repertoire with a focus on Baroque guitar, 19th Century Guitars and the music that was written for them.

As a student, Patrick has earned several academic degrees in guitar performance. In 2004 he received a Bachelor of Music degree from Southeast Missouri State University where he studied with Jeffrey Noonan. He continued his studies at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, earning the Master of Music degree in 2006 and the Graduate Performance Diploma in 2008 under Julian Gray. At Peabody, Patrick gave numerous performances, most notably in the classes of Manuel Barrueco and as a featured performer in the Thursday Noon Concert Series. In May 2008, Patrick was voted the top graduate performer by his peers at Peabody.  

As a performer, Patrick has won several competitions and in 2011 he became only the third guitarist in over sixty years to win a top prize in the Artist Presentation Society Auditions in St. Louis, Missouri. Patrick has also been a first prize winner in the Southeast Missouri State University Concerto Competition in 2004 and in the Missouri Music Teachers Association in 2003. In 2021 Patrick was selected as a Featured Artist by the Missouri Arts Council.

Patrick maintains a busy schedule of solo and ensemble recitals. Recent concerts include solo and ensemble appearances with Chamber Project Saint Louis, in the Chamber Music Sundays at Three Series, the Elliot Chapel Friends of Music Series, the Shepley Concert Series at Christ Church Cathedral in St Louis, and numerous appearances at The Tavern of Fine Arts. In the Spring of 2015 Patrick was featured in a series of concerts with Chamber Project Saint Louis. In 2012, Patrick performed with oboist Laura Ross at the International Double Reed Convention and over the years he has appeared as a soloist on the campuses of numerous educational institutions throughout Missouri and Illinois. Other performances include on-air appearances on NPR affiliate KRCU as well as on the Saint Louis Classical Guitar Society’s radio program “Inside Classical Guitar.”

Patrick currently serves on the guitar faculty of Southeast Missouri State University, Saint Louis University and the Webster Community Music School. His recently graduated students have been accepted into the prestigious guitar programs of The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, The Jacobs School at Indiana University, Northwestern University and Denver University.