The 5 Browns, a family of young virtuoso concert pianists who share a passion for classical music will appear together onstage, each at his or her own Steinway piano, where they blend their distinctive playing styles in a concert at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. The concert is co-sponsored by Steinway Piano Gallery Westport and the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism. Journalist, Robert Sherman will lead a pre-concert Art-to-Heart discussion from 7 to 7:40聽p.m.
This energetic quintet of brothers and sisters ranging in age from 20 to 27 has toured nationally and internationally and captured the attention of audiences of all ages. The siblings bring together five individual and discriminating keyboard talents, honed at New York's Juilliard School, where for five consecutive years they studied simultaneously - a first in the history of the prestigious century-old school.
Each of the Browns debuted with a major symphony orchestra by the age of 9 and each developed individually as a pianist. But in time they discovered that if they cast their lot together, they might realize their dream of waking up classical music and introducing it to the widest, largest and most excited audience imaginable. It was then that Desirae, 27; Deondra, 25; Gregory, 23; Melody, 21; and Ryan, 20 began performing on five pianos and in various ensemble combinations to great acclaim.
Their irresistible story captivated the media and soon "Oprah," "60 Minutes," "Good Morning America," and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" had featured the "Fab Five" as "People" dubbed them.
With profiles of the Browns appearing in major newspapers nationally, their audiences have grown steadily as new and younger members have begun buying the student-priced tickets.
The Browns soon realized that almost a third of their audience has seldom, if ever, attended a concert of classical music and another third is college-age or younger. Melody Brown recently commented, "How could a classical musician ever imagine walking out on a stage with a sea of university students roaring as if we were the latest band!"
The 5 Browns take their classical music seriously and as exclusive Steinway artists they play their pianos with an abandon that is enormously appealing to concertgoers of all ages and critics alike.
Tickets are $40, $35, $30 with a Special Student price of $15 for 17 years and under. Call the Quick Center Box Office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396 to purchase tickets. For more information, visit the website, www.quickcenter.com.
Posted On: 10-02-2006 10:10 AM
Volume: 39 Number: 45