The Fourth Choir Trustees Annual Report And Accounts For The YeAr Ended 31 August 2023 Charity f4umber J 156769 The Fourth Chotr Trustees. Annual Report For The Year Ended 31 August 2023 Ch9ir Report This report wvrrs our elev¢llth y￿r as a choir and our lenth full reportinB period a5 a charity. The choir continued to build on our momenhjn) gained in the previous year in building back to full ¢apa¢ity at our pre- pandetnic lev¢I5. Thi5 wa5 borne out in an increased number of appearances rhrough professional booking5 in additiott to our own promoted concerts, with a total of ten appearances this season in cojnparison to four 2021-22, allowing us to share our usic and Jni5sion with a wider audience and range of partneis. While we continued to work with a range of leading conductors throughout the year, the choir also look ihe slrntegic step of appointiiig a Musi¢31 Direcior w provide I0￿ger terni leadersliip and driv¢ the choir's artisiir dev¢lopni¢nt. The Trustees nia(Je the decision lo appoint Jamie Powe after working witli him oft Ihree highly successful ¢on¢erts and appearances aiid noting his passion for, knowledge of and cornimiliiient to bringing Inusic by und¢rrepT¢5ent¢d ¢ompo5ers to the fore, as well a5 his outstanding musicality and his resolute allyshtp to the LGBTQ+ community. The start of IRinie's tenure as Musical Director is September 202i where he will programine and conduct a concert to mark the choir'% 10-year anniversary. The season also saw the choir increase our reach and impact through a number of high-PFofile projects and perforniances oiitside London. We were lioi)oured to participate iii the Royal British Legion'5 Festival of Rernetnbrancc, where ive salig a setting of Tlie Lord's Pi?y¢r, Ivhi¢h was televised oil BBC) and broadcast on BBC Radio 2. In July we look part in the Barbican's Classical Pride concert, perfOr1￿]ng for tlie firsi tift)e in the Barbi¢an Hall, and featuring in a perfomiènce that was widely shar¢d on socÈal tn¢dia. including HBO'S Youtube channel. We also capped the Se￿on with our first p¢rforniance at Snape Maltings Concert Hall, allowin¥ us to r¢ach an audien¢¢ of classical music lover5 outside Londoll and share our unique pro8ramiiJing and perspective. Diversily and inclusion hns continued to be a priorlty in both our Inusical programming and management of the ¢hoir. We arranged a half-day woi'kshop run by leadÈng charity GendeTed Intelligence to provide iraining on trans awareness and inclusion f(Ir our Musical Director, twst¢e group ond s¢ction leaders irt April. We have also continued to show¢3se works by underrepresented compos¢rs in all ovr coiieerts and engageinen(s, bringing awareness of music that is infrequently programined by otljer clioirs. It) Julyj tts Inark London'$ Pi"ide feslival, we were also particularly proiid to sing a ¢on¢ert of works entirely by queer ¢omposers at London's i¢oni¢ Wiginore H811. Looking ahead to our next sta￿0n. the Truslee5 are excited to begiii our journey wilh Jaini¢ Pow¢ at tlie helm as OUT Rew Musical Director, a season in which we plan to invest two new Choral ¢ommissions atsd undertake a significant Tecording project in order to continue widenin8 our reach. EdwaTd Lotlg Cha&r. Th¢ Fourth Choir The Fourth Choir Trusttes, Annual Report For Tlie Year Ended 31 August 2023 (Continued) Objects 9nd Orggnisatlon Th¢ objects of tlie Charitable In¢oiy)rated Organisation are.. The education of the public in the art of choral Jnusic through the presentation of concerts. public recitals 8nd other such means as the Trustees shall decide: and 2. To PFomote equality and diversity for the public benefjt with particular reference lo the LGB T+ communtty and, in particular but not exclusively. Advancin8 education and raising awareness in equality and diversity. Promoting activities to foster undersiandiiig beiween people from div¢TS¢ background5.' and Cultivating a sentiment in favour of equality and diversity, in particular through celebrllting diversity of the LGBT+ Community. Value5 The choir continues to be lcd by our agreed ¢or¢ values in planning and managiTrg our activities, namely.. W¢ aTe proud t() be a choir of LGBT+ singers and alli¢s We are p35sionate about musical ex¢ellen¢e, aboui improving our skills and having fun W¢ nurture an in¢lusiv¢ Space and c¢l¢brate dIVe￿ity We are Creative, collaborative and ambitious We are a supportive, big-hcarted and welcoming commuttity Athievements And Performgnce We are delighted and proud of the choir's achievements in t112s. oiir eleventh year. These achievements in¢lud¢- Appointing JaThi¢ Powe as our nEW Mu5iral DirertOT Iiicreasiiig the number of performances within th¢ season to eight, thanks to increased external bookings and invites perform￿￿8 for the first tiine ai SJiap¢ Maltings Concert Hall, tlie Royal Albert Hall, Barbican Hall, the Wigmore Hall and Eliham Palace, Singing at a hsgh-profile televised eveiit for tlie Royal British Lcgioii's Festival of Remembran¢¢ Holding our m¢inber5' residetltial event in Kent for the first tim¢ sin¢e th¢ paiidemi¢ Performance5 Events lili Ghronological order) From GreAt King$ to tla¢ Great Ggtsby- October 2022 Our first C4)ncert of the sea50n. at the histOTiC ElihaTn Pala¢e, celebrated the long history of thc vcnue, with works from and inspired by boih the Tudor period and the jazz age. We were thrilled to be conducted for a second time by Hillary Campbell and io work with two leading professional mu5ician5. lan Shaw provi(fed piano accompaniment a rarity for the choir- for several piece5 includillg the luxuriant Ser¢nade to Music by Vau8han WilliaIKs and we welconied back lutenist JonataTh Bougt. who played the th¢orbo and 8Ultar. Actor Jam¢s Tucker interspersed the musical rtumbers with readings on the his¢ory of the palace and exceTPts from The Great Gatsby. Th¢ Fourth Choir Trusteu, Annufll Report For The Ve&r Ended 31 August 2023 (Contlnu¢d) Royal British LegioD Festival of Reniembi'an¢e- November 2022 A highlight of the season and an honour- was our invitation to perfom in the Royal Brilish Legion Festival of Reniernbrance at the Royal Albert Hall, ¢ommemoratii)g all those that have served and sacrificed from Britain and (he Commonwealth. The Choir was ¢ondu¢ted by Jamie Powe and sang a setting of The Lord's Prayer by Williain Petter foT Ihe Service of Reinetnbrance. We 31s0 joined actress Sl)oiia McGarty in a rendilion of Leonard Cohen'5 Hallclujah and sang the hyrnn5 Jerusalein and Sunset (based on the tradititsnal bugle Call) with the Ba¢h Choir and con8regation. Philippa Rawlinson. Director of Remernbrance at the Royal British Legion ¢omn)eEJted= Foi. iiieyoiiv singing ofihe Lord s Pi'ayei. Ivasperfeci foi. Ilie niomenl andiook beaiiiifiilly 0￿fI.0￿? iheprajyrs io ihepoeni. Music for a Winter's Night- D¢cemb¢r 2022 In De¢¢mbeT we returned to St CIEm¢nt Danes church for an eclectic celebrdtion of the wiiiter seasoj a¢TOSS difftrent times, cultures and tradition5, a82in programmed and conducted by Jatnie Powe. Then)es of miraculous birth were explored. from early work5 by underTepresented Composers includ2ng Viceftte Lusitano the first black composer published in Europe, and the recently redi5eovered legacy of women comw)sers who worked in Renaissa]i¢e lialian convents. These were paired with more modern works by Nathalliel tktt, Cecilia McDowall and ShFuihi Rajeskar's shiminering Star of Rohini, which draws parallels between th¢ mythologies surrounding the bi11hs of thc infant Jesus and Krislina. In the second half of the wncert the choir sang traditional and T¢irnagined ¢arols and seasonal work5 in Sw¢di5h, Spanish, Hebrew and German as well as Jonatl)aii Dove's dr%unalic work Tl)¢ Three Kings. We invited Aderonke Apata. the founder of African Rainboii, Family. to give an address and took a fundraising colleciion frorn ihe audience to support theii. WOFk wilh LGB TlQ+ migrdnts. A Christmas Ggiety- December 2022 In December we wer¢ also delightcd to perforn) at the Royal Albert Hall for the Se￿nd time in two months. in their variety show A Christmas Gaiety. produced by conducror Edwin OuEW2ter and drag perfomer Pea¢h¢s Christ. The choLT was prnud to perform alongside the BBC Concert Orchestra, or8ani51 Anna Lapw0￿. West End star Marisha Wallace. vogue ensemble the House of Revlon and drag anists Le Gateau Chocolat, Cheddar Gorgeous and Pixie Polite. ROYAI Acgd¢my of Music Cliorgl Conducting MASterelass - JAnuary 2023 We weie invited to sing as part of a masteTclass for the cohon of choral coiiducting Ma5teT5 Students al th¢ Royal Academy of MusiG, lcd by Paddy Ru55ill. The Choir wa5 led by sitsdents from the first aiid second year of th¢ progrnmme, with coachEng froni Paddy and Hilary Campbell. The Only PIAnet- April 2023 For our first concert of 2023, we were eleted to Teturn to the Sam Wana¥naker Ployhou5¢ at Shakespearc's Globe.. a space w¢ last perform¢d at pr¢-pand¢mic in 2019 and whi¢h we liave developed a stTong relationship with. The Fourth Choir Trustee5' AnnuAI Report For The year Ended 31 August 2023 {Continued) The choir was conducled by Dusty Francis, one of our own singers, who pui together a program examining our environinental responsibilities a5 Steiv2rds of our planet strtjctured atound the folk song In the Cool of the Day, by Jean Ritchie. Many of the ivorks were Amgri¢an. drawn both froin early hymnal tradition and 20th century works 5u¢h as Samuel Barber, Th¢ Coolin. Particularly 11012ble ivorks for tlie ¢hoir were a P¢Tformance of Fiiinisli coniposer J2akko MantyjaTVi'5 rnasterpi￿ Canticuin Calamttatis Maritimae a 13 minute work lamettiing the ￿gi¢ sinking of lh¢ MS Estonia - and Cooper Baldiviii's dramatic Libera Me, which combines texts from the Requiem mass and the 2022 IPCC report to demand action to address th¢ Climate OneBodyOlleF%tith Memorial Serviee- April 2023 The Charity OneBodyOneFaith held a memori¢il seivi¢e raising awareness among church leader5 to 1055 of lif¢ to suicide and lh¢ wider ¢xperien¢e of harm experienced by LGBT+ people, following exclusion frolli and misiT¢atmenl in church eiivirooinents. The Fourth Choir was honoured to participate in the seivice, which included representatives from ten different Chrisiian deJiomii)ations. where we sang Fallre's In Paradisum &5 well as works by Stephen Patilus and William Hawl¢y. Ken¢h Hill m¢mbers' r¢$tdential- May 2023 We were particul&rly thankful to be able to liold our first Inember5' residential weekend in Kent since the pandemic. These events are an opportunity for the choii to develop our wider musicality. focus more deeply on our mugic and build social bonds among OUT singeTS. Ill addition lo the work on repertoire. hi8hlight5 of the weekend were a conducting mastercl&ss delivered by MD Jamie Pow¢ and a vocal technique workshop with baritone Bertie Rice. [￿Ve. Loss & the Whol¢ D&mn Thing- June 202J In June we were pleased lo iiiake OUT debiit in Loiidoii'5 Icading classical niiisic veniie tlie Wigmore Hall in an LGBTQ+ Pride concert. Woi'king with conductor Nicho12s Chalmer5. we preparcd a PTogramme ¢elebTating works by queer coinp05ers from a wide range of backgrounds. Particular highlights were £4 boy & a boy by Stuart Beatch, ollr former composer in resideiice. Jennifer Higdon's comedic and Thythmically Ghalleoging Tglegrum and William Linthi¢um-Bla¢khotse's A Dieam Wiihin a Dieam. We were especially grateful to have the concert presented by BBC Radio 3 presentei Pet￿¢ Trelawny and to featUTe an introduction and sppxial p¢rforman¢¢ from the ¢hoiT'S Artistic Patron, Darne Ann mu￿aY. Cli$$ieAI Pride at The BarbicaN Hall- July 2023 Another highlight of Lojidon's Pride celebrations was Classical Pride a concert d¢vised by condu¢tor Oliver Zeffman and held at BaTbican Hall. This wa5 the first European cl8S5ical pride concert with a tnajor orchestra and the Fourth Choir was proud to participate the cliorus, whiclj also included siiiger5 from oilier qu¢er choirs around London, including Ilie London Tran5 Choir. The fourth Choir Trusttts. Annugl Report For The Year Ended 31 August 2023 (Continued) Our first time performtng in the Barbican Hall. we saiig in a newly cornilli55i0ned work, FLhoes, by Julian Anderson with b2ritone soloist Davone Tines and the City of Binninghain Syinphony OT¢lies¢ra. Th¢ concert also starred a¢¢laimed musicians Pavel Kolesnikov. Samson Tsoy. Nicky Spence. and Ella Taylor 8nd raised money for three LGBTQ+ charili¢5-. Terrence Higgins Trusi, Amplifund and Rainbow Railroad. The Times wrote.. t7lie AF7dei'50P7J ILlaS F'apliirously sung by the LGBTQ4. Comthi¥rtiiy Choir assembledfor the oecasion. The ¢l)oir also sang itl an encore nurnber with Ella Taylor, perfoming th¢ theme fiDtn HBO'S TV seri¢s The White Lotus. A recording ofthe encore wa5 widely shared on Social tnedii receiving over 750,000 view5 on Youtube. My Beloved MAI)- August 2023 Capping an extraoTdinary season of firsts for lh¢ ¢hoir, in August we were thrilled to perfor1￿ for the first time at Snape M3liings in Aldeburgh- The conceTt hall built by Benjainiii Britten and his life partner Peier Pears_ Appiopriote lo the v¢nu¢, th¢ ¢onc¢rt was inspired by Britten atld Pears. )9-year relationship and works by Britten. his niemporaries and influencers were interspersed with Teadings fiom iheir letters to ont anoilier read by classical radio presenters Zeb Soans las Britt¢nl and Peii'oc Trelawiiy las PeteT PeaFS). The readings were compiled by ¢hoir member Scamus Rea aiid the ¢on¢ert was ¢o¢Jdu¢t¢d by Nichola5 Clialmers. As well as perfonniiig Britten'5 llymn lo ihe ViF¥in and extracts froin his ch￿al DaReesftom Gloi'iana. the concert f¢alured nurnbers by Imogen Holst, Michael Tippett, Samuel Barber. Purcell. Montev¢rdi and Pérotin. The concert was Tapturously received with one audience meiiiber writiiig- I've nevei. known an enliie Lhoir lo need io Gon7e batk 10 loke u secondciil'loin call I've been goingiegulai.ly io.Snapefor ne£W'ly 4Qyeaisl So Ivell de5eived. Public Benefit Our cliaTity'S ptsnJos¢s in¢lude the education of the public in the art of ¢l)oral m1151C througli the presentation of concerts. As noted above, we significantly increased thc number of public performan¢¢s in comparison to our 2Q21-22 season. as well as rcacliing wider number5 of pcoplc tlirough appearances on publicly broadcast events and wiO¢ly-shared video recordings.. Our charity's purposcs also included the PTomoiion of equality and diversity for the publi¢ b¢nefit iviih particular reference to th¢ LGBTQ+ cominuRily. This season we paid for professional development for several of our key membcrs to improve their awareness of trans experiences and best practiccs for inGliision. We also raised awareness of the lived experience of queer composets through our eoncert pro8rainming. particularly through ovr Pride concert at the Wigmore Hall. in which w¢ shared biographical infomation about the featured composeTS in our concert programme. and our Beloved Man concert in Norfolk, which featured intimaie and insightful d¢tails of the live8 of Betjjamin Britten and Peter Pears. Our work this year has also suppolled other charities including tlie Royal British Legion, African Rainbow Fftmily and Maggie's Can¢er Care. for whom our sin8ers participated in a Christmas ¢arol singing fundraiser. The Fourth Choir TrLlStees' Annual Report For The Year Ended 31 Aiigust 2023 (Continued) Structure. Goyernllnce find MAnAgem¢nt GoveTnance The Fourth Choir was constituted as a ChaTitable IncorpoTated Organisation on 22 April 2014., before that date. the Choir ¢xisted as a non-iegisteTed body established on I Septeinber 2013. The accounis for ihe tenth p¢riod of trading of the Charitable Incorporated Organisation commence on 01 Scptembcr 2022 and run until 31 August 2023. The ITUStees who have served during the period and since commencement are Set out on pauF¢ l. None of ihe Iruslees, nor any pcrson Collmected to thein, has received any paid remiineration from the Cliarity in the period lo 31 August 2023. The power to appoint trustees is vested in existing trusiees. Apart from the first Charity tru5tE¢s. every trustee must be appointed for a lerm of three years by resolutioo passed at a prop¢rly convened meetiiig of the Charity tru5t¢¢5. All major decisions, including those of a fJnan¢ial rtaturt, are Thad¢ by the Board of Ttu$tees at their mcetings. Method of Electlon ofTrtsstets TIw5te¢s are appointed tlirough the unanimous voting of the Board of Tru5te¢s. The Board of Trustees is made up of choiT members who demonstrate the con)miiment and ability to contribute valuable skills tOWaTds the running of the ¢hoir. Tru5rees are appointed for 3 years. The first trustees were aypoilited for 2, 3 and 4 y¢ars to ensure continuity of leadership. The key skills covered by the trustees include.. financial management and planniDg' day to day runtiing of the choir. includitjg reh¢ar5a15, Ineinber5hip and communication5,' events planning and ext¢Tnal liaison. events ijattagement and supervision., fund rai$in8,' and secretarial n)les. FinAnee Tlie attaclied financial State[ne￿t5 sliow the currejit State of the Choir's fJiian¢es whi¢li tlie ¢ommitt¢e constders to be soiind. Reserve5 The Btsard of Trustees has determined a rolling policy of reserve maintenance. wilh a tsrgei of £7,000 to be held a rapidly available credit balance in the principal choir bank account. This reserve exists to providr financial stability and mitigate against any unexpected expenses, and is devcloped througli the setting of clear budgetary targets at the beginning of the year and meeting regularly to r¢view p¢rformance. Future Plins For the 2023124 sea5011 the Board of Trustees plans to continue to build on the achievemrnts of the Choir's first tcn years by-. Coin1￿15$10nlng two Dew works to pr¢mieT¢ at a concert to celebrate the choir'5 first decade Recording our first full-length album Continuing to organi5e, prornote and perfonJ self-promoted con¢¢ns Continuing to grow our profe55ioI)al bookings business Looking for opportuiiilies to perforin ai classical fesiivals and venues outside London Rai5in8 awareness of tlie choir through increased publicity and social media activitie5 Forniing new relationships, and dev¢loping ¢xi$ting ones, wtth sponsors. benefactors. charities, ¢omposers, professxonal musicians. ans promoter5 and LGBT+ organisations. The Fourth Choir Tru5tee5' Annual Report For The Year Ended 31 August 2023- continued Refer¢nc¢ gnd Administration Inform4tion ChArity Registr8tion Nllmb¢r- 1156769 Trustees,. Chair- Dr Edward Long rrust¢e- J￿7)eS MGGr£n¢ra Tru5tee- Dr Finn Schulze-Feldmann Tru5tee- Sarali D¢ Winter TnJstee- Eleanor May Dragonetti Tru5tee- Catrin Haf Jones TnJstee- Sophia 105ephitte Allen (Appointed 13.12.21) (Appointed 13.12.211 (reSIg￿ed 31.08.23) (Appointed 13.12.21) IAppoini¢d 13.12.21) (resigned 31.12.22) (Appoinied 13.12.21) Prin¢ip#l Cottt#¢t Addr¢$$- Flat 5 19 Percy Circus London W4X 9EE W¢bsitt.' www.Ihefourth¢hoir.¢om BAnkers: HSBC Lion House 25 Islingloii High Street Islington London NI 9LJ Independent ExAminer: MT A Butterfseld ACA Haines Watts Chartered Accountant5 Cliffe Hill Hou$¢ 22-26 Nottingham Road Stapleford Nottingham NG9 8AA Detlxration We declare in our capacity as trustees that the Trustees have approved this report and that we have been authoris¢d (o sign. Stgnalure Signatu Full Natne Full Name D. pi C &£6 K/tr