Community Music Whickham and Swalwell CIO Registered Charity Number 1162027
Trustees’ Annual Report for the year 31st March 2023
The trustees are pleased to present this report of Community Music Whickham and Swalwell (referenced hereafter as CMWS) which was registered as a charity on 05/06/2015.The registered office is 3 Washingwell Park, Whickham, Tyne & Wear NE16 4QW.
CMWS was formed by a group of people from the local community who wanted to promote and inspire standards of excellence in music, aid fulfilment of personal aspirations and enjoyment in making music and promote performances so that the local population could benefit from these activities.
Trustees
Lynne Bloxham. Chair Daniel Binns IT adviser Jennifer Boynton. Safeguarding and Vice Chair Alan McBurnie.Treasurer. Anne Lindsley. Secretary. David Megginson. Membership lead. Brian Stoneman. Policy Advisor Amy Tate. Coordinator of volunteers John Treherne. Artistic Director
Governance and Management
The governing document is the Community Music Whickham and Swalwell CIO Constitution which was adopted by the Trustees on 17/05/2015 and which became recognised by the Charity Commission when the CIO was registered on 05/06/2015.
All Trustees were briefed on the role of Trustees of CMWS, given copies of the governing documents of the organisation and referred to the detail on the Charity Commission website related to becoming a trustee and to the guidance on public benefit.
The Trustees hold regular, usually monthly meetings throughout the year. Some operational/ planning details were delegated to sub committees made up of Trustees. All meetings are minuted.
The Trustees work entirely on a voluntary basis.
There is one service provider who is tutor/conductor of the Community Orchestra. Their work is covered by a Service Level Agreement which includes clauses about quality and assessment. The other tutors are Trustees who work on a voluntary basis.
CMWS has an honorary partnership with our two local churches, St Mary The Virgin Whickham and Holy Trinity Church Swalwell.
Objectives
The objective of the CIO CMWS:
For the public benefit to advance education and appreciation in all aspects of music making, by the provision of tuition, materials, performance opportunities, public concerts, lectures and recitals.
CMWS aims to encourage performance opportunities for musicians. Our diary of events has increased in number and variety since the last report following the lifting of restrictions due the pandemic in the previous year. Thanks to the enthusiasm and dedication of its Trustees CMWS was able to organise live events over part of the year which this report covers.
Over the twelve months since the last report CMWS has supported the following activities.
Continuation of theory classes remotely.
Performance assessments - similar to examinations to assess progress of individual students online or in person depending on the preference of the candidate. These assessments provide markers of quality and progress.
Weekly rehearsals of handbell group Bells Up during term time.
Weekly rehearsals during term time for the Community Orchestra in preparation for concerts and other events.
For each of these ensembles CMWS provides rehearsal space, tuition and sheet music.
Everyone is welcome to join one or all of these groups without discrimination and no audition is required.
Unfortunately in December 2022 Chase Notes singing group which took place in Sheltered Accommodation in the community was discontinued . This was due to the increasing frailty of its members. CMWS is considering how to provide a similar opportunity within the community.
We have continued to maintain an emphasis on providing performance experience and materials i.e. instruments in good repair for the participants to play
We lend instruments to students and make no charge for this but ask the user of the instrument or parent or guardian to insure any instrument so loaned.
In addition to providing the above all these groups have been given performance opportunities in various concerts and events. As a result of these performances students of CMWS and the public have benefited from a high standard of music making.
These activities and more detail about CMWS is widely available to the public on our website www.communitymusicws.com. The website was updated during the period of this report.
We do not make grants to individuals.
The Trustees are all volunteers and also give freely of their time to tutor ensembles, arrange, advertise, staff and supervise concerts and performances. We can also draw on a core group of other volunteers for large scale events.
CMWS has arranged and supported the following events /performances during the period of this report
A large scale event to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee in May in which all the ensembles of CMWS took part. Chase Notes, Community Orchestra and Bells up. This was held at a community centre with easy access for all.There were at least 130 beneficiaries.
Bells up performed at 4 local church fayre/coffee mornings during the year.
The community orchestra performed at a local church Carol Service.
Two of our Trustees gave a recital “Circle of Life”for voice and piano in September which raised funds for the local church and CMWS in preparation for the festival described below.
The William Shield Festival took place between 14th and 28th of October 2022. There were a total of 8 events over this time as follows:
14.10.22- 1pm. Gordon Dixon, the celebrated ‘cellist and Chief Executive of the Avison Ensemble made a welcome return to the Festival, performing music by J.S Bach, Breval and Henry Eccles. He was joined by Charles Luxford, tenor, who performed songs by William Shield and also by Flanders and Swan. John Treherne MBE performed on harpsichord and piano.
14.10.22 7.30pm. Bramwell’s Flute and Hardy’s Hornpipe
Peter Harrison, playing an historic flute, explored the music collections of Bramwell Bronte and Thomas Hardy. Branwell Bronte and Thomas Hardy were the next generation on from William Shield, but all three shared a love for traditional music and popular tunes. Presenter Julia Elliott joins Peter Harrison in this presentation.
Vox Populi is a semi-professional consort of classical singers, made up of graduates from Newcastle and Durham Universities. Their programme is centred on Eliot’s ‘Waste Land’, this year being its centenary. Readings from the poem were interspersed by music centred on remembrance and mourning. The programme included compositions by Poulenc, Durufle, Morley, Tomkins and Elgar.
15.10.22 11am. Baroque Beauty ,with Andri Bjorn Robertsson, prize winning Icelandic baritone, with Ruth Robertsson, soprano and John Treherne, harpsichord.
William Shield was well aware of music from earlier in the 18th century, and his songs frequently show the influence of Henry Purcell and George Frederick Handel. This varied programme of baroque music compared and contrasted the varied styles of these influential composers.
15.10.22 1.30pm. Concert Royal made a welcome return to the Lit and Phil, presenting a programme ofMusic from a Georgian drawing room. These instrumental pieces would have been familiar to William Shield, and were performed by Peter Harrison, baroque flute, Rachel Gray, baroque ‘cello, and John Treherne, harpsichord.
15.10.22 3pm. John Treherne gave a short illustrated talk relating to William Shield and the musical and historical background to the 1790s. The Artistic Director of the William Shield Festival put Shield’s work into the context of the late 18th century, with reference to other composers of the period
15.10.22 4pm. Singers and Instrumentalists were invited to perform in the final event of this lively day. Performers of all standards were welcomed and encouraged to take part.
25.10.22 Lunchtime recital: music for recorder and harpsichord, performed by David Smith and John Treherne. David Smith is Northumbia University’s founding professor of music, and a noted specialist in the field of baroque performance.
29/10/22 7.30pm. Gala Concert: Opera Agents of Shield
Four members of Rocket Opera performed a wide range of songs and arias to delight and entrance the listener. Ruth Robertsson, soprano, Heather Burns, contralto, Austin Gunn, tenor and Andri Bjorn Robertsson, baritone, were accompanied by John Treherne.
The Festival took part in various venues in Newcastle upon Tyne, with easy access for all. There were 360 beneficiaries.
The events which CMWS supported over the year have fulfilled the objectives of the charity. They enabled performance opportunities for young professionals and amateur music makers alike. Also the variety of events served to educate the public. Our artistic director is a Trustee and all his performances were done on an entirely voluntary basis.
Financial Review
During the year CMWS has continued to support and tuition of the ensembles remotely and purchased and repaired instruments for anyone who wishes to borrow one without charge thus supporting the objectives of the charity
We have a fixed set of charges for membership of the ensembles which are publicised on our website. These charges are reviewed annually. In September 2019 we introduced a new set of charges to allow for discounts for family members. These have not been increased. Ideally we would like to attract enough funding to provide all our services without charge.
Plans for next year
We aim to continue to attract more participants to all our ensembles. This would enable growth of CMWS but would also enhance the health and wellbeing of our local community. We will continue to participate in local events and support other charities in the area with our music making.
In addition we plan to deliver another William Shield Festival to a public which now has high expectations of performances. We plan to resurrect more of Shields work which has not been performed for many years. This will take place in October 2023 subject to funding.
These plans are to ensure that we continue to provide ease of participation in events and concerts and a high quality of experience and performance for all those taking part and their audience, the public, thus fulfilling our charitable aims.
Lynne Bloxham ( Chair)
Profft and Loss Statewnt COMMrtY Music Whickham & S7Kdl*ll Year to Date CJI Descnp)ryb Grants Evenl IklS 986.00 Raflbe5 & Ci)nalK)ns 6.240.00 Fo•$ 4 898.50 T%1 Incom• 12 124.50 DeSCnPJL Adm serv@s 8.121 87 Tolal Co•t ol Sal•8 8 121.87 Gross Profrt 4 002.63 Expenses Web Markelin Sundrts Totsl Expen9 1 143.00 Net Prolh 2 859.63