A musical director who took a male voice choir from strength to strength is retiring after two decades in charge.
Neil MacKay, of the Epsom Male Voice Choir, said his first love has always been classical music but he has learned to appreciate different genres.
Mr MacKay, who was born in Aberdeen, said: "I studied music at school and I have been in choirs since I was about six years old. I first conducted at the age of 16."
While other teenagers were playing air guitar to the Rolling Stones, Mr MacKay said he was probably conducting along to a recording of Beethoven.
He said: "My musical education was classical and in those days I did not have much time for anything else, but I have mellowed over the years and found good music in different genres."
Mr MacKay will remain part of the male voice choir but expects to hand over his duties as musical director early in the new year.
He said: "It is sad in a lot of ways but it is probably the right thing to do. I have been conscious over the last year that I have not been able to put in as much as I could."
Over the years the choir has performed with Russian and US military bands, other male voice choirs from around the country and Japanese string musicians.
Malcolm Brown, chairman of the choir, said: "Once Neil arrived, the choir never looked back, not just in terms of numbers but the music we performed and where we performed.
"The high points of the choir are under Neil. The choir owes him a great debt for taking us to new heights, which otherwise we just would not have achieved. He put the choir on the map."
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