Michael Patrick Walker
Encyclopedia
Michael Patrick Walker is a composer/lyricist and musician as well as an arranger and orchestrator. He is best known for co-writing the musical, Altar Boyz
with fellow composer/lyricist Gary Adler
and book writer Kevin Del Aguila. For his work on Altar Boyz
Michael was nominated for a 2005 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical and for two 2005 Drama Desk Awards for Best Music and for Best Lyrics. The show also won the 2005 Outer Critics Circle Award
for Best Off Broadway Musical.
Michael is also the music director and supervisor for Season 2 of the Disney Channel TV Series Johnny and the Sprites
. In this capacity, Michael served as the lead composer, oversaw a team of noted theatre composers who wrote the original songs for each episode and developed the stories for each of 26 scripts for the series. He also arranged, orchestrated and produced the recordings of the songs and also co-produced the CD for the series. Previous to his involvement as music director and supervisor, Michael had been composing for the show since its inception in 2005. Season 2 of Johnny and the Sprites
received 4 Daytime Emmy Nominations including one for Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series.
Michael contributed a song to the web series The Battery's Down as well as several songs to various editions of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
' annual holiday CD, Carols for a Cure. He is currently developing several new projects, including a new musical entitled The Distant Bells which was a finalist for the 2009 Eugene O'Neill Theater Center
's musical theatre conference.
As a musician and/or conductor, Michael's Broadway
and Off Broadway credits include Avenue Q
(Conductor), The Roundabout Theatre Company
's production of The Tin Pan Alley Rag (Music Director/Arranger), Wicked
, The Lion King
, Thoroughly Modern Millie
, tick, tick...BOOM! (Conductor) and others.
Altar Boyz
Altar Boyz is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker and book by Kevin Del Aguila . Centering on a fictitious Christian boy band from Ohio, the show satirizes, among other things, the phenomenon of boy bands and the popularity of Christian-themed music in...
with fellow composer/lyricist Gary Adler
Gary Adler
Gary Adler is an American composer and musical director based in New York. He received two 2005 Drama Desk nominations for his music and lyrics for the off-Broadway show Altar Boyz, which had its premiere in the New York Musical Theatre Festival the year before...
and book writer Kevin Del Aguila. For his work on Altar Boyz
Altar Boyz
Altar Boyz is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker and book by Kevin Del Aguila . Centering on a fictitious Christian boy band from Ohio, the show satirizes, among other things, the phenomenon of boy bands and the popularity of Christian-themed music in...
Michael was nominated for a 2005 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical and for two 2005 Drama Desk Awards for Best Music and for Best Lyrics. The show also won the 2005 Outer Critics Circle Award
Outer Critics Circle Award
The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets...
for Best Off Broadway Musical.
Michael is also the music director and supervisor for Season 2 of the Disney Channel TV Series Johnny and the Sprites
Johnny and the Sprites
Johnny and the Sprites is a musical television show aimed for preschoolers that airs every weekend on the "Playhouse Disney" program of The Disney Channel. The show was created for, is produced by, and stars John Tartaglia . The show's theme song was written by Stephen Schwartz...
. In this capacity, Michael served as the lead composer, oversaw a team of noted theatre composers who wrote the original songs for each episode and developed the stories for each of 26 scripts for the series. He also arranged, orchestrated and produced the recordings of the songs and also co-produced the CD for the series. Previous to his involvement as music director and supervisor, Michael had been composing for the show since its inception in 2005. Season 2 of Johnny and the Sprites
Johnny and the Sprites
Johnny and the Sprites is a musical television show aimed for preschoolers that airs every weekend on the "Playhouse Disney" program of The Disney Channel. The show was created for, is produced by, and stars John Tartaglia . The show's theme song was written by Stephen Schwartz...
received 4 Daytime Emmy Nominations including one for Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series.
Michael contributed a song to the web series The Battery's Down as well as several songs to various editions of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the theatre community’s response to the AIDS crisis. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the theatre community, on Broadway, Off-Broadway and across the country, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States...
' annual holiday CD, Carols for a Cure. He is currently developing several new projects, including a new musical entitled The Distant Bells which was a finalist for the 2009 Eugene O'Neill Theater Center
Eugene O'Neill Theater Center
The Eugene O'Neill Memorial Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut is a 501 not-for-profit theater company founded in 1964 by George C. White. The O'Neill is the recipient of the . The O'Neill is home to the National Theater Institute , and several major theater conferences including the...
's musical theatre conference.
As a musician and/or conductor, Michael's Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and Off Broadway credits include Avenue Q
Avenue Q
Avenue Q is a musical in two acts, conceived by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics. The book was written by Jeff Whitty and the show was directed by Jason Moore and produced by Kevin McCollum, Robyn Goodman, and Jeffrey Seller...
(Conductor), The Roundabout Theatre Company
Roundabout Theatre Company
The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in New York City.-History:The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist and Elizabeth Owens and now operates five theatres, all in Manhattan: the American Airlines Theatre ; Studio 54 ; the Stephen Sondheim Theatre The...
's production of The Tin Pan Alley Rag (Music Director/Arranger), Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
, The Lion King
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
, Thoroughly Modern Millie
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Thoroughly Modern Millie is a 1967 American musical film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Julie Andrews. The screenplay by Richard Morris focuses on a naive young woman who finds herself in the midst of a series of madcap adventures when she sets her sights on marrying her wealthy boss.The...
, tick, tick...BOOM! (Conductor) and others.