Singer/songwriter Patricia Shih
"My whole life has been dedicated to creating, whether through visual art, music or writing," states singer/songwriter and Huntington Arts Council artist member Patricia Shih. "Besides being a professional singer, songwriter and musician for the past 42 years, I earned a BFA in painting with a minor in photography, and worked for 10 years as a painter and glass artist. My first inkling that I wanted a life in the arts came when I was four years old and won my first award in an art show. 'How cool is that???' I remember thinking, although not exactly in those words. That early encouragement set me on the path that I still walk today.
"To me, life is about creativity and leaving something of value and beauty behind. By value I don't mean monetary value; I mean substance. Something that adds to the positive in the world: that uplifts, enlightens, engages, entertains, challenges, educates, nourishes.
"Some see art as an 'extra,' something frivolous or unnecessary like a dessert. But when I am at the end of my life looking back, I hope that art will finally be valued as necessary to a well-rounded life, and that I will have been considered a 'chef d'art' worthy of one or two Michelin stars. If we are not here to add to the world and help push it forward, then we are simply consumers taking up space and resources. Humans are unique in our ability to create; we should not squander that gift.
"So I am compelled to create and make the best use of my time on earth. I feel so privileged to be able to make a living doing what I love. To me there is nothing more important than art, children, music and education, so I feel particularly blessed and lucky to be able to combine my love of all those things and actually have people appreciate it.
"How cool is that???"
You can see just how cool that is on Tuesday, July 6 when Patricia Shih takes the stage for the second evening of the Bethpage Federal Credit Union's "It's Showtime" Family Series of the Huntington Summer Arts Festival. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Chapin Rainbow Stage, Heckscher Park, Huntington, and it is free. The award-winning performer will delight family members of all ages with her all-audience participation concert. She will be joined by her band and some special guest artists.
Patricia Shih wrote her first song at age 12, and at the age of 15, she signed a recording and management contract as half of a duo. This marked the start of her professional career. A 45 RPM record was released a year later. Numerous TV, radio, concert and club performances followed, including an international radio broadcast on the Voice of America and appearances at the legendary Cellar Door, where the duo was runner-up to Emmy Lou Harris in the competitive "Best of the Hoots." Several years later, Ms. Shih began her solo career in California, with her own PBS special "Patty Shih - Music from the Gallery." Soon after, she returned to the East Coast and settled in Huntington, NY.
Ms. Shih has written over 250 songs, both alone and in collaboration with others. She continues to perform extensively for audiences of all ages, appearing on TV and radio, in clubs, concerts, schools, libraries, major music festivals, and other venues, and touring internationally. 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, and Peter Yarrow, among others.
Her songs are recorded and performed by numerous other artists throughout the United States, have been published in national magazines such as Sing Out!, Broadside, and the Rise Up Singing songbook, and have won awards and accolades in the American Songwriting Festival and the New York Songwriters Showcase. Featured articles on Ms. Shih have appeared in the New York Times, Oakland Tribune, Newsday, Acoustic Guitar Magazine, and AsiAm Magazine.
In 2004 Patricia was honored with a Woman of Distinction Award in New York.
A multi-instrumentalist, Ms. Shih plays 6- and 12-string guitars, piano, Marxophone, Chinese flower drum, and soprano recorder. She has six albums to her credit, two for adults and four for families. She is the author of two books about music: Gigging: A Practical Guide for Musicians (Allworth Press, NYC) and Truly Rotten Gigs from Hell: The Funny, The Sad, The Unbelievably Bad True Tales from the Music Trenches (Uncommon Publishing, Xlibris).
Read more about Patricia on her website.
