Darina Drapkin

Children's Activities

Darina Drapkin is a native Russian speaker, having immigrated to the U.S. over 40 years ago. Her enthusiasm, curiosity, and musical interests have led her into many genres and traditions of singing and repertoire. Classically trained on the piano from the age of 4, Darina has picked up many instruments along the way, including guitar, ukulele, wooden flutes and penny whistle, as well as several percussion instruments. She has studied with Lily Storm extensively, Tobias Robeson sporadically, and has attended many classes and workshops in Balkan vocal techniques. A trained Waldorf teacher, Darina has taught music and handwork in several Waldorf schools throughout the Bay Area, and currently teaches music through the Santa Rosa Symphony’s Education Program to elementary school children in Santa Rosa. She teaches rhythm, movement, and choir at SRS’s Summer Music Academy, and has had her own Waldorf-inspired summer camp for up to 20 families in the Bay Area.

Darina currently sings with Gradina, a Sonoma County-based Balkan ensemble, and is working on her second solo album, Birds, Bees, and Trees, a mix of her favorite songs from around the world. Her first solo album, Songs of Water, a mix of her favorite water-themed songs from around the world, was released in 2021, a solo COVID project that became a community effort and drew friends closer together through music, inspiring more recording and collaboration.