Michael Stephen Brown Performs on Shelter Island

Shelter Island Friends of Music will present award-winning pianist and composer Michael Stephen Brown in concert on Saturday, May 3, at 6 p.m. at the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church. Brown will perform a program featuring works by Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Von Weber, Fauré, Beethoven and original compositions.

Michael Stephen Brown is a first prize winner of the Concert Artists Guild Competition and a recipient of both an Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Bowers Residency from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Brown has performed with leading orchestras such as the Seattle Symphony and Poland’s NFM Leopoldinum, and in solo recitals at iconic venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Louvre and Beethoven-Haus Bonn. Selected by legendary pianist András Schiff for an international recital tour, Brown has made debuts at the Tonhalle in Zurich and New York’s 92nd Street Y. He is also a 2025 MacDowell Fellow and 2024 Yaddo Artist, currently at work on “Endangered Carnival,” a large-scale commissioned work premiering in 2026.

Brown earned dual degrees in piano and composition from The Juilliard School and is a past recipient of Lincoln Center’s Emerging Artist Award. He is a regular presence at major festivals including Tanglewood, Marlboro, Music@Menlo, Ravinia, Saratoga, Caramoor, Bard, Sedona, Moab and Tippet Rise.

A native New Yorker, Brown lives in Manhattan with his two 19th-century Steinway D pianos, Octavia and Daria. Known for his engaging commentary on music and colorful sock changes during intermission, he brings both depth and delight to his performances.

“My musical life began at the age of two as I danced in front of the TV to the songs of Raffi,” Brown said. ”By age three, I had listened to Billy Joel’s ‘Piano Man’ so many times that I wore out the cassette tape. At four, I realized I wanted to be the reincarnation of Mozart so I embarked upon a life of exploration, some isolation, but mostly pure and utter joy.”

Admission is free, but donations are always appreciated to support future SIFM concerts. A post-concert reception with the artist will follow the performance.

The Shelter Island Presbyterian Church is at 32 North Ferry Road on Shelter Island. For more information, visit shelterislandfriendsofmusic.org.