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← The Burford Singers

2024-08-31-accounts

President: Bob Chilcott

Director of Music: Will Dawes Chorus Master: Hilary Tadman-Robins

From: The Chairperson, Burford Singers

Annual report 2023/24

This report covers the financial year when the choir performed its usual number of concerts in autumn, spring and summer.

The committee met formally on five occasions during the year (which includes the October 2024 AGM).

Concerts

The previous chairman and committee agreed a programme of three major concerts for the 2023/24 season. Choir, full orchestra and an exceptional group of soloists featured throughout this season.

November concert - Handel’s Messiah

This was a fitting finale to Brian Kay’s tenure as musical director of the Burford Singers. The church was packed to the seams and the choir numbers filled the stage to capacity too.

The concert was accompanied by The Cotswold Chamber Orchestra, under the fabulous leadership of Kate Bailey. The concert was a triumph.

It was fitting that Will Dawes was at the concert and Brian (literally) handed over his baton to the new incumbent at the after concert drinks gathering. Brian was presented with the book made up of memories from past and present choir members along with other gifts too.

April concert - Haydn’s The Creation

Will’s debut concert with us was a roaring success - in every aspect. The fabulous soloists, The Cotswold Chamber Orchestra rising to the occasion under the new musical direction and the choir, who delivered a magnificent performance of this much loved piece.

The feedback from this debut concert was truly wonderful from both participants and our dedicated audience.

Registered Charity No. 1096043

www.burfordsingers.org.uk

1

June concert - Burford Festival Finale, ‘A Celebration of English Music’

As usual for the summer concert a different, albeit sometimes challenging repertoire of music was chosen to provide the finale concert for the Burford Festival, featuring ‘Aesop’s Fables’ composed by our choir President, Bob Chilcott as well as other English classics by Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Finzi.

Bernard West accompanied us from the organ during the first half and the hired grand piano in the second half.

Despite the reduced choir numbers who sang for this concert, the 60 singers produced an excellent sound that we should all be proud of.

The concert was also dedicated to our much loved member, Jo Glyde, who had passed away earlier that same week.

Membership

By the beginning of September 2024 - 11 members did not renew their membership (this number includes 4 previous members who did not respond at all to emails and reminders about membership renewal). The other members who left cited the following reasons:

However, we have appointed 5 new singers which include a bass, 3 sopranos and an alto. We have another potential member who will be assessed in January and a bass who will join us next year.

This brings us to a total of 80 total membership for this year .

For the concerts we are expecting the following line up:

Autum Sops 31 Altos 24 Tenors 11 Basses 11 Total 77
Spring Sops 30 Altos 25 Tenors 10 Basses 11 Total 76
Summer Sops 28 Altos 24 Tenors 9 Basses 11 Total 72

Registered Charity No. 1096043

www.burfordsingers.org.uk

2

The Associates membership scheme is in place, although at the moment we have capacity in the choir to assess new members as soon as possible after we receive their applications and for them to be invited straight into the choir, rather than join the associate list.

The committee are aware that we need to recruit more tenors - an issue that seems to be common across most choirs! Our website reflects this as well as the message that we’re keen to welcome younger members to join us.

Director of Music

Thanks must go to the previous Chairman, Peter Moran and committee for the recruitment process to find a suitable successor to Brian Kay.

I would like to personally thank Will Dawes, our new Director of Music for his first two concerts. I’m sure everyone will agree, we benefit from Will’s expertise as an all-round superb musician and particularly as a singer himself.

To benefit as a choir from his expertise in finessing the vocal interpretation of pieces is something we should all be grateful for. Students pay good money to have these insightful techniques from singing coaches and we have this on a weekly basis throughout each term! Learn from it and absorb all that he says like a sponge.

Hopefully, with all the rehearsal aids that our website provides we should be able to get a grasp of our repertoire so that at rehearsals, we can utilise Will’s talent to the maximum and learn a few more tricks of the trade to really polish our performances. Exciting times!!

Finance

Our treasurer will be providing a much more detailed summary of our finances.

However, a few headlines from me:

Lastly, the committee and MD are aware that we need to be mindful in the music choices for each year - that the programmes cover the right mix of repertoire which will attract large audiences. This is imperative to meet our outgoing costs and build our income.

Registered Charity No. 1096043

www.burfordsingers.org.uk

3

Outlook for 2024/25

We have an exciting programme of concerts for this coming year. We have listened to the feedback from members and the audience, and to that end have made a few adjustments to our future programmes.

The MD and committee now have an agreed process in place for choosing music for future concerts. We aim to work to a’ 2 year in advance’ programme, thus giving all relevant parties enough lead time to carry out hirings, bookings, marketing etc.

Given the membership fees were increased last year - the committee decided to leave this unchanged. The offer to split the membership cost over x2 payments (one in August and one in February) has proved helpful to a number of members.

Website & Social media

Safeguarding policy

Our Safeguarding Policy is published on our web site. Full Members and Associates should make sure that they take time to update their understanding of the policy – see our members’ web page www.burfordsingers.org.uk/member.

Rehearsal aids

Members who wish to use rehearsal aids are encouraged to use the .pdf that has been updated. You can find this .pdf using the link on the members’ web page www.burfordsingers.org.uk/member.

X and Facebook

We used to have a facebook page but have since stopped updating it. We do have an ‘X’ account and also an Instagram account. We are hoping to look for volunteers to update these on a regular basis.

Thanks

I would like to thank both Hilary Tadman-Robins and Robin Baggs for all their hard work with the choir over the last year.

I would also like to thank everyone involved in planning and delivering our events. Planning and executing the rearrangements in a busy working church with three Sunday morning services in time for a Sunday evening concert is not a trivial exercise.

My thanks to the Vicar and Parochial Church Council for helping to achieve this.

Registered Charity No. 1096043

www.burfordsingers.org.uk

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Special thanks also to my fellow committee members, especially those who are standing down from the committee at the forthcoming AGM:

And

We hope to receive interest from members to fill those vacant positions. Thank you and very best wishes to you all.

Elizabeth Bennett

Chairperson

Registered Charity No. 1096043

www.burfordsingers.org.uk

5

THE BURFORD SINGERS (Charity No.1096043)

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES - Year Ended 31st August 2024

INCOMING RESOURCES
Membership Subscriptions
Income Tax Recovered (Gift Aid)
Ticket Sales - future
Ticket Sales
Other Sponsorship
Grants, Donations & “Friends”
Bank Interest
Fund Raising
Sale of Goods
Workshops
October Function
Members' purchase of scores
Misc. receipts
Total Incoming Resources
OUTGOING RESOURCES
Direct Charitable Expenditure
Concert Expenditure
Subscription (Making Music)
Ex Gratia Payments
Insurance
Capital Purchases
Performing Rights Licence/Fees
Ticketing Costs
Singday
October Function
Previous financial year concert costs
Goods & music purchased for resale
Future Concert costs
IT Support
Administration
Postage, printing, stationery,
telephone
Bank Charges
Misc. payments
Audit & Accountancy
Committee Meeting venue hire
Professional Fees
Staging Storage
Total Outgoing Resources		 2024
£
16,825
4,297
803
14,691
37,790
392
283
0
765
4,852
0
100
11
31
63
481
129
1,074
Net Inflow / Outflow of Funds
Cash Fund Brought Forward
Cash Fund Carried Forward		 954
43,211
44,165		 1,467
41,744
43,211

2

THE BURFORD SINGERS (Charity No.1096043)

BALANCE SHEET As at 31st August 2024

ASSETS
Non Current Assets
Concert Staging
Rehearsal Piano
Trailer
Current Assets
Bank
Total Assets
LIABILITIES
NET ASSETS
FUNDS
Opening Balance
Movement in Cash Fund
Movement in Asset Fund
CLOSING Balance		 2024
11,022
1,533
1,834
14,389
44,165
44,165
58,554
0
58,554
59,508
954
-1,599
58,863		 2023 2023
12,247
1,703
2,038
43,211
15,988
43,211
59,199
0
59,508
65,799
-4,317
-1,974
59,508

The financial statements were approved by the Members at meeting held on ...........................2024

and signed on their behalf by :-

……………………………………………………….

3

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