Brooke Fox is an award-winning vocalist, pop songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, international performance artist and disability advocate.

As a Singer-Songwriter, Brooke released two acclaimed albums of acoustic-driven songs and performed live in 23 states in 8 countries. Her second self-produced record, Breathe The Same Air (released July 2005) was a CDBaby Best Seller and has been heard on ABC, NPR and XM. Brooke’s songs have been performed at the legendary Hollywood Bowl by Eden Espinosa (Wicked, Brooklyn the Musical) and recorded by Kathy Brier (ABC’s One Life To Live). Brooke recently collaborated on tracks with District 78 (Dancing With The Stars) and Marco Foster, a pop artist signed to Flo Rida’s IMG/Strongarm record label.

In summer 2009, Brooke was invited to Italy to co-create and perform the performance piece MOTH with visual artist Francesca Grilli. The 10-minute piece, commissioned by the Drodesera Festival, features a long tube of live flames that create symmetric wave formations that hypnotically “dance” to Brooke’s vocal tones. MOTH sold out its original presentation in Italy and returned to Europe for festival performances in Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna and Uppsala, Sweden.

In 2002, Brooke began collaborating on musical theatre projects with husband Kurt Gellersted and playwright Will Brumley (Outsiders, Pin-up). The three writers were walking home in uber-hip Williamsburg, Brooklyn when the modern folly of the neighborhood struck them…and a show was born. In Williamsburg! The Musical: “the trials of life are so, so ironic when a neurotic hipster hellcat falls for a curious, curly-cued Hasidic Jew. Their forbidden love spawns a cultural smackdown in white-hot Williamsburg, the “coolest neighborhood in America”. Williamsburg! premiered at the 2007 NYC International Fringe Festival where it ran for five oversold performances at the Village Theatre, garnered tremendous press attention (Variety, NYTimes) and took home the festival’s award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics. In 2011 Williamsburg! was invited back to perform as one of 15 shows celebrating 15 years of Fringe NYC. The original cast recording is available on iTunes.

rooke was born with Albinism, a genetic trait affecting roughly 1 in 17,000 births in the US. The condition causes a lack of pigment in the hair, skin and eyes, almost always causing legal blindness. Brooke is extremely nearsighted and sensitive to light, but that hasn’t kept her from stepping on a lighted stage. She takes every opportunity to raise awareness about Albinism and share her story with others. In 2006, Brooke spoke to FoxNews, CNN, ET and KROQ on the eve of the motion picture release of The Da Vinci Code, challenging Hollywood to retire the “evil albino” cliché. She served as a Board Member for The National Organization of Albinism (NOAH) from 2006-2014 and as an officer of the Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind where she co-produced an album of music performed entirely by musicians who are blind or visually impaired. Brooke’s work as an advocate brought her to audiences at New York’s City Hall, The United Nations, Boston University, The U. S. Department of the Treasury and The National Federation of the Blind’s National Convention.

In 2013, as a result of her work advocating for artists who are disabled, Brooke was recruited to serve as Executive Director of Visionary Media, an NYC-based non-profit organization providing training, resources, and professional opportunities to musicians who are blind or visually impaired. At their 1,500-sqft fully-accessible recording and rehearsal studio in Downtown Manhattan, Brooke programmed and facilitated audio training, artist showcases and songwriters workshops. She expanded employment resources for Visionary’s nationwide roster of 200+ musicians and audio professionals through partnerships with New York State Commission for the Blind, Planet Waves/D'Addario, Collective School of Music, NBC’s The Voice, ASCAP, Songwriters Hall of Fame, NYC Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, The Jam NYC, Eventide, Foundation Fighting Blindness and Guitar Center. Brooke’s innovative work for Visionary was recognized with the 2015 Envision Everyday Hero Award, honoring business and creative leaders who are blind or visually impaired.

       

A native of Northern California, two-year old Brooke would often wake her parents in the morning by exploring the sounds of the family piano. She made her debut singing Yankee Doodle at age five wearing a patriotic costume her Mother made and accompanied by her Grandmother, a pianist and songwriter. After years of voice lessons, play rehearsal, dance classes, honor choir auditions and summer music school, Brooke won a full scholarship to study opera but instead went East to study songwriting at Berklee College of Music.

Brooke took her hard-earned degree to Nashville a.k.a. “Graduate School for Songwriters” where she scrubbed floors at a recording studio, got a band together and recorded her first album Nightlight, a collection of songs she’d written and performed while in Boston. Her time in Nashville was fruitful, but an unexpected opportunity to make the move to New York in the fall of 2000 was too tempting to pass up.

Brooke and her husband Kurt Gellersted, also a musician and songwriter, met in New York City in 2001. They own and operate By The Bridge, a company creating original music for film, television and advertising, most notably for Cheerios, Chrysler, A&E, Travel Channel and Verizon. Last year, Brooke and Kurt became parents and relocated their family to Northern California.