2020-07-31-accounts - Exultate Singers

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EXULTATE SINGERS

ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2020

Charity No: 1101751

EXULTATE SINGERS ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2020

INDEX

Contents Trustees annual report Independent examiner's report Receipts & payments account Statement of assets & liabilities	Page No
	1-6 7 8 9

GENERAL INFORMATION

CHARITY ADDRESS

13 Oak Grove Easton In Gordano Bristol BS20 0LN

BANKERS

CAF Bank Ltd PO Box 289 West Malling Kent ME19 4TA

ACCOUNTANTS

Sam Forsey ACA 116 Bristol South End Bedminster Bristol BS3 5BL

EXULTATE SINGERS ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2020

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

Objectives

Exultate Singers’ objectives are as follows:

To advance, improve, develop and maintain public education in and appreciation of the art and science of choral music in all aspects by the presentation of public concerts and other events.
To give musicians in Bristol and the surrounding counties an opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills for the benefit of the community through performance.
To apply funds to other charitable organisations.

In shaping our objectives for the year and planning our activities, the trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance, including the guidance on public benefit and fee charging. Exultate Singers relies on donations and also income from fees and charges to cover its operating costs. In setting the level of fees, charges and concessions, the trustees give careful consideration to the accessibility of concerts for those on low incomes, such as students, children and Senior Citizens.

Trustees and Governance

Exultate Singers is an association regulated by its constitution which was adopted on 5 November 2003.

The Trustees of Exultate Singers during the year were:

Susan Green Chairman Ian Carpenter Treasurer Christopher Gray Richard Johnson Philippa Ramsay Joanna Wyld

Accountant: Sam Forsey.

Trustees are elected at the charity’s annual general meeting for a period of one year, or until the next annual general meeting, when they may be re-elected.

Activities and achievements 1 August 2019 – 31 July 2020

Saturday 26 October 2019 - Lisbon Cathedral. Portugal

As part of Exultate Singers' tour of Portgual, the choir performed a concert of music by Gabrieli, Tallis, Byrd, de Vivanco, Zielenski, Lopes Morago, Pearsall, Purcell, Howells, Carpenter, de Brito and Bruckner

Sunday 27 October 2019 - Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Lisbon, Portugal

As part of Exultate Singers' tour of Portgual, the choir sang music by Lassus, Estevao de Brito, Lopes Morago, Ian Carpenter and Gustav Holst at Mass in the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos

Tuesday 29 October 2019 - Faro Cathedral, Portugal

As part of Exultate Singers' tour of Portgual, the choir performed a concert of music by Gabrilei, Tallis, Byrd, de Vivanco, Zielenski, Lopes Morago, Pearsall, Purcell, Howells, Carpenter, de Brito and Bruckner

Sunday 10 November 2019 - Lux Aeterna

In this early evening Remembrance Sunday concert at St George's Bristol, Exultate Singers performed a programme of music on the theme of light as a symbol of hope and optimism including music by Howells, Rachmaninov, Cecilia McDowall, Ian Carpenter and Nicholas O'Neill.

Wednesday 11 and Saturday 14 December 2019 - Carols by Candlelight

Exultate Singers' annual concerts of beautiful carols and Christmas music in the medieval church of St James Priory in central Bristol.

Friday 20 December 2019 - Christmas Spectacular

Exultate Singers' Christmas extravaganza with the Bristol Ensemble at St George's Bristol.

Friday 24 January 2020 - One Vision, One Voice

Following their collaboration at the memorable High Sheriff’s Concert last summer, Exultate Singers and the Renewal Choir joined forces again to pay tribute to the power of music not only to transform lives, but also to bring communities together in the second performance of Toby Young’s As One .

Saturday 8 February 2020 - Sense of the Divine: Saxultate!

Exultate Singers was joined by the saxophonist Amy Dickson for a sensational evening of music including new commissions, arrangements based on timeless folk tunes and well-loved classics. Premiere performances included Exultate Deo by Roderick Williams, Out in the dark by Richard Barnard, Cradle Song by John Ashton Thomas, This light of reason by Nicholas O’Neill, Greek Love Songs Vol. 2 by Toby Young and a new arrangement by Eric Whitacre of his A boy and a girl .

Saturday 28 March 2020 - Easter by Candlelight cancelled

Exultate Singers had planned to perform Domenico Scarlatti's virtuosic and dramatic Stabat Mater , Victoria's Tenebrae Responsories and large-scale multi-choir Holy Week motets in a candlelit Easter concert in the medieval church of St James Priory, but sadly the concert had to be cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thursday 4 June 2020 - Bristol Arts Channel lunchtime concert

Using archive footage, Exultate Singers performed as part of Bristol Arts Channel's free online lunchtime concert, curated by St George's Bristol. Streamed online on YouTube

April – July 2020 – All further live concert and performance plans were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Plans for 2020 – 2021 Season

Lockdown and general restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic caused Exultate’s plans for 2020-2021 to be extensively revised, often at very short notice.

Sunday 20 September 2020 - Autumn Serenade

Exultate Singers' first post-lockdown performances took place in the gardens of St George's Bristol. Two onehour concerts were sung to audiences of 50 people, including music by Byrd, Palestrina, Bruckner, Finzi and Rheinberger.

Sunday 8 November 2020 - Songs of Hope

An online concert on the themes of hope and light, including works by William Harris, Hubert Parry, Philip Moore, Edward Elgar and Rani Arbo.

Tuesday 15 December 2020 - The Lark Ascending Centenary

Exultate Singers joined Bristol Ensemble and Bristol Beacon to recreate the concert that premiered one of the nation's favourite works at Shirehampton Public Hall, exactly 100 years ago.

Friday 18 December 2020 - Christmas Carols with Exultate Singers

Exultate Singers recorded an online concert of carols and readings, recorded at St George’s Bristol

Monday 21 December 2020 - Christmas concerts at St George's Bristol

Exultate Singers performed two hour-long Christmas concerts at St George's Bristol which were also live streamed for an online audience to watch at home

CHARITABLE OBJECTIVES

To advance, improve, develop and maintain public education in and appreciation of the art and science of choral music in all aspects by the presentation of public concerts and other events.
To give musicians in Bristol and the surrounding counties an opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills for the benefit of the community through performance.
To apply funds to other charitable organisations.

Exultate Singers seeks to attain its objectives as follows:

To advance, improve, develop and maintain public education in and appreciation of the art and science of choral music in all aspects by the presentation of public concerts and other events.

To this end, Exultate Singers provides informative and educational programme notes to every concert, and these are usually given away free of charge to audience members to ensure that they have a full account of the music that is being performed.

The information on our website also provides a good introduction to our concerts, providing an opportunity for prospective audience members to research the content before buying tickets.

In addition to this, especially in the more informal concerts, there is often a verbal introduction to the pieces performed to engage the audience by providing the historical and/or musical context of the piece. The information imparted comes from a variety of sources:

l the Conductor’s own knowledge and experience of the music built up over a life-long career in choral music;
l online research using resources such as Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians; Making Music; choirs.net; Boosey & Hawkes; the BBC website and other specific websites and resources specific to particular periods or events.

The repertoire covered is broad and balanced, including more challenging and lesser-known pieces along with more popular repertoire.

Exultate Singers concerts are frequently based upon a distinct theme, such as the anniversary of important historical events, to engage the interest of the audience and to link pieces together in an educational and informative way. There is also an attempt to contextualise the pieces in ways that are meaningful and relevant to audiences.

Across the 2019-2020 season Exultate Singers introduced several newly composed pieces of music in their concerts which introduced their audiences to a range of new and novel music. These pieces included the following:

l Exultate Deo by Roderick Williams (1st performance)
l Out in the dark by Richard Barnard (1st performance)
l Cradle Song by John Ashton Thomas (1st performance)
l This light of reason by Nicholas O’Neill (1st performance)
l Greek Love Songs Vol. 2 by Toby Young (1st performance)
l Lux aeterna by Ian Carpenter (1st performance)

To give musicians in Bristol and the surrounding counties an opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills for the benefit of the community through performance.

l Exultate Singers’ continues to represent musicians from Bristol and the surrounding counties, with current members from City of Bristol, Bath, Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Cornwall. Particular attention is paid to recruiting and training younger singers and they pay reduced choir subscription fees.
l During 2019–2020 Exultate Singers worked with local orchestras the Bristol Ensemble and the Exultate Chamber Orchestra.
l During 2019–2020 opportunities were given to several local composers including Richard Barnard, David Ogden and Ian Carpenter, who had several new works and arrangements premiered by Exultate Singers.
l Members of Exultate singers have been given opportunities to develop as solo performers on numerous occasions.
l Members of Exultate singers have been given opportunities to conduct small groups.
l Musical development opportunities have also been given to our own long-standing and outstanding accompanist and organist Richard Johnson.

To apply funds to other charitable organisations.

Exultate Singers continues to support local churches and other institutions, both in their use as concert venues and also by performing concerts to help with their fund-raising efforts as detailed below. Exultate Singers supports other musical charities such as orchestras by providing choral groups as necessary for their musical repertoire.

Date	Concert	Amount raised	BenefitingCharities
11 & 14 December 2019	Carols by Candlelight	£1396.22	St James Priory Registered Charity No. 1104408
11 & 14 December 2019	Carols by Candlelight	£1396.22	Bristol Samaritans Registered Charity No. 219432

Support of Local Venues

During the year ending 31 July 2020 Exultate Singers supported local churches and other institutions by hiring rehearsal space and/or holding concerts at the following venues:

l Redland Park United Reformed Church, Bristol (Registered Charity No.1131460)
l St George’s, Bristol (Registered Charity No. 295178)
l St James’ Priory, Bristol (Registered Charity No. 1104408)

Support of other local musical charities/groups/individuals

During the year ending 31 July 2020 Exultate Singers collaborated with the following musical groups:

l Bristol Ensemble (Registered Charity No: 1075201)
l Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra (Registered Charity No: 1173054)
l Renewal Choir
l Bristol Youth Choir
l St George’s Bristol: (Registered Charity No: 295178)
l Exultate Chamber Orchestra

Exultate Singers provides work for professional musicians by giving work to composers and soloists. For example:

l Toby Young composer
l Richard Barnard composer
l Roderick Williams composer
l Amy Dickson saxophone

Exultate Singers is grateful for the support offered by the Friends of the choir, both financial and in-kind.

Reserves Policy

Exultate Singers maintains general reserves of at least £4,000 to support the choir’s ongoing activities and provide a contingency fund in case of poor ticket sales or unexpected costs. This reserves policy was reviewed prior to the AGM held on 4 June 2014, and subsequently increased to the aforesaid amount. The Treasurer continues to keep this under review.

Transactions with the Trustees

During the year, one Trustee has been reimbursed three times for expenses incurred in carrying out activities for the charity. These reimbursements were:

£200.00 for mince pies for interval refreshments in Carols by Candlight concerts, December 2019. £190.00 for fruit punch for interval refreshments in Carols by Candlight concerts, December 2019.

£75.00 for gifts for concert hosts during the tour of Portugal, November 2019.

Review of Risk

The trustees have reviewed the risks to Exultate Singers and are satisfied that, by exercising constant vigilance by means of close scrutiny of the accounts appertaining to each concert, take steps to minimise them.

I declare, in my capacity of charity trustee, that the trustees have approved the report above; and have authorised me to sign it on their behalf.

Susan Green Chairman

Date: 12 May 2021

EXULTATE SINGERS ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2020

CHARITY NUMBER 1101751

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examniation is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

examine the accounts under section 145 of the Act;
follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners (under section 145(5)(b) of the Act); and
state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of independent examiner's statement

My examination was carried out in accordance with General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair' view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent examiner's statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention

(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements:
to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act;
to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met; or
(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Richard Bacon FCA

Date: 26 May 2021

8 Eastfield Bristol BS9 4BQ

EXULTATE SINGERS ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2020

RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

RECEIPTS Donations, legacies & other similar receipts Operating activities to further charity's objects Investment income receipts TOTAL RECEIPTS PAYMENTS Charitable activities Support costs TOTAL PAYMENTS NET OF RECEIPTS CASH FUNDS Cash funds b/f Cash funds c/f	2020 £ 15,137 44,492 19 59,648 46,751 7,195 53,946 5,702 12,389 18,091	2019 £ 16,426 61,452 15
		77,893
		69,440 6,826
		76,266

		1,627
		10,762
		12,389

All the receipts and payments relate to unrestricted funds as the charity has no restricted or designated funds.

EXULTATE SINGERS ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2020

STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES

ASSETS Cash funds Other monetary assets Assets retained for charity's own use TOTAL ASSETS LIABILITIES Sundry creditors Deposits held TOTAL LIABILITIES NET ASSETS/(LIABILITIES)	2020 £ 18,091 - 3,718 21,809 1,903 230 2,133 19,676	2019 £ 12,389 1,683 4,100
		18,172
		1,276 225
		1,501

		16,671

All the assets and liabilities relate to unrestricted funds as the charity has no restricted or designated funds.

Ian Carpenter Treasurer

Date: 26 May 2021