2021-22 AGM – Chairman ’ s Report
Good evening everybody and welcome to our Annual General Mee6ng for the year ending in July 2022, our first AGM in our new home at the Highbury Roundhouse.
Overview
This was our first full year back aDer Covid and I want to begin by celebra6ng. It is tremendous to be back together again in person, rehearsing, performing and enjoying each other’s company.
We didn’t know during Covid quite how things would be when we restarted physical mee6ngs. We could not be certain about numbers, and this carried through into uncertain6es about venues and repertoire.
Yet here we are, back at full strength, membership numbers rising, singing familiar and new pieces and giving some of our best concerts. A capacity to return and re-form where we leD off underlines the enduring character and strength of the choir in this, out fiDieth year.
2021-22 Concerts
Our concerts last year spanned a wide genre, from well-known to wholly novel. We began at St Andrews Holborn with an old favourite, Benjamin BriRen’s St Nicholas, to mark Christmas 2021.
This was followed at Easter with Songs of Gra+tude , featuring Handel, Purcell and Bach, which took place during the second peak of Covid. There were many last minute cancella6ons from singers, pinging and we finished up with just 53 singers, the fewest for many years. However, the choir rose to the occasion and produced a wonderful performance.
We ended the year in June with a performance of Todd’s Mass in Blue which, with its novelty, challenge and sheer joyful newness marked a new milestone in our performances. Our June concert also marked the first 6me we have performed at LSO St Lukes, and our first concert in the Borough of Islington for many years. I would like to record our thanks and
apprecia6on to Michael and Laurence for their guidance and enthusiasm in leading us through an evenZul and very successful year.
Financial Report
Turning to the financial posi6on of the choir, Ka6e Halling has kindly taken over as our new treasurer.
Overall, with membership numbers increasing more quickly than imagined and concerts being excep6onally well-aRended (three sell outs), our financial posi6on remains strong, ensuring we retain future resilience. The CommiRee is confident that this will enable us to hold membership fees unchanged in the coming year.
Commi=ee
I will report on developments in CommiRee membership in a moment. I want to begin, however, by saying that aDer much thought I have decided that the perfect 6me to pass on the the Chairmanship is this July, at the end of this choir year.
As Chairman, above all, I have enjoyed ge_ng to know so many people, all of us coming together to support one another and share our enjoyment of singing. It has given me a great deal, as well as offering me many learning opportuni6es.
Now, with our amazing musical team of Michael Waldron and Lawrence Williams firmly in place, Covid more or less behind us and, finally our new rehearsal venue up and running I feel it is 6me to hand on the baton. I certainly intend to stay part of the choir and will do whatever I can to help the new team.
In this context, I am delighted that Christopher Catling has agreed to take over from me as Chairman.
At the end of this choir year, Sarah MaRhias our long-standing Membership Secretary and Anna Markham, the choir’s long-standing Secretary have also decided to stand down from the CommiRee. Sarah and Anna, together with our librarian, Chris Rose, have been on the CommiRee for the whole of my 6me as Chairman
The four of us have been through thick and thin together, forming a central core of responsibility for the commiRee and the choir. I cannot
overstate my gra6tude to Sarah, Anna and Chris for all their support, work and friendship over the years.
All other members of the CommiRee are willing to stand again. In addi6on, Milton Bevan, Liz Stock, Kym Randall have agreed to stand for elec6on to the CommiRee. We look forward to welcoming them and to their input and support in running the choir.
Bryan Stevens who has acted as our independent Trustee for many years has decided to stand down at the AGM. Bryan has been a wonderful Trustee and I am grateful to him for his sugges6ons and support over the years. I am happy to say that Tricia George has agreed to stand as Independent Trustee at today’s mee6ng.
In this, my last AGM, I want to express my thanks to everyone who helped me during my 6me as Chairman. I am personally grateful to all of you for your support and energy.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead, it is encouraging to see that our membership, currently 150, has bounced back so strongly. ADer literally years of delay, our recent move to the Roundhouse gives us a more suitable rehearsal space which accommodates us more comfortably.
And coming up is our 50[th] anniversary concert at Cadogan Hall when we will be celebra6ng choral music with the epic, Elijah. Ticket sales so far suggest a possible record audience and I am sure it will be a wonderful occasion.
ICS has been known as the friendliest choir in London. The value of us coming together, week in, week out, year in, year out, decades in decades out for some of us, being together focusing on beau6ful music and holding such joyful concerts is such a posi6ve force for the world and it has been a pleasure to play a part in it.
ISLINGTON CHORAL SOCIETY
Income and Expenditure for 1 August 2021 to 31 July 2022
| INCOME Membership subscriptions Members' Donations Gift Aid (received after year end) Total Membership Income Concert income Concert 1 Concert 2 Concert 3 Miscellaneous TOTAL INCOME EXPENDITURE Rehearsals Conductor Accompanist Rehearsal venue hire Concert expenses Concert 1 Concert 2 Concert 3 Other expenditure Bank charges Making Music membership and insurance Music purchase Miscellaneous expenditure TOTAL EXPENDITURE SURPLUS FOR THE YEAR |
Year Ending 31 July 2022 £ |
Prior year £ |
Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21,770.00 | 1,533.89 | 20,236.11 | |
| 1,760.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| 5,342.96 | 0.00 | 5,342.96 | |
| 28,872.96 | 1,533.89 | 25,579.07 | |
| 6,981.58 | 0.00 | 6,981.58 | |
| 5,360.73 | 0.00 | 5,360.73 | |
| 7,119.60 | 0.00 | 7,119.60 | |
| 19,461.91 | 0.00 | 19,461.91 | |
| 403.95 | 160.49 | 243.46 | |
| 48,738.82 | 1,694.38 | 45,284.44 | |
| 4,500.00 | 5,820.00 | (1,320.00) | |
| 3,950.00 | 3,300.00 | 650.00 | |
| 5,990.00 | 0.00 |
5,990.00 |
|
| 14,440.00 | 9,120.00 | 5,320.00 | |
| 8,800.66 | 0.00 | 8,800.66 | |
| 8,152.27 | 0.00 | 8,152.27 | |
| 8,409.24 | 0.00 | 8,409.24 | |
| 25,362.17 | 0.00 | 25,362.17 |
|
| 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| 183.00 | 434.00 | (251.00) | |
| 0.00 | 674.63 | (674.63) | |
| 0.00 | 94.60 | (94.60) | |
| 183.00 | 1,203.23 | (1,020.23) | |
| 39,985.17 | 10,323.23 | 29,661.94 | |
| 8,753.65 | (8,789.34) | 17,542.99 |
| ASSETS: FUNDS FLOW FOR THE YEAR | |
|---|---|
| Balance b/f from prior year | 45,683.00 |
| Surplus for current year | 8,753.65 |
| 54,436.65 | |
| REPRESENTED BY: | |
| Money Market Account | 10,175.48 |
| Money Manager Account HSBC | 8,775.03 |
| Current Account HSBC as at 31 July 2022 | 24,227.58 |
| Petty cash balance | 0.00 |
| Add Gift Aid received on 28/09/2022 | 5,342.96 |
| Add ticket sales for Concert 3 received on | |
| 31 August 2022 | 6,913.75 |
| Add programme sales for concert 3 | 197.00 |
| Less payments shown in accounts for | 1,039.50 |
| 21/22 but paid in 22/23 | |
| 54,417.00 | |
| Overseas Tour Accounts | |
| HSBC account ending 6186 | 298.15 |
| HSBC account ending 5929 | 2,957.08 |
| 3,255.23 |
(HARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts see0 A Independent Examiner'5 Report Report to the truste• m•mb8rs ol ISLIaT0 SlE[ . On accounts lor tho yèar •nded Charlty no Ilf any) 106g a63 2oa Sel out on p•g•s I report to the l$toeS on my examinatK)n 011 aco)Lmts olthe above thanty Ilh8 Tru51"1 lor the year gnded R•sponsibllitl•s and As the ¢harity Irusiees of Tnjst. you arn respTrisiI8 for the preparatiCII basis of report ol the accounls in acc(Kthnc %wth Ihe wuirements ol the Charibes Act 2011 Acri. I feport n re5ped ol my examinath'on ol Ihe Tnsst's arxount5 camed OLtI urKIÈT SeCtic 145 01 the 2011 Acl and In can9 out my exarnin8tion. I have fdl(yed the a[pItse Oire¢tw)ns by the Chwity Cunmission uThJer seclion 145(5Mbl ol lh8 Act. I have crmpleled my e¥2minatson l that no malertal rn8tler5 have come to my attenlK)n lolhei Ih8n Ihat dtsd05ed bebw'l in cortnection wilh exarninali¢ffi thich 9ives m8 cause lo belve Ihal in. any malen rospt aoxuntiTrJ Te nol kw m aC£othn wrth S•c1K 130 of Ihe A¢1 CY Independènt •xaminèrfs slat•rnont I h6 no tCernS and have com8 acmss no other matters in conntrdion tho examinalion to whth allentThl 5Uld be In or(Jer lo enable a F•)per Under5ndMg ol Ihe acwunis lo t* reached ' Pk8se de10 the words Jn the brackets Il they do nol aptyy. Dat•.. 031z[23 L.K)i S5 e.: October 2018
Section B Disclosur• On'l coDiplrltl Il Ilil) eXI]fniner needs lo highlight malteis of concern Isee CC32. Indepen¢Jent examina)n of Xclts." and guanCe tor examtnwsl. Gl¥e here brlef detalls ol any it•ms ihat th• éxamlner wlsh•* to disclose Octob•r 2018 IER