At 5, Nicholas Brady does stuff on violin well beyond his years, including a show at Sunset.

he first song Nicholas Brady learned to play on the violin was “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” He was 3. Two years later, the precocious 5-year-old has learned his first Bach concerto. It took him less than a week to memorize it. Brady now refers to “Twinkle Twinkle” as “an easy [song] for babies.”

Youth Music Monterey County Music Director/Conductor Farkhad Khudyev, who’s been working closely with Brady now since last October, says the Bach concerto the youngster recently mastered is one of the composer’s most famous and usually used as an introduction to Bach… for advanced 15 – and 16-year-olds.

To illustrate the kid’s musical ability, Khudyev asks Brady to close his eyes, then plays a random chord on the piano. Brady is instantaneously able to identify every musical note within the chord. He has absolute – aka perfect – pitch.

“Working with Nicholas is like working with a colleague,” Khudyev explains. “It’s like giving a lesson to a 20-year-old violinist.”

At Sunday’s program, “Thinking of Home: Dedicated to Mothers,” at Sunset Center, the talented tyke will deliver the aforementioned Bach concerto as the featured soloist at a collage-style concert showcasing the YMMC Chamber Players, Brass Choir and South County Strings. Brady joined the orchestra when he was 4 years old, which makes him the youngest member in its history.

Nicholas’ mother, Aliana, and Khudyev commend each other for taking the risk of letting the child join the orchestra.

“Usually, with prodigies, the idea is to preserve the child and focus on private lessons,” Khudyev says. “Nicholas is a very strong human being.”

Meanwhile, Aliana is grateful that Khudyev took a chance on placing a boy in a group made up of mostly teens.

“We thought, ‘Would a 4-year-old be accepted?’” Aliana says. “I think [Nicholas] has awakened something in the other [players].”

Nicholas, meanwhile, gets unprecedented earliness in his education.

“It’s great that [Nicholas] is exposed to so much,” Khudyev says.

In addition to rehearsals and five hours a week of practicing, Nicholas – fluent in Russian and English – enjoys noodling on the piano and composing.

Nicholas will soon encounter more material he considers as easy as “Twinkle Twinkle.” For now, he’s enjoying the challenges and opportunities of being a kid with an exceptional gift.

Thinking of Home: Dedicated to Mothers happens at 2pm Sunday, May 11, at Sunset Center, San Carlos and Ninth, Carmel. $4.99/student musicians; $9.99/seniors; $19.99/general; $29.99/Dress Circle. 375-1992.