Twelve Blocks
Music by Michael Stephen Brown
First Hand Records, February 13, 2026
My first album of original music, all in one place. These are pieces for the people who’ve shaped my life—in ways tender, complicated, and occasionally absurd. From lost loves to lifelong mentors, from children who never grew up to couples who walk twelve blocks just to see each other, this album is full of true stories, emotional detours, and at least one breakup etude I probably should’ve kept to myself.
Featuring performers Michael Stephen Brown, Jerome Lowenthal, Ursula Oppens, Anne-Marie McDermott, Paul Neubauer, Susanna Phillips, Erin Keefe, & Osmo Vänskä.

(b)romance
Nicholas Canellakis & Michael Stephen Brown
First Hand Records, March 15, 2024
For their second duo album, cellist Nicholas Canellakis and pianist-composer Michael Stephen Brown curate an eclectic playlist that is close to their hearts. Anchored by five Romances, the album features rarely heard gems alongside their own compositions and arrangements. Ranging from soulful to virtuosic to just plain fun, (b)romance celebrates 15 years of being affectionate, brutally honest, and creatively connected best friends and artistic collaborators.

Michael Stephen Brown: Noctuelles
First Hand Records, January 2021
An album of Ravel's Miroirs and Medtner's Second Improvisation with newly discovered variations by Michael Stephen Brown.

Ravel (1872–1937): Miroirs
Medtner (1879–1951): Improvisation No. 2, Op. 47
Recorded at the Tippet Rise Center, Montana, USA, January 2019

Michael Stephen Brown: Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Bernstein, and Brown
First Hand Records, Spring 2018
Michael Stephen Brown, piano
Mendelssohn: Preludes and Fugues, Op. 35
Bernstein: Touches (1981)
Michael Stephen Brown: Chant and Fugue (2013); Thoughts (2015)
Beethoven: Eroica Variations, Op. 35

First Hand Records / Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon
Samuel Adler: One Lives but Once
Linn Records, February 2018
Brown plays Samuel Adler's virtuosic first piano concerto.

Samuel Adler: First Piano Concerto
Michael Stephen Brown, piano
Emily Freeman Brown, conductor
Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt
World Premiere recording
Messiaen: Poèmes pour Mi and 3 Petites liturgies de la Présence Divine
Seattle Symphony Media, August 2017
Messiaen: Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine
Michael Stephen Brown, piano
with Ludovic Morlot and the Seattle Symphony


Jerome Lowenthal & Michael Stephen Brown: Americans in Paris
CAG Records, April 2016
Ravel: Ma mère l’Oye (Mother Goose)
Barber: Souvenirs, Op. 28
Fauré: Dolly Suite, Op. 56
Michael Stephen Brown: Chant (2013)
Gershwin: An American in Paris (arr. Gelfini)
George Perle: Eight Pieces (1938-1997)
Bridge Records, May 2014
Michael Stephen Brown first played for George Perle at fifteen; the composer’s music has been his companion ever since. The album includes Perle's Classic Suite, discovered by Brown and Perle's widow, Shirley Perle.

"It is a privilege to hear my music performed with such sympathy and understanding." — George Perle

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