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2021-02-28-accounts

Company Registration number 03705788 Charity number 1080541

Trustees' Annual Report

Financial Statements

for the Year ending 28 February 2021

BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA Company Registration No: 03705788 Registered Charity No: 1080541

Contents

Page

Trustees’ Annual Report (including Directors’ Report) 2020-21

The Trustees of the Charity (Directors of the Company) have pleasure in presenting their report and the independently examined financial statements of the charity for the year beginning 1 March 2020 and ending 28 February 2021.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATION DETAILS

Charity Name: BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA

Registered Charity number: 1080541, entered in the Central Register of Charities on 3 May 2000

Registered Company number: 03705788

Principal address (registered office):

Holcot House, Market Square, Bampton, Oxfordshire OX18 2JJ

The Trustees of the Charity, who are Directors of the Company, holding office through the year were: Hilary Reid Evans (Chairman) Gillian Mary French Nicholas Garthwaite Jeremy Peter Gray Andrew Hugh Penny Damian Edward Riddle Michael St. John Parker

Of these Trustees, Gillian French and Jeremy Gray act unpaid as Artistic Directors.

Our Administrator, Anthony Hall, also acts as Company Secretary; he is not a Trustee of the Charity.

Website: www.bamptonopera.org

Bankers:

HSBC, The Peak, 333 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 1EJ

Independent Examiner:

Peter Saltiel, Church & Charity Accounts Service, Planchadeau, 23460 Saint-Pierre-Bellevue, France

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STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

The Company was incorporated in England and Wales on 2 February 1999, under registered number 03705788. It is limited by Guarantee and does not have a share capital.

There are currently 21 members of the Company.

Trustees, who must be or agree to become members of the Company, are appointed by existing Trustees. Trustees receive no salary or remuneration. The Company has introduced an induction programme for new Trustees.

The Board met eight times during the year: the Coronavirus pandemic necessitated that all meetings were held online. These were supplemented by the circulation of additional information and discussion as necessary, principally by email.

Our Patrons, whose role is honorary but who support us through their interest and attendance, are Bonaventura Bottone, Brian Kay, Sir Roger Norrington, Andrew Parrott, Sir David Pountney, Sir Curtis Price and Jean Rigby.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The Company’s Object set out in its governing document is “to advance education for the public benefit by the promotion of the arts, in particular but not exclusively the art of opera”. To further this Object the Company performs a short summer season of opera with regular venues in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and London, as well as occasionally by invitation and promotion at other venues and festivals. An annual concert is also held in Bampton Parish Church on or close to 21 December and other concerts and events are arranged when appropriate.

The Company specialises in rare classical-period repertory, sung in English with the libretti usually translated by the Artistic Directors. The Company has revived or given the UK premières of many significant rare operas from the later eighteenth century and is widely recognised for its expertise in this field.

The Company supports outstanding young professional singers and other practitioners early in their careers. Although we do not exclusively engage young artists, we endeavour to seek out and promote emerging talent. Many of our young singers find that their experience with us is educational as we nurture their talents in a supportive atmosphere. Through working with more established musicians and creative teams and receiving the interest of the public and press, their early careers are promoted. We established a biennial Young Singers’ Competition in 2013 to further our support of young musicians.

We present opera in a relaxed and accessible atmosphere at reasonable prices, without the formal etiquette sometimes associated with opera-going.

The Company maintains membership of The Opera and Music Theatre Forum and of Making Music which provide support services and guidance on a wide range of issues.

The Company relies heavily on a wide range of services provided by volunteers, especially living in or near Bampton, and is very grateful for their enthusiastic work. Many local residents host musicians during the Bampton week. We thank our local volunteers by means of a lunchtime reception in Bampton in September.

A Risk Assessment, prepared by the Trustees, is kept under review. This covers issues, amongst others, relating to key personnel, liabilities for accident or damage to property, contractual problems, cancellation liability, venue unavailability, funding, safeguarding and compliance, notably regarding disability. Production-specific Risk Assessments are also drawn up and relate especially to health and safety on stage

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and within the production action. The Company maintains insurance through the Making Music Insurance Scheme underwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance, which includes £5 million public liability cover, £10 million employer’s liability cover, and abandonment cover of £25,000.

PUBLIC BENEFIT

The Trustees have paid due regard to the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.

We offer identifiable benefits:

We stage opera productions (as well as occasional concerts) in rural locations (Bampton and Westonbirt) as well as in London; we thus enable local rural communities to experience a high standard of professional music-making, at reasonable prices. We make our operas accessible and enjoyable to those in the public who may not have knowledge of the genre. The high professional standard of our work is testified in press reviews both locally and nationally. Each performance is attended by several hundred people. We are delighted that our audiences include regular opera-goers along with a significant proportion of ‘nontraditional’ public, i.e. those who do not habitually attend live classical music or opera.

We advance the education of the public through our performances themselves, especially as they are generally of unusual and rarely-performed music. We support the educational aspect of these performances with free pre-performance talks, always well attended, by personnel involved in the productions or visiting academics. We also research and commission extensive educational notes to publish in our programme booklets; these notes are also available on our website. The quality of these notes has been praised by leading critics.

Our performers are professional musicians, often at an early stage of their careers. We deliver identifiable educational benefits to them through the process of rehearsal, discussion and performance, under the guidance of the Artistic Directors. We also provide an educational benefit to our volunteers – some of these are students, and others are adults up to and well beyond retirement age: these volunteers experience (often for the first time) different facets of operatic work under our supervision.

Our work has led to newly commissioned editions of previously unpublished music and new English translations (thus, in both cases, enabling greater understanding by the public). These editions and translations are listed on our website and have been used by other companies.

We are not aware that any detriment or harm arises from carrying out our activities.

We provide benefit to the general public:

We provide benefit to every member of the general public who attends a performance. There is no geographical restriction applied to the opportunity to benefit, although our venues are clearly in defined localities. We advertise very widely and, on our website, and attract the public from well beyond local areas in the UK (as well as some from Europe and the USA). Our venues are wheelchair-accessible. We believe there are no other restrictions to the opportunity to benefit.

The high cost of professional productions means that we must charge admission to the general public to attend most of our performances. Nevertheless, we have always aimed to keep ticket prices at a reasonable level in order to encourage access. Half-price tickets are available at Bampton and Westonbirt for people under 16. In Bampton we also offer a quota of free tickets, in agreement with Bampton Parish Council, to those local residents who may wish to attend a performance but cannot afford to do so. For our performance at St John’s Smith Square concessions are available to a range of sections of the public. Our ticket prices are considered to be very reasonable in comparison to those of other opera companies of similar quality, and our perceived excellent value-for-money is frequently commented on favourably by the press and by our audiences.

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We occasionally offer an entertainment (for example a recital or talk, with refreshments) to those who financially support us through our Friends’ scheme, but this benefit is considered to be incidental. We offer a free programme booklet (otherwise sold at £4) to our Friends, if desired. There are no further material benefits to Friends.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCES

The rapidly escalating effects of the Coronavirus pandemic and the consequent government restrictions on performance and the imposition of lockdowns had an unavoidable detrimental effect on our activity throughout a difficult year. Plans to perform Gluck’s opera Paris and Helen (thus marking the 250th anniversary of its première in Vienna in 1770) had to be suspended, as decided at an emergency online meeting of the Board on 19 March 2020. Throughout the year we were concerned about the well-being of our musicians, and we offered modest ‘learning fees’ to some for preparatory work already undertaken. Hopes and disappointments concerning what might be possible fluctuated during the year, and plans were constantly reassessed with regard to the changing laws and the safety of musicians and the public.

Ultimately no large-scale work proved possible. Partial relaxation of government regulations in the summer permitted two small-scale open-air afternoon recitals entitled A Potpourri of Pleasures and Passions , given by soprano Lisa Howarth and harpsichordist Robert Howarth in the garden of Cobb House, Bampton, on 30 and 31 August. Audiences were restricted to 30, all of whom welcomed the opportunity to attend live music. A significant disappointment was the cancellation at less than a week’s notice, owing to the November lockdown, of a concert performance at St John’s Smith Square of Gluck’s The Crown (La corona) – this was postponed and ultimately successfully performed in May 2021. Coronavirus restrictions necessitated adjustments to our planned St Beornwald’s Day concert in December: this was held on 12 December in St Mary’s Church, Witney, as our usual venue of St Mary’s Bampton was deemed unsuitable. The afternoon concert, Baroque Christmas Cantatas (music by Alessandro Scarlatti and Caldara), was given to an audience restricted to 40 and employed three singers and three instrumentalists under the direction of Andrew Griffiths; again, both participants and audiences expressed warm gratitude for the opportunity. The performance was filmed and made available online afterwards for a donation. In addition to these public performances, we provided occasional video work for singers and used these for marketing purposes and for the benefit of our ever-supportive Friends’ organisation. Opportunities were also taken for a major redesign of our website and logo, and to consolidate the extensive archive of BCO material going back to 1993. Our 2019 production of Storace’s Bride & Gloom was shortlisted as a finalist in the Rediscovered Work category in the 2020 International Opera Awards.

HELPING YOUNG MUSICIANS TO FURTHER THEIR CAREERS

Bampton Classical Opera provides a supportive experience to young professional musicians and we follow with pride the growing careers of the talented artists who have worked with us. The pandemic prevented nearly all musicians and other artists from performing in any capacity, with very serious consequences for livelihood and health. However, we noted with pleasure that Galina Averina (first prizewinner of the 2015 Bampton Young Singers’ Competition) sang Marzelline in Garsington Opera’s filmed Fidelio and Robert Anthony Gardiner appeared in Northern Opera Group’s filmed Cinderella .

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Income for the financial year was £61,071 (2019-20: £113,691).

Income earned from tickets was £3,785 (2019-20: £39,468 including programmes, bar and advertising).

Expenditure for the financial year was £29,029 (2019-20: £117,015) and reflected the severely reduced number of performances.

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The trustees have reviewed the income for the financial year with consideration to the cancellation of opera performances and have recorded receipts as deferred income in the 28 February 2021 balance sheet where appropriate.

At the time the pandemic broke early in the financial year, considerable effort (but at low cost to the charity) had already been invested in raising funds to support our 2020 season. Grants received on this basis were received from Bampton Village Community Shop, Maria Bjornson Memorial Fund, Doris Field Charitable Trust, Joyce Grenfell Memorial Trust and the Patrick Rowland Foundation: trustees of these were informed of the need to cancel most of our activity and all agreed that we should carry forward grants until such time as we were able to use them. We are also grateful for ongoing support from Bampton Parish Council. Our autumn plans ( The Crown and St Beornwald concert) were additionally supported by an Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grant: the subsequent postponement of The Crown from November 2020 to May 2021 was permitted by ACE. Although grants received totalled £18,050, £3,900 has been applied to this financial year with the remainder recorded as deferred income in the balance sheet. (2019-20: £23,050).

Further funding was provided by the Friends of Bampton Classical Opera, and we are indebted to the many individuals who maintained their support even when our activities were significantly curtailed. A very generous donation was made by one individual “to help BCO survive and give employment to their performers” – it was agreed that most of this would be carried forward to permit an additional second performance of The Crown in May 2021. Total income from the Friends was £22,613 of which £15,688 has been allocated to this financial year, and the remainder also recorded as deferred income (2019-20: £19,897). This has been supplemented by further donations of £15,418 of which £23,005 (that includes a previous year accrual) has been allocated to this financial year, and the remainder also recorded as deferred income (201920: £14,507). We again held a successful Big Give Christmas Challenge in December 2020, raising funds towards our future season. We again qualified for HMRC Gift Aid and Theatre Tax relief on the basis of donations and activity during the previous year.

In this traumatic year, the generosity and kind wishes of all donors have been crucial to our financial survival, providing stability and confidence for the future. We have consequently been able to plan enhanced activity for 2021-2, subject to considerations of the ongoing pandemic situation, and thus to maintain our ambitions and charitable Object.

A Treasurer Account is held with HSBC. We also hold a Reserve Account with COIF Charities Deposit Fund (CCLA Investment Management Ltd). We maintain a reserve of £20,000 as contingency, especially in case ticket sales are poor as a result of adverse weather at our open-air venue. The Trustees believe they have sufficient reserves.

We do not have any other investments and accordingly we do not have an investment policy.

RESULTS

The results for the year and the financial position at the end of the year are shown in the following financial statements.

This Annual Report was approved on 25 October 2021 by the Board of Trustees (the Directors of the Company) of Bampton Classical Opera, and is signed on behalf of the Trustees by:

Jeremy Peter Gray, Trustee

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Independent Examiner’s Report to the

Trustees/Directors/Members of the Bampton Classical Opera Ltd Charity no.: 1080541 Company no.: 03705788

I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 28th February 2021 which are set out on pages 7-14.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s trustees of the Company (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law), you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (“the 2006 Act”).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited for this year under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (“the 2011 Act”). In carrying out my examination, I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention which gives me cause to believe that:

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Peter Saltiel Church & Charity Accounts Service Planchadeau, 23460 Saint-Pierre-Bellevue France

formerly, 69 Portland Place Greenhithe, Kent, DA9 9FE Dated 27 October 2021

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BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA Company Registration No: 03705788 Registered Charity No: 1080541

Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 28th February 2021

(Including income & expenditure account)

Income
Income & endowments from:
Donations and legacies
Charitable Activities
Investments
Total income
Expenditure
Expenditure on:
Charitable Expenditure
Total expenditure
Net movement in funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward		 Unrestricted
& Total
Funds
Unrestricted
& Total
Funds
Notes
2021
2020
£
£
3
3.1
56,981
74,000
3.2
3,785
39,468
3.3
305
223
61,071
113,691
4
29,059
117,015
29,059
117,015
32,012
(3,324)
32,155
35,479
64,167
32,155
3
3.1
3.2
3.3
4

All activities are regarded as continuing.

The above statement includes all recognised gains and losses during the year.

The Notes to the Accounts on pages 9 to 14 form part of these Financial Statements.

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BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA Company Registration No: 03705788 Registered Charity No: 1080541

Balance Sheet as at 28th February 2021

FIXED ASSETS
Equipment
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash at bank
Debtors
CREDITORS
Amounts falling due within one year
NET CURRENT ASSETS
NET ASSETS
FUNDS
Unrestricted Fund
TOTAL FUNDS		 Notes
2021
2020
£
£
7
-
-
104,712
59,616
5
-
1,156
104,712
60,772
6
(40,545)
(28,617)
64,167
32,155
64,167
32,155
64,167
32,155
64,167
32,155		 Notes
2021
2020
£
£
7
-
-
104,712
59,616
5
-
1,156
104,712
60,772
6
(40,545)
(28,617)
64,167
32,155
64,167
32,155
64,167
32,155
64,167
32,155
7
5
6

The trustees (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law) confirm that for the year ended 29[th] February 2020:

The accounts have been examined by an independent examiner whose report appears on page 7.

The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.

The Notes on pages 10 to 15 form an integral part of these accounts.

These accounts, which have been prepared in accordance with the provisions in the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies, were approved by the Trustees / Directors on 25 October 2021 and signed on their behalf by:

Hilary Reid Evans Chair

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BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA Company Registration No: 03705788 Registered Charity No: 1080541

Notes to the Accounts

1 Basis of preparation

These accounts (financial statements) have been prepared under the historic cost convention, with items recognised at cost or transaction value, unless otherwise stated in the relevant notes(s), in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued on 16 July 2014 and subsequent amendments, and with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

At the time of approving the accounts, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has sufficient reserves and that the charity is a going concern.

There have been no changes in the basis of accounting during the year.

There have been no changes to the previous accounts during the financial year.

There have been no changes to accounting estimates.

1.6 Judgements and Estimations

The trustees have not made any significant judgements in the process of applying the accounting policies and there are no areas of estimation uncertainty that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities.

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BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA Company Registration No: 03705788 Registered Charity No: 1080541

Notes to the Accounts (cont’d)

2 Accounting policies

10

BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA Company Registration No: 03705788 Registered Charity No: 1080541

Notes to the Accounts (cont’d)

2 Accounting policies (cont’d)

There no employees and no transactions with related parties.

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BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA Company Registration No: 03705788 Registered Charity No: 1080541

Notes to the Accounts (cont’d)

3 Analysis of income

3.1
3.2
3.3
<<<<		 Donations & legacies
Friends of Bampton Classical Opera
Sponsorship & grants
Other donations
Tax refund
Charitable Activities
Tickets, programmes, bar & advertising
Young Singers' Competition
Miscellaneous
Investments
Interest
Total Income		 2021
2020
£
£
15,689
19,897
3,900
23,050
23,006
14,507
14,386
16,546
56,981
74,000
3,785
36,070
-
3,363
-
35
3,785
39,468
305
223
305
223
61,071
113,691

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BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA Company Registration No: 03705788 Registered Charity No: 1080541

Notes to the Accounts (cont’d)

4 Analysis of expenditure

5
6		 Debtors
Creditors
Expenditure on charitable activities
Performers Fees
Technical, Music, Set & Costume Costs
Accommodation, Catering & Storage
Design, Print & Marketing
Young Singers' Competition & Prizes
Support Costs
Office Expenses & Administration
Administrative Support
Accountancy
Companies House
Total Charitable Expenditure
Total Expenditure
Prepaid Expenses
Creditors
Deferred Income (released in full during the following year)		 6,720
47,389
3,387
26,973
2,071
3,939
7,134
15,839
-
8,777
19,312
102,917
6,559
8,410
2,500
5,000
675
675
13
13
9,747
14,098
29,059
117,015
29,059
117,015
2021
2020
£
£
-
1,156
-
1,156
2021
2020
£
£
675
675
39,870
27,942
40,545
28,617

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BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA Company Registration No: 03705788 Registered Charity No: 1080541

Notes to the Accounts (cont’d)

7 Capital purchases

Balance
Less Depreciation		 2021
£
-
-
-		 2020
£
-
-
-

8 Staff costs

There are no employees and therefore no employee was paid more than £60,000 per annum.

9 Remuneration to Trustees:

The Trustees received no remuneration and no expenses were reimbursed.

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