Patricia Shih wrote her first song at age 12 and hasn't stopped since. At 15 she signed a recording and managerial contract with Unicorn Records of Washington, DC as part of a folk duo. This marked the start of her professional career. A 45 rpm record was released a year later, and numerous TV, radio, concert and club performances followed. Included are an international radio broadcast on the Voice of America and appearances at the legendary Cellar Door, where the duo was runner-up to Emmylou Harris in the competitive quot;Best of the Hoots.quot; Ms. Shih began her solo career in San Francisco, notably on her own PBS special quot;Patty Shih-Music from the Gallery.quot; Six years later, she returned to the east coast and settled in Huntington, NY. She began specializing in music for children and families in 1986, while continuing to perform for adult and senior audiences. To date Ms. Shih has written over 250 songs, both alone and in collaboration with others. She performs extensively, appearing on TV and radio, in clubs, concerts, schools, libraries, major music festivals and so on, touring internationally. She starred for a year on Cablevision's quot;Tell Me A Storyquot; on the Extra Help Channel, seen twice daily, and also wrote and performed the show's theme song. She has appeared in concert with such luminaries as Pete Seeger, Bonnie Raitt, Richie Havens, David Bromberg, Tom Chapin, Livingston Taylor, Odetta, Billy Bragg, Janis Ian, Michelle Shocked and Peter Yarrow, among others. Her songs are recorded and performed by numerous other artists throughout the world, have been published internationally in magazines such as Sing Out! And Broadside and the Rise Up Singing Songbook, and have won awards and accolades in the American Songwriting Festival, the New York Songwriters Showcase, Parents Choice Awards, and the BACCA Songwriting Competition. Featured articles on Ms. Shih have appeared in The New York Times, Oakland Tribune, Newsday, Acoustic Guitar Magazine and AsiAm Magazine. A multi-instrumentalist, Ms. Shih plays 6 and 12 string guitars, piano, Marxophone, Chinese flower drum, and soprano recorder. She has five albums to her credit: two for adults, quot;Woman with One Closed Eyequot; (Glass Records) and quot;Leap of Faithquot; (Flying Fish Records); and three family/children's albums, quot;Big Ideas!quot;, quot;Making Fun!quot; (1997 Parents Choice Approval Award) and 'Power of One' on Glass Records. Her work is also included on three anthology albums: quot;Sharing Thoughts,quot; quot;Early Earsquot; (Zoom Express/BMG Records), and quot;Rainbow Signquot; (Rounder Records), which was honored by the American Library Association Notable Children's Recording Award, Parents' Choice Award, Parents Prize, NAAPA Gold Medal, and the LA Times quot;Best of 1993quot; list. Her songs have won an American Songwriting Festival award, as well as a First Place award from the Babylon Arts Council. She was named a quot;2004 Long Island Woman of Distinctionquot; by Distinction Magazine. Her first book, Gigging: A Practical Guide for Musicians is published by Allworth Press, New York.
