Brandi Waller-Pace (they/she) is an musician, educator, and scholar-activist based in Fort Worth, Texas who is driven by centering the narratives of oppressed people and working toward equity in music learning and performance. A singer and multi instrumentalist, Brandi performs jazz, neo-soul, old time, roots music, and genre-crossing originals. A multi instrumentalist, they sing and play piano, banjo, bass, guitar, and 'ukulele. They are the Founder/Executive Director of the nonprofit Decolonizing the Music Room, under which they created and organize the Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival (FWAAMFest). They are also the Program Manager for the Oakland Public Conservatory’s Black Banjo & Fiddle Fellowship. Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, Brandi attended Howard University in Washington, DC., earning a Bachelor and Master of Music in Jazz Studies. At Howard they were a member of the critically-acclaimed vocal ensemble Afro Blue, sharing the stage with jazz greats Geri Allen, Carmen Lundy, Andy Bey, Jimmy Cobb, Nnenna Freelon, and Bobby McFerrin. Brandi then relocated to Fort Worth, TX, where they began teaching public school music and working as an artist-in-residence at Arts Fifth Avenue performing, teaching private music lessons, and teaching jazz choir through the nonprofit's Summer Playhouse camps for children. Brandi has written, arranged, and performed with a range of artists for various projects. They penned the song “You Are” that is featured on Nicholas Ryan Gant’s "Promises" and "Introducing Nicholas Ryan Gant," lent backing vocals to “Once There Was No Sun” on Jake Blount’s The New Faith, and shared the stage with Blount, New Dangerfield, Gangstagrass, and Juno-award winning singer/songwriter Kaia Kater, with whom they formed the duo Sable Sisters. In addition to their organizational and curatorial role with FWAAMFest, Brandi has co-produced and curated artist lineups for events with Bluegrass Pride, The Bluegrass Situation, and PineCone- the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music. They have graced stages locally and around the country, among them ArtsGoggle, Friday on the Green, Arts Fifth Avenue, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Reveler's Hall, The Austin String Band Festival, The International Bluegrass Music Association's World of Bluegrass, Berklee College of Music, Howard University During their 12-year tenure as a public school music educator, Brandi served as a mentor teacher and wrote district music curriculum. In 2019 and 2020, she served on the Texas African American Studies Course Curriculum Advisory Team, which helped to formulate curriculum standards for Texas’ first state-approved African American Studies course. They also work as a consultant, presenter, and speaker nationally and internationally. Brandi’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Bluegrass Situation, The Orff Echo, The Illinois Music Educator Journal, Music Education Journal, and The Oxford Handbook of Care in Music Education. They also sit on the board of directors of Folk Alliance International.