Shelley Hirsch was born and raised in New York City in 1952, her work was commissioned by New American Radio and won the Prix Futura International Media Competition in Berlin.
Shelley Hirsch (born June 9, 1952 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American vocalist, performance artist, composer, improviser, and writer. Born and raised in New York City, Hirsch dropped out of high school and moved to San Francisco, California, where she acted in the Experimental theater Theater of Man and explored extended vocal techniques, and began composing pieces for voice. Several of Hirsch's works were commissioned by New American Radio, including #39 and The Vidzer Family (1991), and O Little Town of East New York, which was originally staged at Dance Theater Workshop in New York City (1991). As a radio play, O Little Town won first prize at the Prix Futura International Media Competition in Berlin. 
