London Firebird Orchestra
Company Registration No. 8392959 Registered Charity Number: 1151014
Report of Activities for the year ending 28 February 2021
At the start of the period the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis began to unfold. The orchestra was due to perform at Kings Place in March 2020 at a concert which had to be cancelled at short notice, in view of UK government restrictions. In spite of a lack of concert income, fortunately, sufficient reserves made it possible to offer cancellation payments to all performing artists involved with this production. The first lockdown period concluded in summer 2020. By the early autumn it seemed possible for concerts to be organised again but with safety measures in place – the precise details of which evolved over time and were subject to change without notice. An initial concert planned for September 2020 had to be cancelled at very short notice, whilst regulations were clarified and safety measures fine-tuned. Once again the orchestra made cancellation payments to all the performers. These payments, like those of earlier in the year, seemed particularly important at a time of great challenge for those in the performing arts.
Happily two further concerts took place successfully in the autumn of 2020 – one each in October and November. The first was enjoyed by a socially-distanced audience with a heavily reduced maximum capacity. By the time of the second, live audiences were no longer permissible so the concert was filmed for subsequent broadcast instead. In fact, all performances that have taken place during the pandemic have been filmed and released online so that those who could not attend in person could enjoy them at home. These recordings have also been made available to the musicians involved to enable them to showcase their work. By Christmastime the UK went into a long period of lockdown once again and it was not until May 2021 that the orchestra could start to play again, so this concludes the performing activities of the period.
Naturally the heavy reduction in concert activity and audience capacity led to a substantial fall in concert income. Nevertheless payments to performing artists remained at their usual percentage – around 50% of expenditure. A further fall is seen in Voluntary Income. This is partly due to there being two sponsored concerts in the previous period – a concert at St George’s Hanover Square, which unusually attracted direct sponsorship, and a Firebird for Schools Concert which was heavily subsidised by two large donations. None of the various sponsorship contributions continued into the current period, as no productions were produced in their various categories. In addition, a small proportion of the orchestra’s Friends & Benefactors Society were unable to maintain their support at the usual level, while the majority continued their support.
Income from engagement fees fell slightly. A largescale concert at Middlesex University, planned for March 2020, was cancelled. However the university supported the orchestra by making cancellations payments, again to help artists at a difficult time.
Notwithstanding these considerable challenges, the year concluded with a reserve only marginally reduced.
November 2021
David Baty (Chairman) , Marc Corbett-Weaver (Artistic Director) , Michael Manning Clark, Roderick Graham, Philip Rowley Trustees of London Firebird Orchestra
For further information about London Firebird Orchestra please visit: www.LondonFirebird.com
London Firebird Orchestra
Company Registration No. 8392959 Registered Charity Number: 1151014
Financial Statements for the year ending 28 February 2021
Notes
Year to 28 Feb ’21 Year to 29 Feb ‘20
| Income 1 Concert income 2 Engagement fees 3 Voluntary income 4 Gift Aid Total Income Expenses 5 Payments to performing artists 6 Concert expenses 7 Recordings 8 Promotion 9 Insurance 10 Bank charges Total Expenses Surplus/Deficit for the year |
£ 2,485 5,373 27,196 - 35,054 18,190 13,141 1,045 1,955 1,137 98 35,566 (512) |
£ 14,674 6,078 39,891 5,726 66,369 39,228 20,714 960 2,265 362 159 63,688 2,681 |
|---|---|---|
Notes
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1 Ticket sales and other income generated by the orchestra’s own productions.
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2 Fees paid by external promoters in respect of the orchestra’s performances.
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3 Gifts donated by private individuals to support the orchestra’s work.
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6 Venue hire, hire of percussion equipment and other musical instruments, hire or purchase of sheet music, catering and ancillary expenses, management and production costs
London Firebird Orchestra
Company Registration No. 8392959 Registered Charity Number: 1151014
Balance Sheet as at 28 February 2021
| ASSETS Fixed Assets Current assets Cash at bank and in hand Total current assets Current liabilities Total current liabilities Net Assets CAPITAL & RESERVES Reserves brought forward Surplus for year TOTAL RESERVES |
Year to 28 Feb ’21 £ 0 27,608 27,608 0 0 27,608 28,120 (512) 27,608 |
Year to 29 Feb ’20 £ 0 28,120 28,120 0 0 28,120 25,439 2,681 28,120 |
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