Described by her legendary mentor Josef Gingold as “one of the greatest talents that I have ever taught. Her great technique, inborn musicianship, sense of style and virtuosity are unequalled”. Patricia has also been privileged to study with Rostislav Dubinsky, Sandor Vegh, Denes Zsigmondy and Lise Elson.

Patricia’s virtuosity and artistry has made her one of the most versatile musicians available to leading classical music groups. She has performed as soloist in some of the world’s great venues including the Carnegie Hall in New York, Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto, Wigmore Hall in London, Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Liszt Akademy Hall in Budapest, and the Roy Thompson in Toronto amongst many others, and has received rave reviews for her magnificent performances often comparing her to some of the great violinists of the past.

Patricia’s significant international concert career under the mentorship of Rostislav Dubinsky (Borodin Quartet) and on his introduction to his personal manager Mariedi Anders Artists Management, has toured internationally both as recitalist and as soloist with many leading orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic, the Halle Orchestra, the Orchestra Bretagne, the Toronto Symphony, the Mexico National Symphony, the Singapore Symphony and the Polish National Radio Orchestra.

At an early age, Patricia won the Grand Prize at both the CIBC National Music Competition in Canada and the Seattle Young Artists Competition in the USA. Patricia also received the highest honour amongst all instrumentalists for three consecutive years in the 4,000 person entrant Canadian Music Competition, a feat that was never achieved by anyone since.

By the age of 14, Patricia became a pupil of the legendary Josef Gingold at Indiana University. In less than a year, she made a highly acclaimed debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall playing the Wieniawski Concerto No.1, a concert arranged especially for her by Prof. Gingold.

As the youngest finalist at the age of 15, Patricia received a Special Prize at the International Wieniawski Competition in Poland and was a laureate at the International Kreisler Competition in Vienna. She was also awarded the International Sommerakademie Mozarteum prize in Salzburg, Austria and in her native Canada, was honoured with the prestigious Sylva Gelber Foundation Award for the most outstanding Canadian musician under age 30.

As the much applauded first violinist of the Borealis String Quartet, Shih and the quartet has toured worldwide at major venues, and also in Europe and Asia where they have been sponsored by Chimei Culture Foundation in Taiwan. Their performance for the Prime Minister of Canada was viewed by over 75,000 people while performing at Parliament Hill in Ottawa and consequently, performed special concerts for the Chief Justice of Canada, Beverly MacLachlin and for His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama. Patricia was recently honoured as a “Distinguished Fellow of BC” for the applauded presentations and lectures given as a Visiting Scholar at Green College@ UBC. The Borealis is endorsed by Pirastro Strings and are ambassadors for the famed string company.

On the Biography Channel, “Patricia Shih, a half hour documentary” was aired across North America.

Patricia plays on a 1740 Paolo Antonio Testore made in Milan and is Associate Professor of Violin at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

While she is not practicing the violin, Patricia can be found practicing her cooking skills, biking and hiking in the nature trails wherever she travels.