Conjpany registration no. 3685489 Music Illuminated Registered charity no 1074016 Report and Accounts for the period ended 31 August 2025 Directors (al 31 August 2025)- Matthew Saunders Fiona Caimey Pui Wah Poon Registered address: 20 Wimborne Close Epsom Surrey KT17 4DP Registered in England and Wales &$ a company limited by guarantee without share capital.
Music Illuminated Company registration no. 3685489 Revieiv of activities in 202&2025 The Ernest Read Symphony Orchestra (ERSO) was founded in 1931 by Ernest Read, the pioneer in the development of musi¢ education and youth orch¢stras. The charity Music llluminated was fomied in 1998 by ERSO members in order to continue the Tunning of th¢ orchestra following the ending of this role by the Ernest Read Music Association. ERSO tskes gTeat pride in Working to a very high musical standard. Over ninety years after the or¢h¢stra was founded, the community of musicians who n]ake up ERSO strives to continue Ernest Read's legacy with our charitable work with emerging professional musicians and children together with our core symphonic concerts which aim to illuminate the music to our audiences. Core Symphonic Concerts October 2024 concert At ERSO we are keen to diversify th¢ repertoire that we play and for the first half of our October concert we selected music that was likely to be unfamiliar to our audience, but which was also very engaging. Our appreciative audience clearly enjoyed both of these less familiar works. Our new Assistant Conductor Alice Knight confLdently directed the orchestra in a perfonnance of Ruth Gipps lovely Song for Orchestr& Gipps was an English composer, oboist and pianist who w&8 taught composition at one point by Vaugban Williams. This was followed by the First Symphony composed by the African American composer Adolphus HailstorL one of America'5 most accomplished and prolific African American composers, writing for chorus, solo voice, piano, organ, various chamber ensembles, band. Orchestr and opera. The evening concluded with Sibelius Symphony no 2, which w&s written in Italy shortly after the successful premiere of the popular Finlandi& Conductor Chris Stark provided illuminating insights into the piec¢ through comtnentary and exCets, conducted by Assistant Conductoi Alice, prior to the full perf0MLCe which was wannly r¢ceived by our audienc¢. Marth 2025 eoncert The evening began with a perfornlance of the Serenade by Grant Still, the pioneering African Am¢ri¢an composer and conductor. conducted by Assistant Conductor Alice Knight. The talented cellist Jenny SturL who was the ruter up in last year's soloist competition, gave a lyrical perforniance of Bruch's Kol NidTei, deservedly one of the composevs most famous works. The concert concluded with Stravinsky's iconic Petntshka. Our conductor Chris Stark offer¢d illuminating insigbts into the story of this unique piece through commentary and excerpts prior to a 11 perfornw]ce of the work.
Music Illuminated Company registration no. 3685489 June 2025 concert The concert opened with Vienna c. 1825 ColouriJed. written by Nicholas Gawley (winner of our competition for emerging comwsers) and conducted by Assistant Conductor Alice Knight. The piece was written to c¢l¢brate the 200th anniversary of St John's Church and creates a composite portrait of musical life in Vienna 200 years ago in 1825 with a focus on public-facing dance music (Viennese waltzes) and the private creativity of a deaf, ageing Beethoven. This was followed by Tod und Verklarung (Death and Transfiguration). a tone poem MTitten by ihe young Richard Strnuss which presents a man struggling on his deatb bed. before he receives the longed-for transfiguration from heaven. The concert concluded with Ravel's sparkling La Valse, a choreographic poem for orchestra. Principal Conductor Chris Stark offered illuminating insights into the music through commentary and exc¢rpts prior to a full perfonnance of the work. ERSO'S work Thith Camden children As a Camden-based orchestr& our work with children and young people is focused within the borough and we have developed a strong and lasting relationship with the Camden Music Service who are restricted in their resouices and wannly welcome our work. Engagement with music brings many well-documented educational and social b¢n¢fits to children, especially to children from disadvantaged backgrounds (very relevant in Camden where 370/ty of Children live in poverty, rising to over half in the poorest wards). Each year we hold two workshops with Camden children, and we hope that these very positive expeTiences for the participating chil(tren and their parents will encourage them to continue with the children's extra-curricular MSIc-m?Lng. We know from our work wilh Camden Music that'offering these performing opportunities with inspiring adult players has led to improved attendanc¢> group retention and recruitment." We are committed to ensuring that our events with Camden children are accessible to children from lower income families and so our workshops and enty to the informal concerts which end the day are always free for all participants and audience members. Conducting is shared between our professional Principal Conductor and Assistant Conductor and the conductor for the Can]den OT¢hestra, so that the children have exposuTe to a variety of conductors. We pay the fees for the Camden orchestras. conductors for the day as we aim to make these events completely cost neutral for the Camden Music Service as we appreciate that their budg¢ts are extremely limited, and we do not want to detract from any of their other plans. We break into sectional gTOUPS for a part of th¢ day so that tbe young players can learn more about their parts and their instnllnents in detail from our young professional section leaders (recruited though our ERSO Talent Programme to lead the string and brass sections), our professional leader. conductor and assistant conductor and the ERSO players.
Music Illuminat¢d Company registration no. 3685489 The workshops are carefully planned in conjunction with Camden Music to ensure that the cbildren are playing for an appropriate amount of time and have suitable breaks, and to make sure that there is sufficient variety in what was happening to keep their interest. We provide cake and biscuits and hot chocolate for the children to enjoy during the breaks. A key part of all of our children's proj¢ctS IS to ensure that the young musicians feel w¢ll supported and able to enjoy both the r¢hearsal and the perfonnan¢e. To enswe this, each child is assigned an adult buddy who sits next to them and plays from the exact sam¢ part to help make it clearer where we were in the rnusic. The buddy is also able to advise on musical issu¢s. answer questions and ensure that they feel supported and able to enjoy tbe rehearsal and concert experience. W¢ make maxin]um Use of our resources by getttng our conductors to provide extra support to children when th¢y are nol conducting the orchestra. Safeguarding is always a key part of the planning process for all of our projects with children. All ERSO playern were briefed on OUT safeguarding policies, which we ensure fit with Camden Music Service's safeguarding policies, and we ensured that we have at least 2 players with enhanced DBS checks in each rehearsal plus others as back-ups. November Camden children's workshop-"It'5 Magic!99 workshop The planning process for the workshop took place earlier than in previous years. which hel it to run tnore smoothly. It was very helpful to b¢ able to have meetings with the Training Orchestra's conductor Gwen McDougal in the summer to finalise the date and repertoire. Music was selected to fit with a magical them¢- the BBC 10 Piece arrangements of Night on a Bare Mountain and the finale from Firebird (these are excellent for working ith the children as they have three l¢vels of parts for each instrument) plus a suitable arrangement of music from the Harry Potter films Having the Training Orch¢stra work on the music in advance of the workshop tneant that we had more time to consider the nLusical aspects on the concert day, and the children seemed more confident. We pleased to welcome the majority of th¢ Training Orchestr4 and we were delighted that all of the cl]ildren completed forn]s to help us plan for future evcnts. Outcome of the worksho The event was very successful - the children who IrfOrnied with us and their families gave ¢xtremely positive feedback. We always evaluat¢ the success of each of our children's concert with the participants and their families and ensure that the findings are applied to future projects. We were delight¢d that the feedback showed that the children who performed with us greatly enjoyed their afternoo and that their families were extremely grateful for their children to have had the chance to take part. There wer¢ some lovely comments about the best thing about the evenL with a focus on the music choic¢. the fun of the aft¢rnoon' and the support from the ERSO players. Participants loved having so much percussion as it was new to us.
Music Illuminat¢d Company Tegistration no. 3685489 getting to know the members of ERSO who were all lovely and getting some tips for my instrument. Et was great to play with others and perfomi. lots of fun. no pressure to be perfect. eating cake and playing together. Parents Opportunity for our child to get a taste of playing at a hi level. Thank you for giving our daughter this wonderful opportunity. Learning from players at a high standard- inspiring. The quality of the adult Musicians and the choice of music- challenging and great. The vitality of the perfomiers. the choice of music, the conductoes introductions and ERSO. When asked if we could improve the experience. we were rep¢atedly told by the participants and their parents: "Nothingl Mak¢ it longei! More of the same! Plan this event againl Do it more frequentlyl More piecesll? The event achieved our anticipated outcomes: the children had the chance to hear how their instruments could sound with practic¢ and whal it would be like to play within a larger. more advan¢¢d ensemble through sitting side-by-side with ERSO playing a vari¢ty of musical styles. the experience helped to develop the children's skills as orchestral musicians through working witb the ERSO adult musicians and more experienced professional conductors. We hoF¢ that this very positive experience for the partkcipatin8 children and their parents will encourage them to continue with the children's extra-curricular music-making. We know from our work with Camden Music that "offering th¢s¢ perfonning opportunities with inspiring adult players has led to improved attendance. group retention and recruitment." February workshop all day workshop with the Camden Sinfonia The planning process for the workshop began ID May 2024 when we agreed the workshop date. Following this there were many online meetings and discussions between ERSO, Camden Musi¢ and the Sinfonia Conductor Seb Marsl]all to plan the event. The Sinfonia players are older and more advanced than the Training Orchestra and we have agreed with Camden MsiC Service that an all-day event is more appropriate and beneficial for these young people. At the 2024 workshop we asked players for suggestions on music they would like to work on and based on this we CTeated a set of options which Seb ask¢d the players to vote on. We then embarked upon sourcing suitable music and again there were many meetings and discussions on which aTrangem¢nts of the pieces were most appropriate. The final selection was an Abba tnedley. Phantom of the Opera and a Disney medley. The Sinfonia and Seb worked on the piec¢s in advance which was very helpful as this meant that we had more time to consider the musical aspects on the concert day and the children seemed more confident.
Musi¢ Illuminated Company registration no. 3685489 We were joined by 16 childreo which was a small¢r number than initially expected, mainly due to illness on the day. Outcome of the worksho The event was very successfvl - the children who performed with us and their families gave extremely positive feedback. We always evaluate the success of each of our children's concert with the participants and their families and ensure that the fuingS are applied to future projects. We were delighted that the feedback showed that the children who perfonn¢d with us greatly ¢njoyed their afternooffj and that their families were extremely grateful for their cbildren to have had th¢ chance to take part. There were some lovely comn]¢nts about the best thing about the evenl with a focus on the music choice" the sociability and fijn of the aft¢rnoon' and the support from the ERSO players. A particular highlight of the day was tbe young oboist having support on Thytklln and fingerings in the breaks from our first obo¢ which helped her to deliver a more confident solo in Abba. The children gave suggestions of music that they would like to play in future Next step$ It was felt by Camden Music that we hav¢ a good fOrnt for the workshops, and that the main improvement we could make together wou]d be to help to increase attendance and therefore give more children to have the chance to have experiences similar to the young oboe player. We agreed that for 2026 we would widen the invitation to this event to other Camden Music Service groups including the most advanced players from the Training orchestra, and that the Music Service would work to encourage more children within each group to take advantage of the invitation to this free workshop. The ERSO Talent Programme The ERSO Talent Programme was developed in 2017 to bring together all our work with young career musicians. The Help Musicians UK'S 2017 Study into musicians, mental health identified precarious finances and work ins¢curity as top concerns, especially for those new to the profession. Th¢ Covid-19 pandemic has placed even greater strain upon young musicians at the start of their careers due to reduced training. development and work opportunities over the last frw years. The 2019 report"Help Building Sustainable Careers in Classical Music" conunissions by Help Musicians UK stated: It is appar¢nt that those first forniative years of professional life can be the most challenging for musicians who must juggle auditions, developing networks. continuous pwtice, learning of repertoir¢ and building up a wide range of non-music skills from project management to finance to marketing. The ERSO Talent Programme's purp05¢ is to help young musicians to bridge the gap between fornial training and a musical career through tb¢ provision of valuable professional expIence and mentoring.
Music Illuminated Company registration no. 3685489 In recent years the ERSO Talent Piogramme has provided opportunities for emerging orchestral musicians, soloist. conductors and composers. In the 2024-5 season the Talent Programm¢ focused upon.. Opportunities for female conductors We were delighted to welcome our second Assistant Conductor. Alice Knight, who was appointed at the end of the last Seaso Femal¢ conductors face greater challenges in becoming established ttmn their male counterparts, and so we created our Assistant Conductor role. The Assistant Conductor role is a 2-ye8r role which provides valuable, paid experience to a young career conductor at the beginning of their career and makes a significant conlribution to their prospects. Benefits include: Being mentored by Chris Stark, who is highly regarded and h&$ ¢xtensive experience of working with professional orchestras. amateurs and in many genres of musi¢. Getting regular hands-on exp¢rience working with a larger group of musicians than is often possible at a conservatoire in a vari¢ty of styles of music. Working with a high-quality amateur orchestra which is highly likely to be something that a working conductor wtll do in their career, and which can require diff¢rent approaches than wOrkg with the trained professionals that they work with at their conservatoire. Learning about how best to plan and manage a concert programme and rehearsal schedule. Competitlon for emerging comp05ers In 2024 we launched our second Competition for emerging composers with the winning piece to be perfonned in ERSO'S summer concert on 22nd June 2025 at St John's Waterloo. As the chur¢b was celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2025, we asked for submis51011S inspired in some way by celebrating anniversaries or the history of very special places. We received 30 extremely high-quality submissions which were assessed initially by a panel frorn the orchestra and the composer of the three most promising submissions were invited to workshop their pieces with ERSO. As we recognise the costs and effort involv¢d for young composers to produce parts and scores, ERSO printed all of the required Tnusic for the event. The workshop was be recorded, and each FIrlISt was given a recording of ERSO playing their piece to use as part of their portfolio. We offered feedback to all entrants. and the finalists were offered more detailed feedback frotn our conductor Christopher SlarL leader John CraNrford rofeSsor at Trinity Laban) and from the orchestra. All three fmalists brought something special and very different, and so it was a difficult decision to choose just on¢ winner. Following much consideration, we were thrilled to announce that the winner was Nicholas Cvawley's Vienna ¢. 1825, colourised. Nicholas is a Masters students of composition at the Royal Academy of Music.
Music Illuminated Company registration no. 3685489 "Thankyou very muchforyour help in organizing this eventl It was wonderfvl to hear the piece came together, and to work with such a positive eleMble, "It was apleast4re lo be workshopped tyyoul Having a host likeyou does give hope to Ihe job ofaspiTing composers. Keep up the open-mind andgreat quality. Feedback from the two fjnalists who were not selected Is the winner. ERSO Soloist of the Year 2025 The ERSO Soloist of the Year competition began in 2018 and is an annual event which provides emerging soloists with the valuable and rare opportunity to rehearse and perforni a concerto with a full symphony orchestra. The competition is open to players who have played in at least one concert with ERSO during the season, widening the eligibility to many music students, post-graduates and professional musicians at the start of their careers. Candidates audition for a panel of Committee members, our professional leader and conductor. All candidates are given feedback upon their auditions. The entrants this year were of an exceptional level and it was hard lo select only 4 for our Final. They shared a half day of rehearsal time with ERSO and Chris Stark afteT the orchestra had spent a half day rehearsing each of th¢ir chosen concerti. This was a huge opportunity as the young soloists were given the chance to work on a movement of their concerto with a full orchestra and receiv¢ valuable advice and insights from our professional conductor and leader which will help them to develop their perfortnances in the ture. Following a wonderful day of music we were unable to pick just one winner and instead crowned two joint Mrynners- violinist Basil Alter and basSOOniSt Emily Ambrose, both of whorn were awarded the invaluable opportunity of perforjning as a soloist with ERSO and a £150 fe¢. Winning the competition and gaining this concerto experience is an ¢xtremely valuable to both Thrynners CV. Reaching the Final of the competition also makes a significant difference to the young musicians- since the competition began over two thirds of the finalists have been engaged as soloists by ERSO which has helped to boost their Cvs and led to extra work. We ask participanis for feedback about the competAtion and learnings are incorporated into the plans for future years. Paid Section Leader roles The Paid Section Leader scheme b¢gan in 2016 with the aim of supporting emerging orchestral players. These 2-year developmental positions (Deputy Leader, Principal 2nd Violin, Principal Cello and Brass Leader) have proved to be extremely successful and beneficial to the role holders. Following the departure of our long-standing Principal Bass, an amateur who had been with the orchestra for many years. we decided to create a new paid Principal Bass role who would have the responsibility for coaching and developing ow double bass section. Recruitment for this role began in the summer of 2025.
Music Illuminated Company registration no. 3685489 The roles provide aspiring professional musicians with valuable experience of leading, coh1ng and managing their sections and they benefit from mentoring fron] our professional leader and Conductor. The roles also give valuable arts administration experienc¢ through being a member of ERSO'S Committee, helping to manage the running of the orchestra and contributing to the future plans for the orchestra including helping io plan and d¢liver our ERSO Talent Programme and education projects with children. The ERSO Section Leader roles provide valuable, paid experience to emerging professional musicians at the very beginning of their careers and makes a significant contribution to their prospects by boosting their CVS.
Music Illuminated Company registration no. 3685489 Notes to the financial statements l. Constitution of the scheme Music Illuminated is a company limited by guarantee under the Companies Acts and is also Tegist¢red as a charity. Accordingly, there is no share capital. Music Illuminated is governed by a Memorandum and Articles incotpordted on 17 December 1998, as amended by SkKcial Resolution regist¢r¢d at Con]palli¢s House on 20 May 2016. 2. Aeeoullting policies 2.1 Basis of preparation of fmanciai statements The financial slatem¢nts are Prepared under the histoTical cost convention. 2.2. Income and expenditure Direct incom¢ from musical activities, in th¢ fonn of ticket and other sales and subscriptions, is included and a¢crued in the accounting period to which it relates. Donations and grants are also accounted for in the period to which they relate. Payments Tepresenting basic rnte tsx reclaimed from HM Revenue & Customs under the Gift Aid scheme are accounted for in the period during which they w¢r¢ received. Ticket sales and related expenditure in respect of the season starting after 31 August are carried forward to the following accounting period. 2.3 Donations by waived charges The orchestra r¢ceives the benefit of much unpaid assistance, reduced charging rates and other benefits in kind. These benefits are not reflected in the accounts. 3. Taxation No charge to direct t&Yation arises, because Music Illun]inated is a registered charity and therefore exempt from corporation tsx. 4. Prior year adjustment Net &ssets at 31 August 2024 w¢r¢ £60.830, allowing for two creditors totalling £99.85. Those creditors were omitted in error in the accounts submitted for the year ending 31 August 2024, which showed net assets of £60,930 at the year end.
Music Illuminated Company registration no. 3685489 Report PrlDcip#I activities and review of activities The principal activity of Music Illuminated is the provision of conrtS and to provide a training orchestra of a high standard. A summary of tbe results for tbe year is given on page I l of the accounts. Directors Matthew Saunders, Fiona Cairney and Pui Wah Poon served as directors throughout the year. Audit Due lo Music Illuminated's status as a small company, ex¢mption from audit is requested. Voluntary audit may be sought in future years. Independent Review These accounts have been Teviewed by Robert Brown. Director's signature Matthew J Saunders 10
Musi¢ llluminated Company registration no. 3685489 Income and expenditure for the period I September 2024 to 31 August 2025 Turnover Income from musical activtties Direct expenses Concert-related expenses Net deficit from musicat activities 3,443.48 -1,586.69 -25.889.00 -24.032.21 Bank charges Deficit before other income -24 032.21 Other inc Donations Gift Aid me 21,691.41 799.59 22 491.00 Proflt for year -1,541.21 Balance sheet as at 31 August 2025 Current assets Cash ai bank C&slLlcheques in hand Receivabl¢s: loans to MIP due within one year Debt reduction Opening balance at Mtp Debtors 25,954.88 20.40 40,000.00 -25,889.00 19,255.24 33,366.24 59,341.52 Fixed asse Tangible assets CuTTent liabilities Creditors: amounts falling du¢ within one year Donations and grants received in advance -52.80 59 288.72 Funded by: accutnulated fimds Profit for period 60,829.93 -1541.21 59,288.72
Music Illuminated Company registration no. 3685489 Audit Exemption Statement For the period ending 31 August 2025, the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companie5 Act 2006 relating to small Companies. Directors, responsibilities: The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in qu¢stion in accordance with section 476. The direclors a¢knowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts" These accounts have been prepared and delivered in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies, regime. Director's signature Matthew J Saunders 12
Independent Examiner's Report to theTrustees of Muslc Illuminated Charity number: 1074016 I r8POrtto the charitytrustees on my examination ofthe accounts of Musi¢ Illuminated for the ye8r ended 31 August2025. Responslbllltles and basis of report As the charity trustees of Music Illuminated. you are responsible forthe prepar8tion of the accounts in accordance with the requirements oftho CharitiesAct2011 {"th8Act"l. I report in respect of my examination of the charity's accounts carried out under section 145 ofthe Act and, in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission undersection 145(5)Ib) of the Act. Independent examlner's statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my altention in connection with the examination which give me cause to believe th8t, in any material respect.. 8c¢ounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act: OF 2. the accounts do not accord with the accounting records. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which 8ttention shouLd be drawn in this report in ord8rto enable a proper understanding ofthe accounts to be reached. Name: Robert Brown Address: eoPrt) EIS Date: