Guest Soloist

Comfort Smith is a violinist and teacher from Newberg, Oregon. In high school she discovered the joy of orchestral playing when she joined the George Fox Symphony Orchestra as a community member. Since then, she has received a B.A. in Music Performance and English from George Fox University, and an M.M. in Suzuki Pedagogy and Violin Performance from Ithaca College. Now, she is a member of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. During the day, she teaches at a private Suzuki violin studio in Newberg, as well as classes with the Junior Orchestra of Yamhill County (JOY), a program providing strings education for public elementary school students. Comfort has had the privilege of studying violin with Ellen Jewett, Susan Waterbury, Rebekah Hanson, Emma Tepfer, and Sharon Neufeld, each of whom have inspired her to pass on the joy of music to students. Comfort has also published several original works influenced by her love of classical and folk music.