The classically trained 5 Browns — siblings Desirae, Deondra, Gregory, Melody and Ryan Brown — will perform twice at the Reynolds Performance Hall on the University of Central Arkansas campus on Tuesday, Feb. 20.
The Browns, who all attended the Juilliard School in New York to study piano performance (the first time five siblings attended the school at the same time) play piano in various combinations on their Steinway grand pianos, bringing classical music to wider and younger audiences.
They will present a one-hour student matinee performance at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Though the show is intended for school groups, it’s open to other groups, and tickets are $5.
The evening show beings at 7:30 p.m., with the Browns performing a two-act concert. Tickets are $12 for children 12 and under, $10 or $15 for UCA students, $20 for non-UCA students, and $22-$35 for adults. Call 866-810-0012 (toll free) or 450-3265 for tickets or more information, or visit www.uca.edu/tickets. At the request of the Browns, no children under 6 are allowed into the concert.
The New York Post last year said of the Browns: “One family, five pianos and 50 fingers add up to the biggest classical music sensation in years,” while Entertainment Weekly said, “This quintet of piano prodigies revamps stuffy classics for the Rachmaninoff-impaired.” Their self-titled first record landed them at the top of the weekly Billboard charts. Their followup album is “No Boundaries.” Their ages range from Ryan’s 20 to Desirae at 27, and each is said to bring a distinctive style to the piano. They’ve appeared on “Oprah,” “60 Minutes,” “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” and “Good Morning America.”