The 5 Browns: Digging Through the Darkness

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Independently produced by the award-winning filmmaker, Ben Niles (Note by Note, Some Kind of Spark), Digging Through the Darkness takes an intimate look at The 5 Browns, a group of sibling pianists with a meteoric rise to stardom only to be devastated years later by the tragic realization that all three sisters had been sexually abused by their father. Told intimately using archival family video, interviews, rehearsals, performances and verité footage, Niles weaves together the remarkable story of musical determination and passion mirrored by profound bravery and survival-both personally and professionally-as The 5 Browns come to terms with their broken family and work to find solace and healing in their own individual ways. " The 5 Browns (Desirae, Deondra, Gregory, Melody and Ryan) burst on the scene after a New York Times profile in 2000. All five were studying piano at the esteemed Juilliard School (a first in the schools long history) which led to immediate stardom and appearances on several shows including 60 Minutes, Jay Leno and Oprah. The following year they were signed to Sony Records followed by performances in major concert halls around the world. But as Melody describes it, "a lot was lurking there."