October 4, 2005

     

    The 5 Browns to perform on five pianos
    during BYU-Idaho Spirit Week

     

    REXBURG, Idaho-
     

    The 5 Browns, a youthful quintet of piano-playing brothers and sisters, will perform at the Hart Auditorium at Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg Saturday, October 15, at 7:30 p.m.

    The Center Stage Performing Arts Series performance is part of Spirit Week festivities. Tickets are $12 for the general public and $4 for BYU-Idaho students. They may be purchased from the BYU-Idaho ticket Office by calling 496-2230 or online at www.byui.edu/tickets.

    The Utah-bred Browns will perform on five Steinway grand pianos in a show developed to attract the interest of young people, and includes such crowd-pleasers such as Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee” and selections from “West Side Story.”

    The concert is reawakening a lively tradition of multi-piano performance that reaches back to the earliest days of the modern piano when “monster concerts” were all the rage throughout the 1800s.

    Each of the Browns – Desirae, 26; Deondra, 24; Gregory, 22; Melody, 21; and Ryan, 19 – has a distinctive and discriminating keyboard talent, honed at New York’s Juilliard School, where for five consecutive years they studied simultaneously. They have chosen to cast their lot together as a unique quintet of classical pianists, performing on five pianos, and in various ensemble combinations.

    After capturing the imagination of the public, they have appeared on “Oprah” and “60 Minutes,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Good Morning America,” and in the pages of The New York Times, People Magazine, Los Angeles Times and Sunday London Telegraph.

    They also performed for a recent birthday celebration of LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City.

    Having signed a contract to record for RCA Red Seal/BMG Classics, The 5 Browns debut album was No. 1 when released February 8, 2005, and has remained at the top of the classical charts since. In addition to a national concert tour, they were invited to perform for First Lady, Laura Bush, at her annual Ladies Luncheon held in Washington, D.C.

     

     

     

    Style guide note: When reporting about Brigham Young University-Idaho, please use the complete name of the university in the first reference.

    Brigham Young University-Idaho, formerly Ricks College, is a four-year private university located in Rexburg, Idaho. The university, which is affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, offers both baccalaureate and associate degrees; integrated degrees and internships that are tailored to fit students' interests; a year-round track system allowing more students to attend; and an extensive activities program that provides leadership and growth experiences. It is the largest private university in Idaho, with over 11,000 students enrolled for winter 2005.


     

    Media Relations
    Bryce J Rydalch
    Kimball 226, Rexburg, ID 83460
    (208) 496-2108 rydalchb@byui.edu