Slade Patrick Darrin of Lakeport is an amazing 20-year-old piano artiste. He has been giving paid concerts since the age of nine, many for senior homes and organizations. It was during one such performance last May at the Middletown Senior Center that John Sullivan, box office manager for The White Barn (a performing arts venue in St. Helena), first saw Darrin. Not long after, Sullivan contacted Darrin and asked if he would be interested in entertaining at the historic White Barn for a Sunday afternoon concert. Darrin was in complete agreement and thus the die was cast.
Darrin will be giving an intimate, fun and humor-filled piano performance at The White Barn on Sunday, January 20, 2019. He will be entertaining with a repertoire that spans classical and pop, from Mozart and Mendelssohn to Joplin and Jolson. Sullivan describes Darrin’s performing persona as a young Victor Borge who takes audiences through a giddy and gleeful selection of piano works that even the most jaded concertgoers will find irresistibly charming.
Darrin has been surrounded by music and entertainment of all kinds since before birth. He is a member of an award-winning trio of concertizing musicians comprised of three generations of the same family. This exposure has allowed him to develop into a well-traveled and experienced performer. Darrin has entertained aboard cruise ships to Alaska and Hawaii and showcased his talents on national television from the General Jackson Showboat in Nashville, Tennessee. He donates a portion of the money he makes playing piano to animal shelters and other animal-welfare related charities.
Darrin was born in Chico, California and grew up in the neighboring town of Paradise. He has been a resident of Lakeport since 2014. He studied piano with Gitta Brewster of the Music Logic Studio and attended Branson Academy through their Independent Studies Program. Later, he entered the accelerated high school program at Grand Point Academy and graduated with honors at the age of thirteen. Darrin currently attends university, maintains a 4.00 GPA, and is a lifetime member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. He was nominated for inclusion and membership in the Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities honors program – an exclusive award bestowed upon only 34 students out of an undergraduate population of over 58,000.
Darrin is a skilled animator, a prize-winning photographer, and enjoys composing music via digital production software on his computer. He has given blue-ribbon awarded performances of his own EDM (electronic dance music) for four years running for the Bay Area Maker Faire, an event attended by tens of thousands. In the winter of 2019, Darrin will be entering the Electronic Music Production and Sound Design degree program at Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA.
Darrin is an avid video gamer and holds several world records for speed-running titles such as Shantae, Looney Tunes, and the Frogger series. He also enjoys playing Nintendo’s Smash Bros. both for personal enjoyment and participating in national-level tournaments. Darrin cannot pass up an unsolved Rubik’s cube and… his high score on Ms. Pac-Man is 283,500.
The White Barn is a non-profit, charitable performance venue located at 2727 Sulphur Springs Ave., St. Helena, CA. All proceeds benefit local and international charities. Darrin’s concert is on Sunday, January 20, 2019 at 3 pm. There will be complimentary Napa Valley wines and desserts served. Tickets are $20 and are available by phone at 707-987-8225 or on the White Barn’s website at www.thewhitebarn.org
