Mr. Árpád Darázs was born in Jászberény, Hungary on 7th June 1922. After his early years spent in this small town of the Great Plain Mr. Darázs moved to Budapest to pursue his studies at the Liszt Ferenc College of Music .He became a student of the sacred music department of Mr. Lajos Bárdos in 1941, and graduated as sacred music conductor in 1944. He graduated as secondary school music teacher in 1945 from the course led by Mr. Jenő Ádám and Mr. Zoltán Gárdonyi. After the WWII had ended Mr. Darázs worked as music teacher at the Teachers’ Training College and State Lyceum of Jászberény for two years. Then he moved to Budapest again where he became the conductor of – among other choirs – the Choir of the Hungarian Radio and Television.
Mr. Darázs and his family left the country in 1956 and settled down in the USA.
On the ship to the States, he formed a choir of the emigrants. On arrival, still on the ship, they sang the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, and the patriotic song God Bless America.
