Mendip Male voice Choir have hired a new accompanist after Philip Evry, who previously held the role, decided to retire after nearly a decade.

Evry had joined the choir in January 2015, where he was a greatly valued member of the musical team for his mastery of piano and sympathetic playing and the strong rapport he

His replacement is Dominic Irving, another accomplished pianist. He studied composition and piano for four years at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, having graduated in 2009 with first class honours, and completed a master’s degree at Bristol University in 2011.

Between 2012 and 2019 he was the Musician in Residence at Dauntsey's School in Devizes, where he tauught the A-level syllabus on composition.

He has been involved with a variety of other choirs in the south west. This includes playing with the Pump Room Trio in Bath, where they play concertos with local orchestras, and accompanying screenings of classic silent films.

He has also recently played with ‘Hi-Tech Etudes’, a two-volume set of modern piano compositions aimed at young players.

This comes after Kate Courage became the new Music Director at the choir, taking over from Jamie Knights, who had directed for 11 years.