Press

Beethoven-Haus Bonn Recital Debut: Brown Shines and Captivates “Brown is wide awake and loosened up his concert with eloquent and amusing presentations. He likes to put his fabulous pianistic skills at the service of unusual programmes, such as Mendelssohn's seldom performed Six Preludes and Fugues. Brown played captivatingly...his reading of Beethoven's Eroica Variations succeeded brilliantly, with a feeling for the typical defiant humour, with superior virtuosity. Brown wrote the right-hand solo Breakup Etude: a circus sound-bath of Debussy, satie and modern jazz. "What is it all for?" asks the pianist self-deprecatingly at the end. Well, definitely good for high-class entertainment.” [Read More]
— Von Mathias Nofze, General-Anzeiger

Album Review: Noctuelles, First Hand Records performance ***** | recording *****
"It’s a truism to declare that Ravel was a master of exquisite new sonorities, but how many pianists realise the luminosity and the quietest dynamics as well as Brown? Melodic fragments are always subtly highlighted; grouping the work in two pairs followed by a numinously majestic epilogue, the pianist makes ‘The Valley of the Bells’ a spellbinding highlight, resonating in mid-air… a treasurable diptych." [Read More]
— BBC Music Magazine "his technique is crystalline, dynamically fluid and deeply expressive" [Read More]
— Jean-Yves Duperron, Classical Music Sentinel "the whole CD is a real feast for the ears"
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— Rob Challinor, Music Web International "The account of Miroirs can certainly hold its own in what is now a crowded field." [Read More]
— Arcana.fm "Michael Stephen Brown takes the plunge into a dark tale, rediscovering in Medtner's diabolical dreaminess Ravel's desperate imaginations." [Read More]
— Artamag (Paris)

Mostly Mozart Debut Recital “…Mr. Brown began with a colorful account of Mendelssohn’s impetuous “Variations Sérieuses,” then played his own flinty yet playfully pointillist “Folk Variations.” Nodding to the orchestra’s earlier program, he ended his recital with a fearless performance of Beethoven’s mon-umental “Eroica” Variations.” [Read More]
— Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times

Mostly Mozart Recital “Brown played these variations with command. He showed a clear sense of structure, and he played with total confidence. Boldness. He was unhesitating in everything he did, as if there were no other way. This is a valuable quality in a musician. Brown struck me as a leader, as he played. I wonder whether he conducts, or will conduct, in addition to playing and composing.” [Read More]
— Jay Nordlinger, The New Criterion

Chamber Music Society opens season in Saratoga Springs with adventurous program “Pianist Michael Stephen Brown, who proved to be the glue that held together all the pieces performed, opened with Ravel’s “Jeux d’eau” (1901). Inspired by one of Versailles’ fountains, the work rip-ples and sparkles with sprays of notes in rainbows of color. Brown’s easy facility glistened with an elegance and grace.” [Read More]
— Geraldine Freedman, The Daily Gazette

Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto “The Heartland Festival Orchestra closed out its 10th season…featuring an amazing piano soloist Michael Stephen Brown. Brown's piece, Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor Op. 23, received two standing ovations, the first at the conclusion of the first movement, which seems to be a finale but isn’t. Artistic director/conductor David Commanday told the audience that happens often, then pressed on, so Brown received a second SO after the third and final movement. This is a fast, difficult piece, and Brown played it from memory, brilliantly.” [Read More]
— Elaine Hopkins, Peoria Story

Bernstein’s Age of Anxiety “Michael Stephen Brown gave a fresh, direct, and lively reading of the solo piano part that never grew over-inflated or threatened to bog the music down.” [Read More]
— Samuel Wigutow, Concerto Net

Dark rarities offer bright rewards in Chamber Music Society season finale “Brown’s keyboard work was especially idiomatic, bringing out the fantasia quality of the writ-ing. One would like to hear this excellent pianist tackle Schubert’s late sonatas sometime.” [Read More]
— Lawrence A. Johnson, Chicago Classical Review

CMS Opening Night “And Mr. Brown’s reading of Glinka’s variations on a Mozart theme was a highlight by the sheer force of his playing, his sound gently radiant.” [Read More]
— Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, The New York Times

Michael Stephen Brown's Piano Works: CD Review "with this quote: Framing the album’s American contributions come a gripping account of four of Mendelssohn’s six Preludes and Fugues, op. 35, and Beethoven’s Eroica Variations (his op. 35). Brown dispatches the Mendelssohn’s sometimes very knotty chromaticism with exceptional clarity and – always – a strong sense of the musical line. Thus, the fugues are anything but pedantic, pseudo-Bachian exercises: Brown’s account of the opening E-minor one, for instance, is packed with energy and drama, the chorale at its end not only perfectly balanced between the hands but, emotionally, truly cathartic. The concluding sixth fugue (in B-flat major) is a marvel of propulsion and snappy rhythmic activity. Brown also mines much beauty and drama out of the preludes." [Read More]
— Jonathan Blumhofer, The Arts Fuse

Michael Stephen Brown plays Shostakovich 1 with Grand Rapids Symphony "Brown, a past Rising Star of the Gilmore Keyboard Festival, returned to West Michigan to give a performance that was clean and precise but still with an undercurrent of passion just below the surface. A gifted pianist, Brown has substantial skills as a soloist. Lehninger led an exciting performance." [Read More]
— Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk, grsymphony.org

Own Brand "one of the most refined of all pianist-composers" [Read More]
— Benjamin Ivry, International Piano

Composer Pianist Michael Stephen Brown on Creating Musical Journeys "Pianist and composer Michael Stephen Brown is a storyteller. During a recent recital, he performed a polished program weaving together a web of fugues by Mendelssohn, Beethoven, and Bernstein, as well as his own compositions, with a delivery that conveyed his love for Americana alongside the classical form. In fact, even his playing of classical pieces sounds a bit folksy. Certainly, his presentation managed to connect one piece to another, as an unfolding narrative, even though the separate pieces might have had little in common in terms of an actual storyline." [Read More]
— Catherine Yang, Epoch Times

Formidable Pianist in Chamber Works by Franck and Dvorak "Classical musicians face enormous expectations when they play a standard repertory work. Listeners have strong feelings about favorite pieces, even when they are open to fresh interpretive approaches...Franck’s Sonata for Cello and Piano in A [received] an ardent, bold performance by Mr. Müller-Schott and the formidable pianist Michael Stephen Brown...The program ended with Dvorak’s Piano Quartet in D (Op. 23), with the violist Paul Neubauer joining Mr. Sussmann, Mr. Müller-Schott and Mr. Brown. It was a lively, dynamic performance." [Read More]
— Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times

Review: Albany Symphony Brought its Best "The three young soloists were outstanding — Elena Urioste, violin, Nicholas Canellakis, cello (and the brother of the conductor) and Michael Stephen Brown, piano. They played with great familiarity with each other's technique, the cellist being the strongest of the three. Canellakis was, in fact, outstanding in his playing, with a sweet tone and vivacious accuracy.
The most interesting music was with the soloists, whose intricate melodies blended so well, while the orchestra mainly was accompaniment, except at crucial loud tutti sections." [Read More]
— Priscilla McLean, Times Union

Chamber Music Society fully in the groove with percussion and piano program "There were grooves galore in Brown’s Sonata-Fantasy for Two Pianos, performed with verve by the generation-skipping duo of Brown and Kalish. Errol Garner met Darius Milhaud in the first movement, as ever-shifting rhythms and robust two-piano sonority kept the ear amused..." [Read More]
— David Wright, New York Classical Review

Seattle begins New Year with Beethoven's Ninth "Providing an even more significant contribution to the performance was gifted pianist-composer and rising star Michael Stephen Brown. Notwithstanding the technical demands and often-ferocious difficulties in the piano writing, Brown played glitteringly and with dazzling proficiency, demonstrating a keen understanding of the contemporary idiom that he undoubtedly utilizes as a composer." [Read More]
— Erica Miner, bachtrack

Juilliard piano department chair and alumnus collaborate at UTEP "They gave a show that anyone, regardless of musical taste or knowledge would have enjoyed. Together they were enthralling and entertaining, and as individuals they were both fascinating in their own way." [Read More]
— Leslie Sarinana, The Prospector

At Seattle Symphony, cosmic radiation from Beethoven and Messiaen "In the prominent solo piano part, Michael Stephen Brown dispatched Messiaen’s complex rhythms incisively." [Read More]
— Thomas May, Seattle Times

Review: A Musical Tour of Mendelssohn’s Europe "The only truly substantial offering came last, when Mr. Brown, Ms. Keefe and Mr. Marica gave a stunning performance of Ravel’s Piano Trio in A minor (representing France). Here, finally, was a wealth of delicate surprises, especially in the fascinating array of colors the players produced, from the monastic severity of the deep piano ruminations in the Passacaille to the iridescent halo created by the strings’s harmonics in the Finale." [Read More]
— Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, The New York Times

Concert Review: FSO revels in the classics as Schulze prepares to depart "The centerpiece of the [Ravel] concerto, a languid, meditative, and lengthy discourse in slow triple meter, requires a different manner of control in order to maintain the listener’s attention, and Mr. Brown masterfully achieved this in his sensitive rendition." [Read More]
— Charles Spining, Arizona Daily Sun

Chamber Music Society closes Harris season with an American feast "Half the battle with Gottschalk is playing him with utter conviction. Brown won that battle, and brought a light touch to its lyrical moments and beautifully shaded pedaling to its more rambunctious outer sections." [Read More]
— John Y. Lawrence, Chicago Classical Review

Review: ‘American Visions’: Works by Gottschalk, Dvořák, Ives, and Crumb at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center "Michael Stephen Brown displayed a virtuosity one could only dream of, turning the Steinway piano into a one-piece marching band complete with trumpet calls and realistic sounding drum rolls with the left hand attacking keys in the bass while playing “Hail, Columbia” with his right hand. More trumpet, more octaves, and a triumphant finish left the audience only wanting for a fireworks reprise." [Read More]
— Paul Riegler, Frequent Business Traveler

Album Review: Jerome Lowenthal & Michael Stephen Brown: Americans in Paris, CAG Records [Read More]
— Harrington, American Record Guide

Collaborative Works "...Brown again working wonders at the keyboard." [Read More]
— John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune

Pianist Michael Stephen Brown with the Seattle Symphony: cool clean case for a George Perle revival "The pianist was Michael Stephen Brown, a champion of Perle’s work. The jaunty precision he and Morlot brought to the music – especially in passages where Brown and percussionist Michael A. Werner had to keep in playful but fiendishly tricky unison – made a cool, clean case for a Perle revival." [Read More]
— Michael Upchurch, The Seattle Times

Cellist Nicholas Canellakis, pianist Michael Stephen Brown at Wolf Trap Barns "It was in Chopin’s G Minor Sonata (one of the rare times the composer dipped his toe into the non-piano-solo world) and Shostakovich’s D Minor Op. 40 Sonata, however, that the duo found their poetic chops. The Chopin glowed with warmth, and the Shostakovich, the evening’s highlight, offered a commentary on the human condition that ranged from vivid incisiveness to the most touching quiet introspection."
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— Joan Reinthaler, The Washington Post

Michael Stephen Brown's George Perle on Bridge Records: Genuinely Engaging "George Perle [had] a distinctive voice, a pointillist quasi-atonality justifying the adjective pearly. There’s an intellectual rigor ... and you may not want to listen to the whole CD at once. But the music, composed between 1938 and 1997, is anything but off-putting. In fact, it’s genuinely engaging in its directness, even playfulness, and it’s admirably served by Michael Stephen Brown." [Read More]
— Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News

Rising Star solo pianist, In Review "Its final movement came across with a great deal of energy, which earned Mr. Brown a rare, post-first-set, standing ovation...Mr. Brown is a composer as well as a pianist, and he opened the second set with work of his own, “Constellations and Toccata.” The first showed real musicality, especially in his fine touch in slow passages. The “Toccata,” with its fast, vigorous tempo, made demands on his technique, which he more than satisfied. One looks forward to more of his music." [Read More]
— Harry Schroeder, Konk Life

Michael Stephen Brown at the Kravis "Leonard Bernstein’s arrangement of El Salon Mexico [was] delivered with sparkling rhythmic energy... Brown’s own answer to this work was his Homage to Copland, specifically to the Copland of El Salon Mexico." [Read More]
— Ken Keaton, Palm Beach Daily News

Young pianist-composer follows in footsteps of Beethoven and Shostakovich [Maryland Symphony Music Director Elizabeth] "Schulze said the concert focused on three "brillant young men" who wanted to make the biggest statement possible about who they are, what they know and what they can do. Beethoven and Shostakovich became legends in their fields, and Schulze recognized Brown for being one who will take the style of music into the future." [Read More]
— Herald Mail Media

Samuel Adler Praises Michael Stephen Brown's "Flourishes "Your concerto for piano and orchestra is a winner. I could not be more enthusiastic. The orchestration is terrific and successful throughout, and of course the piano writing is exemplary. It is a fabulous piece. Congratulations and Bravo!!!" Samuel Adler about Michael Stephen Brown's "Flourishes" for Piano and Orchestra (2014)
— Samuel Adler

Pianist and composer Michael Stephen Brown 'Flourishes' with MSO "Brown will premiere his most recent work, “Flourishes,” which was commissioned by the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, during the November Masterworks concerts Saturday, Nov. 8, and Sunday, Nov. 9, at The Maryland Theatre." [Read More]
— Alicia Notarianni, Herald Mail Media

REVIEW: Brown-Urioste-Canellakis Trio with the Heartland Festival Orchestra "Beethoven's Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano in C Major featured the Brown-Urioste-Canellakis Trio, young award-winning musicians who wowed the audience with their musicianship and stage presence." [Read More]
— Elaine Hopkins, PeoriaStory

Bargemusic sets sail with music for clarinet and piano "With a New York boat taxi sailing past the unblinded windows of the stern during the final, rubato-infused Vivace, the Brahms sonata could not have been any better choreographed." [Read More]
— Logan K. Young, New York Classical Review

ALBUM REVIEW: Perle: Eight Pieces (1938-1997) - Michael Stephen Brown (piano) - Bridge Records BRIDGE 9426 "George Perle, who died five years ago at age 93, is honored by these excellent performances, which include the majority of his works for piano, spanning nearly sixty years." [Read More]
— Mark DeVoto, Classical Ear

Not Quite 76 Trombones, but More Than Usual "Michael Stephen Brown’s impressive “Two Movements for Cello and Piano” is the product of a confident young composer with a talent for precision." [Read More]
— David Allen, The New York Times

Paying Homage, Vivaciously and Somberly "Mr. Brown played [George Perle's] poetic Sarabande sensitively and the “Gavotte (After Bach)” and whirlwind Gigue with flair ... [He] navigated the virtuosic challenges of [Samuel] Adler’s “Fantasy” (2013) with aplomb." [Read More]
— Vivien Schweitzer, The New York Times

Elena Urioste & Michael Stephen Brown at Wigmore Hall "The players... delivered a focused and musically intelligent reading." [Read More]
— Ben Hogwood, classicalsource.com

Album Review: Michael Stephen Brown- CAG Records "The final [Schubert] Rondo is deliciously played, with all the perkiness and sparkle one could want." [Read More]
— Becker, American Record Guide

29th Olympic Music Festival closes brilliantly "...vividly captured in a performance of compelling artistry and power." [Read More]
— Bernard Jacobsen, The Seattle Times

A Young Pianist Uncovers an Addition to the Repertory "The hall was packed, and musicians were plentiful, usually a sign that a young performer is worth watching, and that proved to be the case. Mr. Brown has a streamlined but powerful technique and a vivid imagination."
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— Allan Kozinn, The New York Times

Charisma, talent send young pianist Michael Stephen Brown on his way "Brown’s tangible charisma is matched with a monumental talent." [Read More]
— Ellen Hughes, The Patriot News

Pianist Michael Stephen Brown exhibits exceptional technique in Gilmore Rising Stars recital "Brown showed perfection with each study" [Read More]
— C.J. Gianakaris, Kalamazoo Gazette

New Haven Symphony Orchestra opens with shiny concert, despite economic challenges "Brown is a brilliant young talent" [Read More]
— Donna Doherty, New Haven Register

Going Back to School and Finding Excitement "In the Beethoven, Michael Stephen Brown gave a vividly characterized, rhythmically free-spirited account of the solo line."[Read More]
— Allan Kozinn, New York Times

Gramophone Review “…soloist Michael Stephen Brown played with great confidence and rhythmic flair...” [Read More]
— Albert Imperato, Gramophone

American pianist Michael Stephen Brown once again brought arresting ideas to his recital “American pianist Michael Stephen Brown once again brought arresting ideas to his recital, which consisted of one work, Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze. He was articulate, observant and logical.”
— The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Sureness of Touch and Voicing “…sureness of touch and voicing… astonishing accuracy and attention to dynamics… My notes read simply ‘Wow!’”
— Cleveland Classical Blog

Sublimely understated piano introduction “The second movement was colored delicately by Mr. Brown’s sublimely understated piano introduction…”
— Santa Barbara Press