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 exCe￿ts, conducted by
Assistant Conductoi Alice, prior to the full perf0M￿LCe 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 rut￿er 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 M￿SIc-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 I￿rfOrnied 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 M￿siC 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 fu￿ingS 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 fOrn￿t 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
exp￿Ience 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 wOrk￿g 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 FIr￿lISt 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 el￿eMble,
"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,
co￿h1ng 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 con￿rtS 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: