After almost 10 years, Mendip Male Voice Choir's highly respected and much-admired accompanist Phillip Evry has decided to retire. Phillip joined the choir in January 2015 and quickly struck up a strong rapport with all sections. His mastery of the piano, sympathetic playing in rehearsal and performance made him a greatly valued member of the choir's musical team.
Phillip was educated at the Royal Academy of Music and retired as Deputy Director of Music at the Arts Educational School, Tring, before moving to Somerset. He will be much missed by all choir members. We wish him well and hope to see him at future concerts.
Phillips's replacement is another very gifted pianist. Dominic Irving studied composition and piano for four years at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, graduating in 2009 with a 1st-class Honours degree.
In 2011, he completed an MA at Bristol University. From 2012-2019, Dominic was the Musician in Residence at Dauntsey's School, Devizes, where he taught the A-level composition syllabus and accompanied countless exams, recitals and recording sessions - all from his trusty iPad. He is actively involved with other choirs and orchestras in the South West, and can occasionally be heard tinkling the ivories with the Pump Room Trio in Bath, playing concertos with local orchestras, or accompanying screenings of classic silent films. Dominic is a published composer, with his recent work including 'Hi-Tech Etudes', a two volume set of modern piano compositions aimed at young players.
Dominic has already become a valued member of the Mendip Male Voice Choir team and we look forward to our first concert with him in our forthcoming Christmas season.