TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS for the year ended 31 August 2025
Corinthian Chamber Orchestra is a charity registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales, number 1125478. Registered address: 43 Netherford Road | London SW4 6AF
2 January 2026
The Trustees have pleasure in presenting the Report and Accounts of Corinthian Chamber Orchestra for the year ended 31 August 2025.
REPORT FOR FINANCIAL YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025
Structure, Governance and Management
Corinthian Chamber Orchestra (the “Orchestra” or “CCO”) is an unincorporated association formed under that name comprising its members and governed by a board of trustees (the “Trustees” or together, the “Committee”).
Membership
Membership is open to any person over the age of eighteen who is a player in the Orchestra who has played for not less than ten consecutive concerts and who demonstrates an interest in furthering the objectives of the Orchestra. Other non-players are also eligible for membership if they too demonstrate an interest in furthering the objectives of the Orchestra.
Members are entitled to vote at general meetings of the Orchestra which are generally held once a year (annual general meeting) at which the accounts for the previous financial year will be presented to members for approval and the Trustees will be considered for re-election (or new Trustees considered for appointment). A special meeting (extraordinary general meeting) might be called, for example, if amendments are required to be made to the constitution.
Officers and Trustees
The Trustees are currently Hywel Jones (also Chairman), Kevin Mead (also Treasurer), Suzanne Doyle (also Secretary), Nick Ridley, Claire Moisson, Andy Feist and Cathy McGinn.
No trustee is paid or receives any other benefit for being a trustee.
The Trustees meet regularly as the Committee. The Committee is entrusted with the day-to-day management and financial affairs of the Orchestra.
Day-to-day management
The Committee’s principal functions include:
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setting the programmes for each Season (including conductors and soloists);
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concert management (marketing and publicity, fixing players, conductor and soloist liaison, ticket sales etc.) not delegated to CCO Productions Limited (see below);
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fundraising;
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financial management (preparing annual and per concert budgets and financial statements, and annual reports and accounts);
Corinthian Chamber Orchestra is a charity registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales, number 1125478. Registered address: 43 Netherford Road | London SW4 6AF
- Charity Commission compliance (including annual charity commission returns).
The Committee delegates many of the organisational matters to particular Trustees and other interested players and supporters.
Charitable status
Corinthian Chamber Orchestra is a charity registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales, number 1125478. Registered address: 43 Netherford Road | London SW4 6AF.
CCO Productions Limited
CCO delegated the production of its concerts for the 2024-2025 season to CCO Productions Limited (registered number 13775981), a company wholly owned by the Orchestra. Pursuant to a production agreement, and in exchange for a production fee, the company was responsible for putting on the concerts from the start of the production process to the finish, including negotiating and entering into all concert production contracts (venue hire, music hire, conductor and soloist contracts etc.). CCO retained all receipts from ticket sales or of any other nature for the concerts.
Objectives and Aims
The Orchestra’s objectives are to promote, improve, develop and maintain public education in and the appreciation of the art and science of music in general by the presentation of public concerts and recitals. In addition, the Orchestra has the following aims:
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to assist players to improve their musical skills in an orchestral environment;
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to rehearse for, and perform, at least six public concerts each concert season of the Charity commencing in September in any year and ending in June in the following year;
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to achieve the highest standard of performance achievable for an amateur orchestra; and
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to provide a platform for young soloists embarking on professional careers to gain experience in concerto performance.
In exercising their powers and duties pursuing these objectives, the Trustees have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission.
Activities and Achievements during 2024-2025
The first concert of our season, in our regular home, St James’ Piccadilly opened with conductor Michael Seal and rising star violinist Charlie Lovell-Jones. In a programme that included Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8, Charlie gave a stunning rendition of the Brahms’ Concerto and was immediately reinvited back to perform with CCO next season.
In November we made our annual pilgrimage to St John’s, Smith Square [rebranded as Sinfonia Smith Square], performing an all-Russian programme with conductor Leonard Elschenbroich and cellist Bartholomew LaFollette who gave an emphatic rendition of Khachaturian’s rarely performed
Corinthian Chamber Orchestra is a charity registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales, number 1125478. Registered address: 43 Netherford Road | London SW4 6AF
Cello Concerto with the orchestra performing Rachmaninov’s brilliant Symphonic Dances in the second half. The concert was filmed and has been receiving great coverage online.
Leonard Elschenbroich was back in the New Year in a classical-size programme, the perfect tonic after the richness of our previous concert, with not one, but two soloists: international violist Hannah Strijbos and star clarinettist Michael Collins. The programme featured Britten’s beautiful Lachrymae and Mozart’s famous Clarinet Concerto [expertly performed by Michael Collins on a basset clarinet], concluding with Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter.” This concert was performed in a new venue [due to St James’ Piccadilly being closed for refurbishment], St Peter’s Notting Hill, which our loyal audience followed us to, and were invited to relaxed drinks in the church postconcert – a feature we cannot offer in our more regular venues.
Leonard gave his final concert of the season in March, in a second performance at Sinfonia Smith Square – with a popular programme of Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d'un faune, Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G with the incredible Ukrainian-British pianist Alexei Grynyuk, returning to CCO for the third time, and finishing with Dvořák’s triumphant Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World.”
In May, we returned to St James’s after its refurb, for a programme of Berlioz, Shostakovich and Sibelius – there was something for everyone on the menu! Michael Seal conducted the concert and international French star cellist Bruno Philippe made his CCO debut in Shostakovich’s incredible Cello Concerto to great acclaim. The concert was also given in conjunction with the Samaritans as part of CCO’s annual charity link-up.
We finished our season with a return to the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in a gargantuan programme, conducted by Michael Seal, of Respighi’s Fountains of Rome, Gershwin’s Piano Concerto [with Khrystyna Mykhailichenko who performed with us in the 2023-2024 season], Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem and Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier Suite. This was no mean feat, but the concert was a wonderful success and a brilliant way to finish another special season..
Corinthian Chamber Orchestra is a charity registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales, number 1125478. Registered address: 43 Netherford Road | London SW4 6AF
Summary Financial Review of 2024-2025
The accounts for Corinthian Chamber Orchestra are prepared on a cash basis and will be found on the next page.
A more useful analysis is the table immediately below, which shows how the Orchestra fared in the 2024-2025 concert season (“Performance Year”), consolidating monies relating to these concerts which were either paid or received outside of the financial year.
----- Start of picture text -----
Income excluding OTR
Subs &
PERFORMANCE YEAR
2024-25 Ticket donations Total Expenditure Surplus
sales (including income (Deficit)
gift aid)
Oct-24 SJP Hydn Brahms Beet8 1,526 2,723 4,249 4,859 -610
Nov-24 SJSS Bordn Khaach Rach 5,493 4,482 9,975 10,631 -656
Jan-25 St Peter's (was SJP) Brittn Moz Cl Moz41 1,870 2,573 4,443 5,132 -689
Mar-25 SJSS (was SJP) Debssy Ravel Dv9 4,562 3,736 8,298 10,197 -1,899
May-25 SJP Berl Shost Vc Sib2 2,943 3,198 6,140 6,726 -585
Jun-25 QEH Resp Gersh Brittn Strss 12,794 4,698 17,492 18,341 -850
Total for 2024-25 Concerts 29,187 21,410 50,597 55,885 -5,289
Other costs net of misc income/interest 954 1,055 -100
Donation to The Samaritans 1,000 -1,000
Overall Surplus/Deficit 51,551 57,940 -6,389
----- End of picture text -----
This shows a deficit of £6,389 on the concert year, which is a very good result given the expensive programmes performed and has come about by the very good audience numbers throughout the year.
Following a very successful concert given in aid of The Samaritans in May 2025, the Trustees agreed a donation of £1,000 to their funds.
These figures do not include anticipated income arising from the new Government scheme of Orchestra Tax Relief (“OTR”). Our OTR claim for 2024-25 will be in the order of £14,000 and will be received next year (2025-26). We can therefore say that overall, the 2024-25 Performance Year showed a surplus of around £7,500.
The rate at which OTR is paid was reduced by 10% from April 2025 (after an enhanced rate during covid) but OTR will continue to be a valuable source of future income for the orchestra.
With the favourable result this year, the orchestra’s reserve has been boosted and stands at £52,000 at the year end
Corinthian Chamber Orchestra is a charity registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales, number 1125478. Registered address: 43 Netherford Road | London SW4 6AF
ACCOUNTS FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025
| Receipts and payments 2024-25 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| (NOTE: Accountspresented on a cash basis) | This year | Lastyear | |
| to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | ||
| Receipts | |||
| Concert ticket sales | £29,187 | £33,734 | NOTE 1 |
| Player contributions (Incl £120 subs for next year)) | £17,945 | £14,860 | |
| Orchestra Tax relief net of admin costs (arising from the previous year) | £14,238 | £10,469 | |
| Other contributions (Donations, etc) | £170 | £785 | |
| Gift aid reclaimed | £3,415 | £2,957 | |
| Bank interest (Charity Bank) | £ 954.37 | £619 |
|
| Total receipts | £65,909 | £63,424 | |
| Payments | |||
| Funding to CCOPL for deposit for next year | £4,000 | £3,860 | NOTE 2 |
| Funding provided to CCOPL October 24 - SJP | £4,859 | £5,392 | |
| Funding provided to CCOPL Nov 24 - SJSS (Add'l £3,000 funded last year) | £7,631 | £11,116 | |
| Funding provided to CCOPL January 2025 - StPeters | £5,132 | £4,680 | |
| Funding provided to CCOPL March 2025 - SJSS | £10,197 | £5,844 | |
| Funding provided to CCOPLMay 2025 - SJP | £6,725 | £18,079 | |
| Funding provided to CCOPL June 2025 - QEH | £18,341 | £5,584 | |
| Net Funding for CCO Productions Ltd in the year | £56,885 | £54,554 | NOTE 3 |
| Other costs (Incl membership of Making Music and Insurance) | £2,055 | £1,134 | NOTE 4 |
| Totalpayments | £58,940 | £55,688 | |
| Net of receipts/(payments) | £6,969 | £7,736 | |
| Cash funds lastyear end | £44,974 | £37,238 | |
| Cash funds thisyear end | £51,943 | £44,974 | |
| Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of theperiod | |||
| This year | Thisyear | ||
| to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | ||
| Cash Funds | |||
| Current Account | £19,562 | £13,547 | |
| Savings Account | £ 32,381.52 | £31,427 |
|
| £0 | £0 | ||
| Total Cash Funds | £51,943 | £44,974 | |
| Other monetaryassets | |||
| Pre-payment: Deposit paid for future concert | £4,000 | £3,000 | |
| Total Other Monetary Assets | £4,000 | £3,000 | |
| Investment Assets | |||
| None | £0 | £0 | |
| Total Investment Assets | £0 | £0 | |
| Assets retained for the charity's own use | |||
| Sheet music, music stands, Accoustic screens | £0 | £0 | |
| Total Assets retained for the charity's own use | £0 | £0 | |
| Liabilities | |||
| Borrowings | £0 | £0 | |
| Unpaid concert expenses as at 31 August 2023 | £0 | £0 | |
| Total Liabilities | £0 | £0 |
Corinthian Chamber Orchestra is a charity registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales, number 1125478. Registered address: 43 Netherford Road | London SW4 6AF
Notes to the Accounts
NOTE 1: Last year's ticket sales included £4.550 ticket sales from the previous year NOTE 2: £4,000 deposit paid for SJSS concert in Oct 2025 NOTE 3: Since February 2021 all our concerts are produced by CCO Productions Ltd on behalf of CCO. Funding for these concerts was provided by CCO to CCOPL under a Production Agreement which allows Orchestra Tax Relief to be claimed from HMRC. OTR for this year will be recived during the course of next year and is expected to be in the region of £14,000 net of fees and expenses. NOTE 4: Includes a donation of £1,000 to The Samaritans following the May 2025 concert which was given in their support.
Reserves Statement
The Trustees have reviewed the level of reserves held and consider that the current reserves (approximately equal to approximately 90 – 100% of a typical Performance Year’s expenditure) to be appropriate to facilitate cash flow, to allow special projects to be considered and to provide a cushion against unexpected costs and events beyond our control.
On behalf of the Trustees
D Hywel Jones Chairman
------------------------------------------------- Kevin Mead Treasurer
Corinthian Chamber Orchestra is a charity registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales, number 1125478. Registered address: 43 Netherford Road | London SW4 6AF
Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of the Corinthian Chamber Orchestra
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Corinthian Chamber Orchestra (the Orchestra) for the year ended 31 August 2025.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Orchestra, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under s. 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under s. 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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the accounts do not accord with those records.
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.
Keith Walton MA SW18 5QR 8 December 2025
Corinthian Chamber Orchestra is a charity registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales, number 1125478. Registered address: 43 Netherford Road | London SW4 6AF