10/10/2026
The small description space doesn't tell the whole story.
I am an Emmy™ Award-winning writer and a working performer and voice-over talent currently providing live audio description for FOX Sports in Los Angeles. I am a member of SAG-AFTRA and AGMA. Among my lengthy credits, I am a former TV Arts & Entertainment news segment host and producer, NPR affiliate radio station host, and a former arts and entertainment columnist for The Los Angeles Daily News and Examiner online. I have taught private voice for The Young Americans College of the Performing Arts and Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA). I have judged for the Long Beach Mozart Vocal Competition, Burbank Philharmonic Young Artists Competition, Southern California Vocal Association Honor Choir auditions, Music Teachers' Association of California student evaluations, Orange County Fair Karaoke Competition, and for the National Association of Teachers of Singing local contests, among others. A former pro opera chorister with Opera Pacific and the Los Angeles Opera Association, and soloist for the Crystal Cathedral, I now enjoy singing ballads and tunes from the Great American Songbook. Find a few of my recordings by searching YouTube for "Patricia Shanks Topic." My strengths as a teacher are helping singers of all genres find and set your registers, including the important mix, and handling all aspects of preparation for contests and competitions.
