The 5 Browns

The 5 Browns
Desi, Deondra, Ryan, Melody, Gregory of The 5 Browns
Background information
Origin	Alpine, Utah, United States
Genres	Classical
Years active	2004–present
Labels	RCA Red Seal, Sony Masterworks, E1 Music
Website	www.the5browns.com
Members	Desirae Brown Deondra Brown Gregory Brown Melody Brown Ryan Brown

The 5 Browns are a classical piano ensemble consisting of five siblings—two brothers and three sisters. Their repertoire ranges from beloved concert hall staples, such as Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, and Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King to lesser known works like Nico Muhly's The Edge of the World and John Novacek's Reflections on Shenandoah. In addition to their work on five pianos, The 5 Browns perform and record works for solo piano, two pianos, and in various other combinations.

In descending age order, the Browns are Desirae (born 1979), Deondra (born 1980), Gregory (born 1982), Melody (born 1984), and Ryan (born 1986). All five siblings, the children of Keith and Lisa Brown, were born in Houston, Texas, where each began piano study with Yelena Kurinets at age 3. In 1991, the family moved to Utah, and the children were homeschooled and continued private study there with Irene Peery-Fox.

From 2001 to 2006 the 5 Browns attended New York’s Juilliard School, where they studied with Yoheved Kaplinsky. They were the first family of five siblings to be enrolled simultaneously. In February 2002 People magazine dubbed them the “Fab Five" at about the same time they were featured on Oprah and 60 Minutes. The 5 Browns have released 3 CDs that each went to #1 on Billboard Magazine’s Classical Album Chart. Their concerts have widely received critical acclaim.

From 2004 to 2008 they were signed with the RCA Red Seal label (later folded into Sony BMG Masterworks), but for their 2010 release, The 5 Browns In Hollywood, they signed with E1 Music. The 5 Browns are Steinway Artists.

A five-piano concerto, The Edge of the World by Nico Muhly, was commissioned for performance at the Ravinia Festival by the 5 Browns. The piece premiered in 2011 under the direction of James Conlon with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. They also performed on the Fall 2009 runway of designer Zac Posen for New York's Mercedes-Benz Fashion week. The Wall Street Journal noted "Mr. Posen placed the five pianos in a line down the middle of the runway, where the 5 Browns pounded away at complex five-piano arrangements. The result was a show that didn't require any expensive backdrops and would have entertained even without the models."