East Sussex Bach Choir
Trustees’ report 2022-2023
This year was the first year since the pandemic that our programme and our objectives were able to be fulfilled without restrictions, and the strength of purpose that sustained the Choir during that period enabled us to build fully on our strengths.
Our first concert of the season was the Choir’s very successful visit in December to the German town of Waldshut to reciprocate the visit to Lewes of the Kantorei Hochrhein. This was undertaken with support from the Waldshut/Lewes Twinning Association. The Choir repeated the performance for our local audience in January to a sell-out audience.
The Choir’s performances of Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem in Lewes and Alfriston received high praise and again sold out in both venues. It was especially pleasing to return to Alfriston after a break of many years.
The singing year ended with a performance of Purcell King Arthur in Lewes Town Hall, with somewhat reduced attendance because of an overcrowded musical calendar in Lewes in June. This has led us to reconsider the timing of concerts in future years.
Each of our concerts involved a professional musicians and soloists and while this results in exceptional quality in the music that we offer to audiences, it is inevitable that each concert ran at a significant loss. However, it is clear that, in order to maintain our schedule of highlevel performances for our audiences in Sussex, as well as maintaining our commitments to support young singers and performers, we are actively engaged in fund raising and trying to attract longer term sponsorship. Overall, our financial management is sound and, with careful planning, we succeed in maintaining a solid footing for our continuing activities.
In order to continue to develop the quality of singing, a sequence of developmental auditions was held for all members of the Choir, and this will lead to the establishment of ongoing sectional workshops and training, in small groups, focussing on aspects of vocal development identified in the audition process.
The Trustees and other members of the committee have shown total commitment to maintaining very high standards and sustaining a rewarding programme of events for our audiences and we continue to work to try to expand audience engagement, particularly with a view to involvement of a younger and more diverse audience in order to sustain the contribution of the Choir to the musical life of the community in the future.
The Choir and Trustees are, as always, grateful for the exceptional contribution made by our Music Director, John Hancorn, in sustaining and developing our standard of performance and in creatively leading us through the pathways of Baroque music. We have also welcomed the supportive presence of our regular accompanist, Claire Williams, whose own knowledge and experience has enhanced the rehearsal process.
Mike Dawney, Chair, East Sussex Bach Choir, for the Trustees
| Income | Income | Income | Income | Expenditure | Expenditure | Expenditure | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subs | £11,700.84 | Rehearsal Venue | -£850.00 | ||||
| Gif Aid | £1,974.87 | Rehearsal Fees | -£5,925.00 | ||||
| Donatons | £90.00 | MakingMusic | -£429.35 | ||||
| Concert | Oratorio | £6,201.27 | Concert | Oratorio | -£8,979.68 | ||
| Requiem I | £2,993.25 | Requiem I | -£2,048.90 | ||||
| Requiem II | £2,074.60 | Requiem II | -£2,811.70 | ||||
| KingArthur | £3,284.74 | KingArthur | -£7,013.66 | ||||
| General * | £129.41 | ||||||
| * Bank charges, refunds, web hostng, score hire and returns, taxis |
|||||||
| German Trip | -£487.44 | ||||||
| Total Income | £28,319.57 | Total Expenditure | -£28,416.32 | ||||
| Year End Total | -£96.75 |
E A S T SUSSEX B A C H CHOIR Balance as at August 312022 Balance Current Account Balance Reserve Account £12.209.99 EIO,968.51 Balance as at August 312023 CurreAt Account £12.113.24 EII,109.34 -£96.75 £140.83 E23.222.58 Reserve Account Current Account Surplus Reserve Account Surplus Cholr Fund5 Totsl a5 at Augu 312023 I have examined. without carrwng out an audit. the attached accounts wtth the books and atcountr.ng record supplied by the Hon. Treasurer and confirm that they reflert the true financial Position for the year ended August 312023. Signed Date So> 2oL3 John Gower Signed Date Jepk Jo y3 Jannlne Jones Treasurer East Sussex Bach Ch(Hr