Rhapsody in Brown
Johnson County Community College |
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The 5 Browns, an all-American quintet of brothers and sisters, each a virtuoso concert pianist, are sweeping the classical world with a tour of concerts and release of top-of-the-Billboard-charts CDs.
“One family, five pianos and 50 fingers add up to the biggest classical music sensation in years,” the New York Post wrote.
The 5 Browns, playing five Steinway grand pianos, perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, in Yardley Hall of the Carlsen Center, Johnson County Community College. Artists Insights, provided by their father, Keith Brown, begin at 7 p.m. The program is an easy-listening collection of classical piano (Debussy’s Clair de lune and Stravinsky’s Firebird) to American tunes (Gershwin’s Embraceable You and Home Blues from American in Paris).
In descending order, the 20-something siblings are Desirae, Deondra, Gregory, Melody and Ryan. They perform together, individually and in various ensemble combinations. When the 5 sit down to play, they are transformed from the kids-next-door to musical dynamos. Flawless in precision and steeped in passion, they shatter the preconceptions of those who find classical music inscrutable or intimidating.
Consider the odds: all 5 Browns were accepted to New York’s Juilliard – the first time five siblings were ever accepted simultaneously as students to the school. After graduation, the 5 were guided by their parents and manager to cast their lot together as a unique quintet of classical pianists, creating a new phenomenon in classical music. The Browns present themselves as they really are: unpretentious 20 year-olds who love fashion, sports, computer games, dancing and all types of music – especially classical.
The 5 Browns are the sons and daughters of Keith and Lisa Brown, a Mormon couple from Utah. Lisa, classically trained to sing opera, decided early on that she wanted her children to have music in their lives. At age 3, each showed a talent and interest in the piano, and by age 9, each had made a debut with a major symphony orchestra.
When Desirae began planning for college, Deondra, a year younger, accelerated her education in order to attend with her sister. Full scholarship from the nation’s finest music schools and conservatories were offered to the girls. Juilliard became their choice. One year later, Gregory, Melody and Ryan were accepted as well. The entire Brown family, along with their five pianos, moved from Utah to New York.
The 5 Browns, their first CD, landed the quintet at the top of the weekly Billboard charts, and earned them the title of Billboard’s 2005 Classical Artists. After the release of their first album, The 5 Browns were subject to a media frenzy, making appearances on Oprah, 60 Minutes, Good Morning America and The Tonight Show. Entertainment Weekly said, “This quintet of piano prodigies revamps stuffy classics for the Rachmaninoff-impaired.”
No Boundaries, a second CD, spent more than 20 consecutive weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Traditional Classical chart. Their latest CD (October 2007) is a romantic and jazz-inspired CD – Browns in Blue, which includes the newly commissioned five-piano-fold-inspired piece, Reflections on Shenandoah, by John Novacek, which will played during this performance.
Hearing a five grand-piano version of any piece is formidable. One can only ponder the arranging and interpretive decisions that go on backstage. But onstage, the pianos take their parts distinctively and harmoniously, almost like family. You can listen to the 5 Browns at www.the5browns.com.
Tickets for the 5 Browns are $25 and $35, available by calling the Carlsen Center box office, 913-469-4445.
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