Sylvia’s Bio

Sylvia’s performing career began in 1990 with the birth of Prairie Patch, a fabulous children’s duo she formed with partner Clare Pattison. They performed across Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba at festivals, fairs, schools, parks and community events delighting children and adults alike. It was with Prairie Patch that Sylvia began her journey as a songwriter and storyteller.

Prairie Patch’s premier CD, ‘Surprise’ received critical and fan acclaim being nominated for the Prairie Music Awards Best Children’s Album of the Year. Sylvia’s solo career began in 2004 and March 2007 saw the release of her first solo CD, “Renji Penji”. This project is one she is very proud of, especially the fact that all the songs on the CD are 100%Sylvia. It too has garnered a 2007 WCM Awards nomination!!

Sylvia has followed the touring path of Prairie Patch but she has entered into another realm. ‘Singing with Sylvia’ is a class being offered at the Refinery in Saskatoon as well as in Delisle. It is an opportunity for children ages 3 – 8 to spend time with Sylvia in a very personal way learning her songs and music and participating in her special world of fun and imagination. The sessions give Sylvia another avenue to share her celebration of life through music with young children and their families. Each year Sylvia’s class becomes more popular.

Sylvia started singing the day she was born. Her parents moved to Kapuskasing, Ontario from Poland and Russia and soon after, a singing gypsy was born. Her much loved Renji Penji, the first song she wrote, is the title track on her new CD. This song comes from a cherished childhood memory about a silly ditty her dad made up. She still pulls many of her song ideas from her childhood and that of her own children.

Sylvia moved to Saskatchewan after obtaining a degree in English from Lakehead University in Thunderbay. As she raised her family she ran a daycare, was a librarian and a Teacher’s Assistant. But the performing bug nipped at her heels, and as her children grew older she began to follow her dream, first with Prairie Patch and now on her own. Of course, her first love is getting away from home and performing….oops! We mean spending time with her remarkable family. Living in a small town outside Saskatoon, with her husband Dave and her four children, she has been able to do that. Now as her family has grown she is thrilled at the prospect of being able to perform much more all over the country.