The 5 Browns come home

On Feb. 1 the 5 Browns released a self-titled debut CD/DVD that hit No. 1 on the classical charts — ahead of renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Not bad for five kids from Alpine, Utah.

And now the Brown siblings are finally coming home to play Kingsbury Hall.

"It's so exciting to be able to play at home," said Melody Brown, 20. "We've played in Florida and in New York, but it will be nice to come home. We'll be playing in front of teachers, old friends and family members."

While some people might think that kind of audience would put pressure on them as performers, The 5 Browns feel just the opposite.

"We have a lot of support," said Gregory Brown, 22. "And all of us love playing for anyone from our hometown."

Melody and Gregory, who were interviewed by phone from Juilliard School in New York City, grew up in Alpine, as did their siblings Desirae, 25, Deondra, 24, and Ryan, 19. Their parents, Lisa and Keith Brown, opted for home schooling until their children were ready for music school.

All five went to Juilliard, where Melody and Gregory are still attending. Desirae and Deondra have graduated, and Ryan, who briefly attended Juilliard until last month, opted to leave the school for the Manhattan School of Music.

"Ryan didn't want to be compared to the others," said Melody. "So he decided to attend another school."

"I don't blame him," said Gregory. "We constantly are approached by teachers who tell us stories about the others who came before us. I don't think Ryan wanted to be compared to the others."

The transfer doesn't mean, however, that there is any heavy sibling rivalry within the piano quintet.

"We have always been each others' best friends," said Melody. "We always support each other in our decisions and are there for each other when things get rough.

"We have like this telepathic thing going. We knew if someone had a bad lesson, and we just dealt with it."

When the five are playing together, the telepathic connection really kicks in. "We've played with each other so much that we know what the others are going to do," said Gregory. "And we can also cover up the others' mistakes, too.

"It's funny. When Deondra and Desirae were going to Juilliard, they told us about teachers who said they played together so naturally that they were sure they had telepathy. Well, when Melody, Ryan and I started Juilliard, the teachers came to us and said we were just like the other two."