FIFTY FINGERS: The 5 Browns, the acclaimed piano quintet of Julliard-trained siblings, comes to Drew University on November 18. (Photo by Giuseppe1925, CC BY-SA 3.0)

By Doug Wallack

On Saturday, November 18, The 5 Browns will take to the stage at the Dorothy Young Center for the Arts at Drew University. The piano quintet, composed of Julliard-trained siblings Ryan, Melody, Gregory, Deondra, and Desirae Brown, first came to prominence in 2002, and in the ensuing decade and a half they’ve enjoyed generous critical and popular acclaim.

The 5 Browns primarily concentrate on arrangements of classical repertoire, though they’ve also branched out into renditions of classic musical theater and film numbers. In performances ranging from solo pieces, to duos, to intricate five-piano arrangements, the quintet’s sound is at times thunderous and orchestral, but often enough delicate and gauzy. Their most recent album, The Rite of Spring, was released in 2013. The group’s rendition of Stravinsky’s masterpiece is every bit as unnerving as the original symphonic arrangement that famously inspired a riot at its premiere a century earlier.

The 5 Browns’ 2017-’18 season will include the release of their seventh album, for which they are joining with Grammy-winning producer Adam Abeshouse. The November 18 program is unannounced, but it is sure to be a showcase of musical and technical mastery. The concert will take place that evening at 8 p.m., with a pre-concert conversation at 7:15 p.m. For tickets, call (973) 408-3176 or visit drew.edu/boxoffice.