Lara Brooks is a soprano known for her captivating stage presence and versatile performances across a wide spectrum of musical genres. With equal expertise in opera , musical theatre, and jazz, she has garnered acclaim for her portrayals of Rosalie Mullins in School of Rock-The Musical , Mabel in Pirates of Penzance, Tytania in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream,  Lilli Vanessi / Kate in Kiss Me, Kate, Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast,  Clara Johnson in The Light in the Piazza, and as the soprano soloist for Bach's Cantata 147, Vivaldi's Gloria and Faure's Requiem.

Embracing her mission to bring contemporary American music, especially works by female composers, to a wider audience, Lara often presents lectures and recitals focused on the compositions of Lori Laitman, Gwyneth Walker, Goldrich & Heisler, and more to numerous national and international venues. This has led her and her husband, saxophonist Dr. Robert Brooks, to create The Sax & Serenade Duo, a boundary-pushing collaboration that aims to blend classical / ccm voice with the versatility of jazz tenor saxophone. The Duo recently performed the World Premiere of I Shall Be Coming Back to You by Dr. Griffin Candey at The World Saxophone Congress in Spain, 2023, the North American Premier in 2024 at Timashev Recital Hall, and held a recital of American Musical Theatre, Art Song, and Jazz at The Mozarthaus in Vienna, Austria, in August 2022.

Lara has been the featured soloist for Central Michigan University's Women’s Chorus during their European tour and most recently with the Jordan Vanhemert Jazz Combo on tour in Madrid, Spain , and held engagements with The Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery, Opera Kansas, Carpe Diem String Quartet, Southern Great Lakes Symphony, Greensboro Light Opera, The Forum Theatre Wichita, CCT, The Ohio State Chorale, Edge Productions, CCT, The William Penn's 125th National Convention, The Grosse Ile Musicale, and various concerts throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Throughout her career, Dr. Brooks has received numerous awards and accolades, including BroadwayWorld Regional Award for Best Supporting Performing in a Musical (2023), and Best Musical Direction and Orchestra Performance (2023, 2022), First Place at Central Regional NATS Musical Theatre competition, The Young Artist/Performer from Downriver Council for the Arts, and the Detroit Hungarian Fine Arts Scholarship. She has also been recognized as the Young Artist Competition winner from Delta Omicron at CMU and a semi-finalist in the New York Lyric Opera Theatre Vocal Competition. Additionally, she was honored with the IOTE Encouragement Award in Opera.

Dr. Brooks' contributions extend beyond performing on the stage. She has showcased her expertise as a music director and stage director, collaborating with prestigious institutions like The Detroit Opera House, CCT, Washburn Opera Theatre, The Ohio State Opera Theatre, and The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Kansas. Her directorial credits encompass acclaimed productions such as Pirates of Penzance, Ruddigore, Patience, War Paint, Sweets by Kate, Hansel & Gretel, Frog & Toad, Disney's Newsies, and Harry Connick Jr.’s The Happy Elf. Notably, her outstanding music direction and orchestra performance in CCT's production of Newsies and The Happy Elf earned her a 2022 and 2023 BroadwayWorld Regional Award for Best Musical Direction and Orchestration.

Dr. Brooks is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Voice at The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her studio focus spans classical, musical theatre, jazz, and contemporary commercial music (CCM) genres, where she employs functional voice pedagogy to teach empowered, healthy crossover singing. She previously taught at The Ohio State University as a Lecturer of Voice and as the opera director, Washburn University where she served as The Voice Area Chair, Director of Opera Studies, and the Musical Theatre Liaison, The University of Illinois Springfield, Friends University, and Millikin University. She is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, The Jazz Education Network, Sigma Alpha Iota, Pi Kappa Lambda, and the National Opera Association. Dr. Brooks was a 2023 NATS Intern, and is a certified Estill Master Trainer®.

Dr. Brooks holds a Bachelor in Music in Vocal Performance and a Bachelor of Music Education Choral, cum laude, from Central Michigan University, a Masters in Music Vocal Performance and Literature and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Studies, Voice from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.