Five young people sit in a circle at five grand pianos. They begin to play a classical piece in unison. Suddenly, one player breaks into a fast solo. He shouts and bangs the keys with his foot. Next, the three female performers gather at one piano to play another tune.
That is what a concert by the five Browns--Desirae, 26, Deondra, 24, Gregory, 22, Melody, 20, and Ryan, 19--might look like. The talented pianists aim to show young people that classical music can be cool.
"Most kids don't realize that in classical music, there's excitement. There's drama. There are all the things they love," Desirae told TFK.
The fast-fingered siblings each began taking piano lessons at age 3. They would practice for hours on five grand pianos in their family's Utah home. They went on to study at the Juilliard School in New York City. It was the first time that the prestigious school had ever accepted five members of the same family.
This week, the siblings released their first CD, The 5 Browns, which is packed with some of their favorite classical pieces. All five play together on some numbers. Other pieces are duets and solos.
Although the Browns create beautiful music together, each performer has developed a unique style. Gregory's style is aggressive. Melody's is graceful. Ryan's bursts with energy and personality. Desirae and Deondra play many of the duets. But Deondra's style is intense and rhythmic, while Desirae's is more delicate.
Through it all, they maintain family harmony. "It's always amazing to perform together. It wouldn't be half as much fun if we were by ourselves," says Ryan. "We support each other a lot."