The musical keepsakes in The Little Tin Box represent an encounter with childhood memory, a reclaiming of its sweetness and beauty, and a reveal of greater meaning in the light by having survived the dark.

On November 6, 2020 Steinway & Sons releases the newest album from The 5 Browns, The Little Tin Box: A Collection of Childhood Memories. The 5 Browns will be donating albums and proceeds as part of a philanthropic partnership with National Children’s Alliance, the nation’s largest network of care centers for children victimized by abuse.

Ryan, Melody, Gregory, Deondra and Desirae Brown shatter the stereotype of stuffy classical piano while appealing to all music fans with a lively, whimsical approach that will surely connect the audience with their inner selves.

At its core, The Little Tin Box is a passion project about awareness of the traumas and emotions children face, inspired by children’s keepsake boxes filled with personal treasures. The tracks on the album, many of which the siblings played throughout their childhoods, are meant to illustrate the emotions — some beautiful, some heartbreaking, some a combination — attached to childhood memories and mementos.

With the siblings having experienced their own personal traumas as children related to abuse, the album paints the complexities of childhood — one that can be carefree and fun, yet painful and confusing. The music transports both children and adults into a world of memory, evoking tears and laughter, meant to represent a child’s emotional pain and incredible ability to break through and find joy.

“I was astonished by the precision with which the talented Browns executed their keyboard gymnastics.”

   —Chicago Tribune

“Undeniably masters of their instruments and their art, they could play lines of code and make it sound pretty.”

   —Midwest Record

Album Credits

The Little Tin Box / The 5 Browns • STNS 30166
Release Date: 11/06/2020

Recorded at The Dorothy Young Center for the Arts at Drew University on June 24–26, 2016.
Producer/Engineer/Mastering Engineer: Adam Abeshouse

Executive Producers: Eric Feidner, Jon Feidner
Production Assistant: Renée Oakford
Art Direction: Jackie Fugere
Design: Cover to Cover Design, Anilda Carrasquillo
Illustrations: Hilary Onyon
Photographs: August Miller, UVU Marketing & Communications

About the Artists

The 5 Browns — Ryan, Melody, Gregory, Deondra and Desirae — all attended The Juilliard School in New York City, where they became the first family of five siblings to be admitted. The quintet enjoyed their first wave of critical attention in 2002, when People magazine dubbed them the “Fab Five” and they were featured on Oprah and 60 Minutes. The 5 Browns’ albums have collectively spent over 30 weeks in the #1 position on Billboard Magazine’s Classical Album Chart. The New York Post has proclaimed: “One family, five pianos and 50 fingers add up to the biggest classical music sensation in years.”

 The quintet has garnered extensive coverage from media outlets ranging from The Tonight Show, Good Morning America, Today, and The View, to NPR’s Performance Today, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and Entertainment Weekly.

The 5 Browns tour extensively in the United States and abroad and have performed in venues including Carnegie Hall in New York City, the Grand National Theater in Beijing, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Symphony Hall in Chicago, and Zaryadye Concert Hall in Moscow. Individually and collaboratively, they have soloed with orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, the Saint Louis Symphony, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestre de chambre de Paris.

 Additionally, filmmaker Ben Niles’ feature-length documentary “The 5 Browns: Digging Through the Darkness” has played at film festivals around the world and was labeled a Critic’s Pick by The New York Times.

 The 5 Browns are exclusive Steinway Artists. 

About Steinway & Sons label

The STEINWAY & SONS music label produces exceptional albums of solo piano music across all genres. The label — a division of STEINWAY & SONS, maker of the world’s finest pianos — is a perfect vessel for producing the finest quality recordings by some of the most talented pianists in the world.