The choir first appeared at the Darebin Festival, Edwards Lake Family Day in 1997 as a group of singers from Amateur Repertory company – ARC. It officially became ARCappella – the four part a cappella unaccompanied choir of ARC in 2000.
The benefits of group singing are numerous and community choirs have become popular around Melbourne over the past few years, because they provide a non-traditional recreational activity and allow individuals to feel part of something bigger; to connect with their local community, promoting a sense of inclusion, health and well-being. This was especially evident during the 2020 COVID-19 Melbourne lockdown where continuing singing and meeting up during virtual rehearsals was a joyfully anticipated part of many of our members’ weekly routine.
ARCappella are renowned for their diverse repertoire that includes everything from pop songs, music from other nations, spirituals, musical numbers and of course Christmas carols (and we’re always open for new repertoire suggestions!). Most of our repertoire is in 4 parts, soprano, alto, tenor, bass (SATB) but we do vary this a bit with some female only (SSAA) or male only (TTBB) numbers. Our songs are sung either a cappella (voice only) or accompanied.
Our 2018 repertoire included (amongst others):
- Don’t Stop Me Now (Queen; arr. Oliver Gies)
- This Is Me (The Greatest Showman; arr. Mac Huff)
- Tshotsholoza (a traditional South African freedom song; arr. Ames)
- Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper/ Rob Hyman; arr. Kirby Shaw)
- The Lone Arranger (Rossini William Tell Overture; arr. Werdna Temme)
- God So Loved the World (from the “Crucifixion”, J. Stainer)
- Don’t Dream It’s Over (Neil Finn; arr. Steve McGarvie)
Our performances range from community events such as music festivals and eisteddfods, to wineries, aged care facilities, weddings, birthdays and a range of Christmas events. We have been the official choir of the Carols at All Nations Park (Darebin Carols) for the past number of years. You can check out our virtual choir pieces produced during the 2020 COVID lockdown here