Rebecca Comerford, otherwise known as "The Balladista", is an award winning vocalist, lyricist, composer, coach and songwriter.
She has been hailed by Variety Magazine as a "standout character actress," "the future of lyric theatre in America" by Classical Voice Magazine, and "brilliant" by the Commercial Appeal, Memphis. Rebecca's voice and original compositions have been felt in concert halls, theaters and movie screens across America and Europe.
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As a concert soloist she has performed in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fischer Hall/Lincoln Center, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Symphony Space, The Orpheum Theatre Memphis, Spoleto Festival Italy, Alhambra Theater Spain, Aspen Music Festival and Connect Beyond Festival in Asheville North Carolina.
Her latest one-woman show, "Songs of Resistance and Rebellion" recently made it's sold out return to New York City's iconic Neue Galerie as part of the Café Sabarsky Cabaret Series, with long-time collaborator and Broadway Music Director, Anna Dagmar on the piano.
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As a performer, her sensibilities create a bridge between the worlds of classical music, cabaret and folk, landing at the intersection of something both new and nostalgic.
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As the artistic director of Ojai Youth Opera, the first autonomous youth Opera Company on the West Coast, Rebecca was responsible for developing and co-composing the premiere of Nightingale and the Tower, an inter-generational, electronic chamber opera that explores the intersection of nature and technology for children and the cautionary dangers of screen time in the modern world.
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In addition to her original works, she is an active vocal coach and director. She is the host of The Balladista podcast and blog, which explores the power of musical balladry and the personal stories of the people they pay homage to, both past and present.
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Rebecca is currently scoring both original songs and orchestrations for legendary Iranian filmmaker, Shirin Neshat's new feature film, titled Land of Dreams. She is a proud member of SAG/AFTRA, Actors Equity and Tim Robbin’s Actors Gang, based in Culver City, California.
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