Anita Pollard grew up in Perth, Western Australia.

She was exposed to jazz from a young age through her father’s record collection which featured Oscar Peterson, Benny Goodman and bands from the Big Band era. Living in France briefly at age eighteen she discovered other Jazz icons she enjoyed; Duke Ellington, Keith Jarrett and Stan Getz.

Anita’s childhood love of singing was confirmed at high school, performing the role of ‘Calamity Jane’. By twenty  she studied singing with a private classical teacher, Raymond Long, who was formerly Shirley Bassey’s musical director.

University studies took over from weekly singing lessons while Anita studied for a Bachelor of Arts in Communications at Curtin University. Comedienne Judith Lucy and actor Francis Connor were fellow theatre students of the period.

Pollard worked in the film industry for several years as a camera and production assistant before moving to Sydney and starting a vocation as a portrait photographer; many of Anita’s subjects being musicians and actors. Her work has been exhibited in Hyde Park, at the inaugural “Art & About”, and in several shared exhibitions including “Hidden” at Blender Gallery in Paddington, NSW. She has been published in Rolling Stone, The Sydney Morning Herald, MODE, Drum Media and The Age and her work was featured in ‘Photo Review’.

Overwhelming positive feedback from her teachers and classmates in local singing classes led to Pollard’s enrollment at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Jazz Vocals Course, where she began to learn jazz singing with teacher and singer Joy Yates. Private tuition has been with Amanda Colliver (Moulin Rouge vocal coach) Joy Yates and Kerrie Biddell. Anita has also attended workshops run by Kurt Elling, Mark Murphy, Diane Reeves and by Jay Clayton in New York.

Anita Pollard performed her first gig with pianist Didi Mundigdo and bassist Abel Cross on a Sydney harbour cruise. She has since performed for many audiences ranging from ex-Prime Ministers to newly-weds. She has also studied Cuban percussion, Stand-Up Comedy and Tango dancing. She sings in English, French, Italian and Brazillian Portuguese. She lives in Sydney singing and photographing.

Anita is a member of:

Australasian Performing Right Association

Sydney Jazz Club

Jazzgroove Association

Jazz Action Society