Rising Stars: Meet Johnny and Chris Rice of The Rice Brothers

Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny and Chris Rice The Rice Brothers.

Hi Johnny and Chris Rice, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Hi Johnny and Chris Rice, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.

Our first meaningful encounter with music came during a family trip to Disneyland when we met the wonderful pianist John Hodges performing at the park. He has an amazing way of introducing kids to the piano by taking one of the child’s fingers under his own and having them ?help? play the piano. He was the one who inspired us to start piano lessons, and since we were little kids would have us perform in Disneyland. He remains one of our dear friends, and closest mentors to this day.

A few years later we met our next music teacher, Taki Atsumi, professor of cello at Arizona State University and President of the American Cello Congress. In addition to teaching us cello, he also provided the opportunities for us to meet Yo-Yo Ma, and study with legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich.

After many years of study here in Arizona with teachers such as Robert Hamilton, Professor of Piano at Arizona State University, we had the chance to participate in studies with professors around the U.S. and Europe, including extended studies in New York City, Vienna, Austria, as well as in Krakow, Poland. At that time, we were also participating in international music competitions, each being among the winners on both piano and cello. As a result of one of those competitions, we were awarded our Carnegie Hall debut. Since then, we have toured extensively to perform all across the U.S.

Wherever we go on tour, we make a point of reaching out to the local community, including events in schools, community centers, elder care facilities and churches. One of the things we hope to achieve is to inspire youth to find the thing that they would love to do with their lives, and to follow what they are truly passionate about. The same thing that John Hodges encouraged and inspired us to do when we were kids.

In addition to performing, we are also both private music teachers in the East Valley of Phoenix, Az. Having the opportunity to work with kids (and adult learners as well!) has been an amazing outlet to share what we have learned in our years of making music, and what we love about the connection that is possible between people through the arts.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
We live in a culture where it can be challenging to make a career in classical music. However, we view this as a time to reach out to those who might not necessarily consider themselves to be fans of classical music, and do our best to provide an accessible, exciting introduction to the genre.

The last couple of years have been extremely challenging for us, as they have been for most artists, with live music events having almost all been cancelled or postponed indefinitely. However, we are very hopeful that the next year or two will start seeing things move in a better direction on this front. Live performances have started to happen again, and it has been such a joy to be able to gather and connect again. As educators it has also proved to be an arduous time. Learning how to continue teaching remotely through online lessons was incredibly difficult. Fortunately, we have been able to transition back to in-person lessons and doing so has been an overwhelming happiness!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Growing up we were fortunate to have a very diverse range of musical influences, so in our concerts we include those as much as we can. We feature a unique blend of classical music, gospel, ragtime and boogie-woogie, and also present the music with a historical perspective of the great composers and the times in which they lived, using anecdotes and humor which bring the music to life. Both in performance and educational settings, we feel it is our responsibility to give the best possible access to the art that we are presenting.

How do you think about happiness?
We have been lucky to have so many chances to do outreach events in schools around the country, in settings that range from small classrooms to assemblies of hundreds of students in gymnasiums. We make a point whenever possible to stay after the event and talk with those who want to stick around. Getting to talk with those kids about what they are hoping for in their lives, their passions and the difference that they hope to make with other people is one of the most rewarding things that we get to do. We have this same kind of opportunity with our private students, and seeing those same things unfold through time is so gratifying and uplifting as well. As performers we love the fact that the arts give an opportunity for people to connect. After the isolation that everyone has been suffering through with lock-downs and social distancing, we are very eager for the arts to continue to provide a reprieve from all of this. Being a part of that will be something that makes us very happy indeed!

Contact Info:

• Email: chris@the-rice-brothers.com
• Website: www.the-rice-brothers.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_rice_brothers
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheRiceBrothersJohnnyChris
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/TheRiceBrothers
• Other: https://vimeo.com/thericebrothers

Image Credits
Denise Karis
Lianna Rivera Rice