Framingham Schools Chooses New Director Of Fine And Performing Arts

FRAMINGHAM, MA - Superintendent of Schools Robert Tremblay announced Friday that Dr. Brian Gellerstein will become the district's new director of fine and performing arts, effective July 1.

Gellerstein, a father of two Framingham Public Schools students, is currently the lead teacher for Visual and Performing Arts with Cambridge Public Schools, where his work centers around PreK–12 arts curriculum and instruction.

In addition, he is a part-time assistant professor of music education at the Berklee College of Music and an associate lecturer for the Department of Leadership in Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Prior to his current positions, Gellerstein was a non-profit music education administrator and public-school music teacher in both New York City and Cambridge. He received his Ph.D. in Urban Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where his dissertation research addressed the connections between white supremacy and gatekeeping in music education. He delivers presentations on topics including white supremacy in education, anti-racist teaching, culturally responsive practices, and classroom culture.

“I am excited to welcome Dr. Brian Gellerstein to the Framingham Public Schools family as the new director of fine and performing arts,” said Tremblay. “We had a strong pool of candidates from whom to choose, and Dr. Gellerstein quickly rose to the top of our list of finalists. In my role as Superintendent of Schools and with a background in the arts, I was pleased to join the Office of Teaching and Learning in helping to select a director of ne & Performing Arts to lead with a balanced view of and vision for the future of our comprehensive arts offerings.”

“I am excited and honored to be joining Framingham Public Schools and the Department of Fine and Performing Arts,” said Gellerstein. “As a parent of two Brophy students, I am proud of the work that our community has done to support FPS students with a vibrant arts education. I hope to continue Donna Wresinski's inspiring work and will ensure that our students are engaged with inclusive, culturally responsive, and anti-racist arts programming.”

Because the previously scheduled candidate forum conflicts with other events and activities in the district, including a school concert, the district plans to offer a series of in-person meet and greet events with Gellerstein so that he can hear directly from each of our fine and performing arts departmental staff members, students and families as he prepares for his official entry into the directorship on July 1. More information will be forthcoming.

The award-winning Department of Fine and Performing Arts in Framingham Public Schools challenges students creatively and academically, approaching all art forms with hands-on learning that inspires a life-long passion for the arts. Within well-equipped art studios, theaters, music rooms, dance labs, and classrooms, students explore a wide variety of arts techniques and approaches. All students develop an appreciation for the fundamental and integral tenets of all the art forms and create their own artistic voice to prepare them to be a contributor to the world's cultural economy.

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