Payton Ballinger

Payton Ballinger is a second-year Master of Music candidate in Voice Performance at Missouri State University, where she serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Voice and Opera Department. A Kansas City native, she is delighted to be back in Missouri after earning dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Voice Performance and Psychology from Pepperdine University. Payton is passionate about using the arts as a bridge of cultural understanding and empathy, sparking meaningful conversation and community among performers and audiences alike. In addition to her role at First and Calvary as the Soprano Choral Scholar and Arts Walk Administrative Assistant, she serves as a Behavioral Health Associate at Mercy Hospital's Marian Center and performs as a SOLO Artist with Ozarks Lyric Opera.