It’s not every day that world-renowned performers give a special, intimate performance for high school students. It’s also unusual that such performers are around the same age as the students they’re performing for.

On Thursday, Dec. 7, Shaker High School music students got a chance to listen to the 5 Browns perform live for them on their own school stage.

The 5 Browns are brothers and sisters — Ryan, 20; Melody, 21; Gregory, 23; Deondra, 25; and Desirae, 27 — who are all Juilliard-trained concert pianists. They perform alone, in different combinations, and together on five grand pianos at once.

Shaker High School students listened to beautiful, goose bump-raising classical piano pieces like “Fly of the Bumble Bee” and the “Shaker Hymn,” and also had time to ask the 5 Browns questions about themselves. Questions such as, “When did you start playing?” “Do you write your own music?” and “How many pianos do you have in your house?” were asked of the five siblings.

The over-riding message that came from the 5 Browns’ performance was that they wanted to relate classical music to the younger generation — their generation.

On Thursday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m., the 5 Browns performed a benefit concert on the same stage. They agreed to perform the benefit concert as a fundraiser for the North Colonie Friends of Music, who are working to raise the remaining $45,000 needed to purchase two Steinway grand pianos for North Colonie schools. Read more about the benefit night concert.

Top right photo: Gregory Brown gives a special solo performance on the piano.

Bottom left photo (from left to right): Ryan, Melody, Desirae and Deondra Brown answer questions asked by Shaker High School students.