A L A M I R E
Concerts, commercial recordings & workshops Soundtracks for films & documentaries Sound installations for museums & art galleries Music consultation
ANNUAL REPORT 2021-22
Charity: ALAMIRE
Registration number: 1131843 Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge CB2 3HU Trustees: Mr Richard Humphreys (Chairman), Dr Edward Wilson-Lee (secretary). Treasurer: Stephen Sherman
STRUCTURE
Alamire Charitable Trust is currently structured with three Trustees (one acting as secretary) who monitor and advise the use of funds for projects undertaken by the professional chamber choir ‘Alamire’, under the artistic direction of Dr David Skinner.
ACTIVITIES & OBJECTIVES
One of the leading vocal consorts in the UK, Alamire has an enviable line-up of some of the finest consort singers under the directorship of Dr David Skinner. The ensemble has enjoyed unanimous critical acclaim for their recordings on the Obsidian label, including a Gramophone Award (and several nominations), Limelight Choral & Song CD of the Year (Australia), and a BBC Music Award nomination (Choral Category). Alamire’s activities include concerts, educational work, radio and television documentaries, and commercial recordings.
A note from one of our Patrons, Dr Christopher Page (founder & director of Gothic Voices): “The rapid success of Alamire is largely owing to the complete artistic freedom and autonomy enjoyed by Dr Skinner and the singers in having their own dedicated label, Obsidian (and now Inventa) Records. Dr Skinner, too, as one of the world’s leading scholars of medieval and renaissance music, has supplied programme ideas to virtually all of the leading early music ensembles, including the Tallis Scholars, Sixteen, Hilliard Ensemble, and The Cardinall’s Musick (as co-founder and joint artistic director for the first 15 years of the group’s history). He has now dedicated himself entirely to his own ensemble, Alamire, and is about to embark on one of the most important recording projects in recent decades: an Anthology of English Music from c .1400 to the Commonwealth, which will amount to some 30 volumes and involve some of the UK’s leading early instrumentalists, including Andrew Lawrence-King on gothic harp and the world-renowned viol consort Fretwork.”
The Alamire Charitable Trust continues to seek funding for a 15-year project of recordings and concerts, tied in not only with the Anthology series, but special projects that the ensemble is keen to explore.
ACHIEVEMENTS & PERFORMANCE
This is the first year coming out of the Pandemic properly, and while there were still relatively few concerts and projects we managed to commission (through our principal patron) a new choral and organ work by American composer Nico Muhly and poet Charles Anthony Silvestri to celebrate the return of music from silence. ‘De profundis’ was published in 2021 with a premiere performance in Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, later that spring with soloists from Alamire and supported by
ALAMÍRE Charitable Trust
the Choir of Sidney Sussex College. In 2022 we completed our Byrd 1589 project, which, with the 1588 project of the pervious year, amounted to two double-CDs with 69 works (30 of which were new to the recording catalogue). Later in the summer Alamire also headlined our Heironymus Praetorius programme at the Regensburg Early Music Festival, as well as ‘Lamentatio’ in the InCantu Festival in Krakow. Both Byrd CDs were Gramophone Editor’s Choice, and received critical acclaim in a good number of media reviews.
PUBLIC BENEFIT
All of our activities have helped increase public awareness of the history of English musical culture (a very rare and precious tradition that is as old as this nation’s great cathedrals). Dr Skinner and the ensemble have also brought to the public some of less well known music from the 15th and 16th centuries, which is now available on CD recordings, film, and publications.
INCOME FOR PROJECTS
In 2021 our principal donor agreed to support our next project: William Byrd’s Songs of Sundry Natures (London, 1589). No project is started until full funding for it has already been secured.
| Alamire | Alamire | Alamire | Alamire | Alamire | 1131843 | 1131843 | CC16a | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts andpayments accounts | |||||||||
| For the period from |
9/1/21 | To | 8/31/22 | ||||||
| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | Endowment funds |
Total funds | Last year | |||||
| to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | |||||
| A1 Receipts | |||||||||
| Donations | - 0 | - | - | - | 40,000 | ||||
| Gift Aid | - 0 | - | - | - | 10,000 | ||||
| Concert Income | 22,584 | - | - | 22,584 | - | ||||
| Other | 2,317 | - | - | 2,317 | 361 | ||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Sub total_(Gross income for AR) _ | 24,901 |
- | - | 24,901 | 50,361 | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
|||||||||
| - 0 | - 0 | - 0 | - | ||||||
| - 0 | - 0 | - 0 | - | - 0 | |||||
| Sub total | - 0 |
- 0 | - 0 | - | - 0 | ||||
| **Total receipts ** | 24,901 |
- 0 | - 0 | 24,901 | 50,361 | ||||
| A3 Payments | |||||||||
| Bank charges | 100 | - | - | 100 | 78 | ||||
| Travel + subsistence | 19,636 | - | - | 19,636 | 4,462 | ||||
| Artists fees | 39,572 | - | - | 39,572 | 23,664 | ||||
| Recording fees | - 0 | - | - | - | 3,480 | ||||
| Venue hire + office expenses | 2,990 | - | - | 2,990 | 3,628 | ||||
| Directors fees & Research | 6,600 | - | - | 6,600 | 10,000 | ||||
| Music & Books | 51 | - | - | 51 | 1,306 | ||||
| CD purchases | - 0 | - | - | - | 360 | ||||
| PR + advertising | 1,566 | - | - | 1,566 | 1,128 | ||||
| **Sub total ** | 70,515 |
- | - | 70,515 | 48,106 | ||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
|||||||||
| - 0 | - 0 | - 0 | - | ||||||
| - 0 | - 0 | - 0 | - | ||||||
| **Sub total ** | - 0 |
- 0 | - 0 | - | - 0 | ||||
| **Total payments ** | 70,515 |
- 0 | - 0 | 70,515 | 48,106 | ||||
| **Net of receipts/(payments) ** | - 45,614 |
- | - | - 45,614 |
2,255 | ||||
| A5 Transfers between funds | - 0 | - | - | - | - | ||||
| A6 Cash funds last year end | 51,450 | - | - | 51,450 | 49,195 | ||||
| **Cash funds this year end ** | 5,836 |
- | - | 5,836 | 51,450 | ||||
| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | |||||||||
| Categories | Details | Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | Endowment funds |
|||||
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | |||||||
| B1 Cash funds | 5,836 | - | - | ||||||
| - | - | - |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
18/07/2023
1
| - | - | - | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total cash funds | 5,836 | - | - | ||||||
| (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
OK | OK | |||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | Endowment funds |
|||||||
| Details | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | ||||||
| B2 Other monetary assets | - | - | - | ||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | Current value (optional) |
||||||
| B3 Investment assets | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | Current value (optional) |
||||||
| B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
- | - | |||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| Details | Fund to which liability relates |
Amount due (optional) |
When due (optional) |
||||||
| B5 Liabilities | - | ||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
Signature | Print Name | Date of approval | ||||||
| Richard Humphreys | 18/07/2023 | ||||||||
| Edward Wilson-Lee | 18/07/2023 |
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
18/07/2023
2
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ Charity Name members of Alamire On accounts for the year 31/08/2022 Charity no 1131843 ended (if any) Set out on pages 1-2
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/08/2022 As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of Responsibilities and the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 basis of report (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
-
accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
-
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
- Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
Date: 18/07/2023
Signed: Name: Stephen Sherman
Relevant professional Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales qualification(s) or body (if any):
1
October 2018
IER
Address: 9 Ebner Street London SW18 1BT
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
N/A
2
October 2018
IER
IER October 2018