The Five Fabuluous Browns

The Five Browns delighted their audience at the Cailloux Performing Arts Theater in Kerrville last evening. We had been fortunate to get last minute tickets to hear these talented young piano players and were delighted to be in attendance. The Browns are three sisters and their two brothers who attended the Julliard School of Music in New York together. Ryan, Melody, Gregory, Deondra, and Desirae, while native Texans, were brought up in Utah. Imagine having five grand pianos in your home so that your five children could practice. They are currently in their twenties and four are married with the fifth shortly to join them. They live near each other but practice in their parents' home.

They played as a group as well as singly or in other combinations. Their rendition was as if you were listening to an entire symphony with fifty fingers flying over the keys. We heard Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and works from Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Prokofieff, Holst, Chopin, Ravel, and Saint-Saens. While they did not play all these pieces completely through, they brought the audience to its feet after their rendition of The Planets" and "Danse Macabre."

We would look at each other and murmur, "Just lovely!" What a splendid evening, and how fortunate we were to be able to listen to these talented musicians. An early Mother's Day present for HW2, for sure.

At intermission we visited with our neighbors, only to learn that his sister teaches at Eastern Michigan University with our Kim. It is a small world.

I wondered if the youngest Brown felt pressure to be part of this talented group. I also wondered if the parents had musical talent, and we learned that their mother was a singer. They have performed on Oprah and with schools and symphonies throughout this country and in several other countries. They are not sure how long they will play together but are signed up to do so for the next several years. We also thought how lovely it would be to hear our three piano-playing grandchildren play together. We have actually heard them play together once. Maybe they have a future in music. It will however, take much discipline to get to put on a show like the Browns.

If you ever get a chance to hear them, don't miss it. They are wonderful. Happy travels.