PETER Bryant is the new musical director of Spirit Of Harmony, the Vale of York barbershop harmony chorus, at the age of only 23.

"I'm honoured to have been offered the post and I'm delighted to have the opportunity to take the chorus forward," says Bryant, whose appointment comes in the wake of the choir reaching the top five in this year's national competition at the British Association of Barbershop Singers Convention at Harrogate International Centre.

Despite his youth, Bryant is already an experienced musical director and educator and has sung with Spirit Of Harmony for five years. He also is a member of 4 On Demand, an award-winning barbershop quartet that achieved 11th place in the International Collegiate Quartet contest in the United States. The quartet, all of whom sing with Spirit Of Harmony, were British youth champions two years ago, in the same year that another quartet from the chorus were senior champions.

Spirit Of Harmony have been very active in the past 12 months since their re-location to York last year, including York Choral Festival performances at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre and raising £450 towards the provision of a defibrillator at their rehearsal space for the Boroughbridge Road area.

Around 50 men from every age group and background are members of the chorus, but Spirit Of Harmony are keen to attract even more singers in their 25th anniversary year, as well as raising the profile of the barbershop style of singing in York.

Consequently, one of Bryant's first initiatives is to run a Come and Sing programme from September 13. "We're inviting anyone interested in having a go to ‘come and sing’ with us and learn about harmony singing," he says. "No audition is involved and the cost is only £8 for each session and free for full-time students and those under 18, with no obligation at the end of the five-week course.

"Having said that, the hope is that after the course, newcomers will have discovered a passion for singing and simply won’t want to give up on the fun and friendship you get from singing barbershop."

Full details of the Come and Sing course can be found at spiritofharmony.co.uk. Spirit Of Harmony rehearse every Thursday at 7.30pm at the Holy Redeemer Church Hall, in Boroughbridge Road, Acomb. "Anyone will be welcome to come and watch and join us for a drink afterwards," says Bryant.

Charles Hutchinson