Steve McGarvie Music
Darlington, UK
Welcome to the site! This is the place to find details of all of Steve's projects, including community choirs, private instrumental teaching and musical arrangements for a range of ensembles.
Who are we?
Well-Versed Community Choir is the new name for two choirs who regularly join forces to perform, as well as performing in their own right: Sound Waves Community Choir, based in Bishop Auckland,
Co. Durham and formed in 2011, and Vocal Soul Community Choir, based in Darlington, formed in 2012.
The choir is ever-growing and currently has around 100 members on its books across the two branches. The choirs, under their former names, have performed many public concerts, raising well over £10,000 for local and national charities.
Our first concert as Well-Versed was on Saturday, May 11th 2024 at Hummersknott Academy in Darlington, and we were delighted to have special guests with us too! Kissed, featuring Charlie Hardwick (ex-Emmerdale) performed a fabulous set. Between us we managed to raise £600 for the Bubble Foundation too!
2025 has been pretty busy for the choir. We performed at the Shine Festival at Middlesbrough Town Hall in March, receiving some wonderfully positive feedback from choral professionals. In April we sang at Sheldon Civic Hall in front of a packed audience, raising over £1,000 for Shildon Methodist Church's roof repair fund. We will be singing in Darlington Town Centre on Saturday, June 7th, performing railway-based songs to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Darlington-Stockton Railway, with a larger performance to follow in September at Hopetown museum in Darlington.
What do we do? Where are we based?
The Community Choirs perform mainly bespoke arrangements and specialise in rock, pop, soul and jazz music, both a cappella and with backing tracks. To see a list of songs already performed, click here.
We rehearse each Wednesday and Thursday evening from 7.30-9.30:
Wednesdays: The Studio, Stanhope Building, Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, Vane Terrace, Darlington DL3 7AU
Thursdays: Bishop Auckland Methodist Church Hall, Cockton Hill Road, Bishop Auckland DL14 7NP (Opposite the hospital).
Why not come along, have a good sing and have a good laugh too! Singing in a choir has many health benefits, promoting good physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
What does it cost? Do I need to audition?
We are an all-inclusive choir and we do not audition members.
The choir has a wide range of ages, abilities and singing experience
but all levels are catered for.
The cost is £7 cash, or £7.25 via a contactless card or smartphone app per session with no up-front membership fee; you just turn up, pay and sing. As the music used is all written especially for the choir there is no charge for expensive sheet music either.
So how do I join?
Fill in the contact form on the main Choir page and we'll give you all the details. Rehearsals are every Wednesday and Thursday evening (you only need to come to one or the other!), but please check, especially during main holiday periods.