Darel L. Brainard
Darel L. Brainard
Darel is one of the organists often featured on the Ohio Theatre's Marr & Colton pipe organ. He is also currently the TATOS vice president and very active on the organ maintainence crew.
Born and raised in NE Ohio has one sister in Tennessee and a brother in Nevada. Along with his wife Darry, he has been a resident of Toledo for the past four years. He comes to us with a lifetime of musical experience behind him. Beginning at the age of four when his sister told him not to touch her flute, his music career began. He played flute in the Bristol HS Band for 11 years, eight of those he was the solo flutist. He was also a member of the Trumbull County Band for several years, and played with the All Ohio Boys Band for four years.
After graduating from high school, he attended Dana School of Music at Youngstown College, presently known as Youngstown University, with a major in Music Ed. After college he joined the Air Force as a bandsman, and played solo flute with the 589th Air Force Band, stationed in Amarillo, Texas. At the closing of the base in 1966 his Squadron was sent to Florida where his tour of duty ended and he returned home.
Organ was an instrument that he loved but not until he acquired his first organ at the age of 22 did he realize just how much. He became so involved with the organs he sought a job as a salesman for a local music dealer, and as most salesmen do, moved from one dealership to another gaining both experience as a salesman and an artist. He eventually opened his own music store where he was able to have more freedom to travel and perform to audiences of a few to several thousand. Some might think giving a concert might be work. Darel considers it having fun. He only hopes the audience enjoys it half as much as he does.