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← Bampton Classical Opera

2025-02-28-accounts

Company Registration number 3705788 Charity number 1080541

Trustees' Annual Report

Financial Statements

for the Year ending 28 February 2025

BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA Company Registration No: 3705788 Registered Charity No: 1080541

Contents

Page

Trustees’ Annual Report (including Directors’ Report) 2024-25

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 2024 and ending 28 February 2025.

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: 3705788

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) Simon Broadbent (appointed 22 August 2024) Gillian Mary French Nicholas Garthwaite (died 30 June 2024) Jeremy Peter Gray Andrew Hugh Penny Michael St. John Parker

Of these Trustees, Gillian French and Jeremy Gray act 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 Ltd, 7 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 3705788. It is limited by Guarantee and does not have a share capital.

There are currently 20 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 four times during the year: all meetings were held online. These were supplemented by the circulation of additional information and discussion as necessary, principally by email.

Our Trustee Nicholas Garthwaite was active throughout the first part of the year reported on although suffering from a long illness, but we are very sorry to record his death on 30 June 2024. He joined our Board in 2006 and his sharp analysis, firm guidance, genial wit and warm generosity have helped steer the company and its activity ever since. Our deep sympathy goes to his wife Caroline, herself an enthusiastic supporter of our work. Members of the Board attended Nicholas’ funeral, and we marked his contribution with an appreciation in our summer opera programme.

Our honorary Patrons, supporting us during the year 2024-5 through their interest and attendance, are Bonaventura Bottone, Sir Roger Norrington, Andrew Parrott, Sir David Pountney, Sir Curtis Price and Jean Rigby. However, at the time of writing this report, we are very sorry to record the death of Sir Roger Norrington on 18 July 2025; we are most grateful for his enthusiasm for us and his appreciation of our shared interest in 18[th] -century music.

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 in December (marking the feastday of Bampton’s local Saint, Beornwald) 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.

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.

The Company maintains membership of Making Music (which provides support services and guidance on a wide range of issues); we have also recently been a member of Opera UK, but this organisation is currently dormant.

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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, and others provide a range of Front of House services and their warm welcome to audiences is frequently praised. We warmly thank Anthony Hall and John Smith for site management and transportation, Pauline Smith and Anne Baldwin for costumes, and Jacky Allinson and friends for running the bar: their services are much valued and save the company considerable expense. 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 and within the production action. The Company maintains insurance through the Making Music Insurance Scheme underwritten by Covéa Insurance 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, Westonbirt and Wadhurst) 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

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localities. We advertise widely and on our website, and attract the public from well beyond local areas in the UK (as well as some from abroad). 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. 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.

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 £5) to our Friends, if desired. There are no further material benefits to Friends.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCES

Our main summer production in this, our 31[st] season, was our second opera by Giuseppe Gazzaniga: L’isola d’Alcina (1771), which we gave in a new English translation by Gilly French as Alcina’s Island ; these were probably the first UK performances since 1777. We are grateful for the second year for the musicological support of Dr Rüdiger Thomsen-Fürst, of Forschungszentrum Hof-Musik-Stadt, Schwetzingen, who provided his new edition of the unpublished scores. We performed at our usual venues: the Deanery garden, Bampton (19 and 20 July), the Orangery Theatre at Westonbirt School (26 August), and St John’s Smith Square London (13 September); on 31 August we also took it to the atmospheric Barn at Old Walland, near Wadhurst, where in the previous two years we have taken a smaller secondary production. The opera includes characters of different nationalities and although our outstanding young cast did not match these precisely it was happily international, including South Korean, South African, New Zealander and Ukrainian singers: Dafydd Allen, Charlotte Badham, Sarah Chae, Jonathan Eyers, Monwabisi Lindi, Owain Rowlands and Magnus Walker. Thomas Blunt conducted and Jeremy Gray directed. As customary, the Bampton Opera Orchestra played at Bampton, Westonbirt and Wadhurst, and CHROMA in London. Reviews were again very complimentary, praising the musical and dramatic quality, as well as the translation, and several critics concluded warmly that Bampton is a firm highlight of the summer season.

We revived our 2023 production of Haydn’s early comedy: Lo speziale (The Apothecary) for a single performance at the Dorchester-on-Thames Festival on 6 May. Unfortunately heavy rain on the day prevented us performing as intended in the gardens of the Manor House, but we easily transferred into the magnificent Abbey Church adjacent. The singers were Guy Beynon, Iúnó Connolly, Henry Ross, and Madeline Robinson, with members of the Bampton Opera Orchestra, conducted by Mark Austin.

The annual Christmas ‘St Beornwald’s concert’ was in St Mary’s Bampton on 7 December – the programme combined chamber music for piano and wind instruments (Mozart and Poulenc), with arias and songs performed by the 2[nd] Prizewinner in the 2023 Bampton Young Singers’ Competition, counter-tenor KieronConnor Valentine.

Another event for the local community was a talk by Jeremy Gray in Bampton Village Hall on 21 April, covering some of the directorial techniques for staging opera: the talk raised funds for the Friends of St Mary’s, under whose auspices it was held.

Our events have been well supported, and audiences have been very appreciative.

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FINANCIAL REVIEW

Income for the financial year was £169,539 (2023-24: £154,508).

Income earned from tickets was £48,086 (2023-4: £51,416) including programmes, bar and advertising.

Expenditure for the financial year was £140,955 (2023-24: £153,409).

In order to maintain ticket prices at a reasonable level and so increase accessibility for the general public, the company depends on raising significant extra funds from donations and grants. We were supported by grants from Bampton Parish Council, Bampton Village Community Shop, Cockayne – Grants for the Arts (a donor advised fund held at the London Community Foundation), John S Cohen Foundation, Fidelio Trust, Doris Field Charitable Trust, Marchus Trust, Matthiesen Foundation, Mila Charitable Organisation, Music Reprieval Trust, Sandra Charitable Trust and the Thistle Trust. The Reed Foundation again provided matching funds through the Big Give Christmas Challenge. We are most grateful for all these vital grants which enable our continuing activity.

As always, further funding was provided through the generosity of the Friends of Bampton Classical Opera, many of whom have been loyal to our cause over many years. Total income during the year from the Friends and other personal donors was £38,420 (2023-24: £35,746). We are also very grateful for receipt of a legacy of £10,000 from the estate of the late Mark Hichens. We held a very successful Big Give Christmas Challenge in December 2024, raising funds towards our new season. We qualified for HMRC Gift Aid on the basis of donations during the previous year, and also for Theatre Tax Relief on the basis of our activity.

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 22 October 2025 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.: 3705788

I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 28th February 2025 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:

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 Ltd 7 Planchadeau 23460 Saint-Pierre-Bellevue France

formerly, 69 Portland Place, Greenhithe, Kent, DA9 9FE

Dated October 2025

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BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA Company Registration No: 3705788 Registered Charity No: 1080541

Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 28th February 2025 (Including income & expenditure account)

Income
Income & endowments from:
Donations and legacies
Charitable Activities
Investments
Miscellaneous
Total income
Expenditure
Expenditure on:
Charitable expenditure
Governance costs
Total expenditure
Net movement in funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward		 Unrestricted
& Total
Funds
Unrestricted
& Total
Funds
Notes
2025
2024
£
£
3
3.1
117,913
96,682
3.2
48,086
54,755
3.3
3,504
2,790
3.4
36
281
169,539
154,508
4
4.1
140,044
152,521
4.2
911
888
140,955
153,409
28,584
1,099
64,342
63,243
92,926
64,342
3
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
4
4.1
4.2

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 10 to 15 form part of these Financial Statements.

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BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA Company Registration No: 3705788 Registered Charity No: 1080541

Balance Sheet as at 28th February 2025

Notes 2025 2024
£ £
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash at bank 110,464 80,745
Debtors 5 2,447 2,322
112,911 83,067
CREDITORS
Amounts falling due within one year 6 (19,985) (18,725)
NET CURRENT ASSETS 92,926 64,342
NET ASSETS 92,926 64,342
FUNDS
Unrestricted Fund 92,926 64,342
TOTAL FUNDS 92,926 64,342

The trustees (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law) confirm that for the year ended 28[th] February 2025:

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 22 October 2025 and signed on their behalf by:

Hilary Reid Evans, Chair

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BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA Company Registration No: 3705788 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.

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: 3705788 Registered Charity No: 1080541

Notes to the Accounts (cont’d)

2 Accounting policies

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BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA Company Registration No: 3705788 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: 3705788 Registered Charity No: 1080541

Notes to the Accounts (cont’d)

3 Analysis of income

3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
<<<<		 Donations & legacies
Friends of Bampton Classical Opera
Gift Aid tax reclaims and Theatre Tax Relief
Legacies
Grants & Sponsorships
Charitable Activities
Tickets, programmes, bar & advertising
Young Singers' Competition
Investments
Interest
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Total Income		 2025
2024
£
£
38,420
35,746
37,343
30,536
10,000
-
32,150
30,400
117,913
96,682
48,086
51,416
-
3,339
48,086
54,755
3,504
2,790
3,504
2,790
36
281
36
281
169,539
154,508

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BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA Company Registration No: 3705788 Registered Charity No: 1080541

Notes to the Accounts (cont’d)

4 Analysis of expenditure

5
6		 Debtors
Creditors
7
4.1
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
Total Charitable Expenditure
4.2
Governance costs
Accountancy
Companies House
Total Expenditure
Prepaid Expenses
Creditors
Deferred Income (released in full during the following year)		 2025
2024
£
£
70,846
73,571
29,999
31,283
5,715
5,900
13,512
11,816
-
13,099
120,072
135,669
14,972
11,852
5,000
5,000
19,972
16,852
140,044
152,521
875
875
36
13
911
888
140,955
153,409
2025
2024
£
£
2,447
2,322
2,447
2,322
2025
2024
£
£
911
888
19,074
17,837
19,985
18,725

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BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA Company Registration No: 3705788 Registered Charity No: 1080541

Notes to the Accounts (cont’d)

7 Staff costs

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

8 Remuneration to Trustees:

The Trustees received no remuneration and no expenses were reimbursed.

The other Trustees decided that it was appropriate to pay Jeremy Gray, one of the Trustees, as Stage Director and Producer for the major and minor productions planned for the season, and a fee was set at £5,000. The creative work involved is essential to the activity and success of the charity, and the Trustees believe that Jeremy Gray is uniquely qualified to provide this professional work. Neither he nor any other Trustee has been remunerated for their services as a Trustee nor repaid for any expenses incurred.

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