Everything they do is calculated to take their music to a new generation — interviews for teen magazines, TV appearances, a book, the shortened arrangements, the casual stage attire, music videos.

They have created several videos, one of them a rendition of "Rhapsody in Blue" in an old World War II hangar in Wendover and another featuring a spectacular performance of "Firebird" at sunset on the Bonneville Salt Flats in what was a production sleight of hand. After boxing and hauling five 9-foot Steinway grand pianos from Wendover to the Salt Flats, the group's crew raced to assemble them again before sunset. They had time for only two takes.

"We market it like a pop album, but the music is classical," Melody says. "A lot of older people say, 'We've never seen so many young people at a classical concert; this gives me hope for your generation."'

Performing 80 to 120 concerts a year, the Browns are booked through 2009. They say they could book 200 concerts annually, if they didn't choose to have a home life; instead, they tour for two weeks, return home, then tour for two more weeks and so on. They'll be performing in Las Vegas on Sept. 8.

"Their concerts sell out, and half the audience are kids," Diamond says. "There's no question that they have brought classical music to a younger audience.

"They could be booked every weekend and play during the week the whole year if they wanted," Diamond says.

They have appeared with Jay Leno and Martha Stewart and on "The View," "Good Morning America," "Oprah," "CBS Morning Show" and they've been profiled twice on "60 Minutes." They are scheduled for an appearance with Larry King and at a concert in Carnegie Hall.

The Browns flew to China to negotiate a deal for TV and newspaper coverage, widespread distribution of their CDs and concerts in the country's eight biggest cities. This is a country where some 50 million children take piano lessons.

A book will be published about the quintet, due to be released in February, with the forward being written by King.

"I still look at it, like, how did all this happen?" Lisa says.

Well, for one thing, Diamond got sick one night about 10 years ago, or maybe none of this would have happened. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Piano lessons

Like so many Latter-day Saint families, the Browns wanted their children to learn piano. Lisa studied opera and wanted to expose her children to music, if for no other reason than to keep them busy. They began lessons as preschoolers, and by 8 or 9 years old they were accompanying church choirs.

They had five pianos in the house. The kids each practiced more than three hours daily, filling the home with scales, repertoire, and finger exercises.