Salt Lake City, UT (July 2009)—This October, The 5 Browns, a family of five piano virtuosos all schooled at Julliard, will thrill audiences at Mentors’ fifth annual fundraising gala. The gala will also honor Padma Venkataraman, one of India’s best known social activists.
The gala will be held on Friday, October 9 at 6 p.m. at the Downtown Salt Lake Marriott and over 900 people are expected to attend.
The 5 Browns, five siblings (three women and two men) all in their twenties have dazzled audiences from Beijing to Berlin. They first hit to the top of the nation’s classical music charts in 2005 with their album The 5 Browns. The next year, with their No Boundaries album, they were No. 1 on the charts for 21 weeks.
In the music world, they are an unprecedented concert attraction, dedicated to bringing classical music to the lives of people everywhere. They have garnered attention everywhere from Carnegie Hall to the Tonight Show to The New York Times. Although they are dedicated to their art, they have also become committed to the Mentors cause.
“The idea of helping people help themselves immediately touched us,” said Melody Brown. “What really sold us was when we attended last year’s gala and saw the pictures and heard the stories of the clients whose lives had changed when someone trusted them enough to give them a small loan. We are grateful that we can do our part to help Mentors clients.”
In addition to The 5 Browns’ performance, Padma Venkataraman, daughter of former Indian President R. Venkataraman, will be given Mentors’ International Humanitarian Service Award. Venkataraman has long been a leading figure in the national fight against leprosy and its resulting stigma. She has also made great strides in incorporating micro lending into numerous leprosy colonies. Her determination to break the cycle of leprosy transmission for future generations has become a model for giving these individuals the dignity they deserve.
