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2022-12-31-accounts

GERMAN CHOIR OF LONDON

Charity Number: 1162894

Board of Trustees Annual Report 2022

Content and Purpose of Annual Report

This report summarises the work of the Board of Trustees of the German Choir of London (“the Choir”), including changes to the Board and key achievements. It serves to inform all associate members of the Choir of the work going on ‘behind the scenes’ to create transparency and a sense of ownership. The summary is based on the minutes kept of all Trustee meetings. Any associate member can request to view the meeting minutes (written in English) by emailing any Trustee at any time. Associate members are also permitted to attend the Board Meetings upon request. This is the 8th summary report since the registration of the Choir as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in 2015.

Period covered Author January – December 2022 Elisabeth Minkner

Content

  1. Main choir events in the reporting period

  2. Changes to the Board of Trustees in the reporting period

  3. Summary of the activities of the Board of Trustees in the reporting period

  4. Summary of the Annual General Meeting of Associate Members

  5. Financial Summary

  6. Acknowledgements

  7. Upcoming concerts and events currently planned for 2023

1. Main choir events in the reporting period

St Matthew/Sophie Scholl Passion

17 March 2022 at Southwark Cathedral, London

19 March 2022 at Coventry Cathedral

These 2 concerts presented J.S. Bach’s St Matthew Passion interspersed with texts by and about Sophie Scholl, a key member of the German resistance, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of her birth. The choir was joined by an orchestra, soloists, actors and the Coventry Cathedral Choir, and the concert was sponsored by BayernLB and Schroeder Bank. This was the biggest and most innovative project the choir has undertaken in its 13 year history and received an overwhelmingly positive response from the audience, participants and on social media. Especially given the challenges posed by the still lingering Covid pandemic, it was bordering on a miracle and to no small extent due to the hard work of the board of trustees that both concerts went ahead as planned.

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15 July 2022 – A Cappella Summer Concert at St. Mary-at-Hill

Concert of full choir and solo ensemble choral works by Bach, Rheinberger, Schubert and Mahler

2 September 2022 – Beethoven 9[th] Symphony at the Proms

Members of the Choir were part of Chineke! Voices to perform Beethoven’s 9[th] Symphony (Choral) with the Chineke! Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall

23 October 2022 – Mass at German Catholic Church St. Boniface

28 October 2022 - The Lethal Requiem at St. Mary-at- Hill

Mozart Requiem (accompanied by Organ) and selection of Corona Commissions (Stephens, Cryne, McKevitt).

The concert theme ‘Fear’ was given expression by performing in near darkness and an actress narrating the story of the Mozart Requiem from the view point of Mozart’s wife Constanze.

27 November 2022 – Advent service at Christuskirche Knightsbridge

Mendelssohn Christus and Vom Himmel Hoch

3 December 2022 – Carol Singing at German YMCA

13/15 December 2022 – Carol Singing at Tube Stations for Charity

Throughout the year:

Solo ensemble rehearsals for Summer concert

Voice coaching sessions (open to all members)

2. Changes to the Board of Trustees in the reporting period

Melanie Allmendinger - Chair of the Board of Trustees (resigned 6 December 2022)

Richard Loeser – treasurer Rebecca Dittrich – communication, new members

Christian Anders - events coordinator

Susanne Thiele - marketing, minutes, concert programmes, newsletters (paused Aug-Oct 2022) Dagmar Gauweiler (appointed 6 December 2022)

Elisabeth Minkner (appointed 6 December 2022)

3. Summary of Trustee work in the reporting period

Trustee Meetings in 2022 (zoom unless stated otherwise):

23 January 3 August 11 March 10 September (in person) 9 June 14 October 6 July 30 November

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The focus of the trustees in the first quarter of the year was meeting the unprecedented challenge of preparing for the Sophie Scholl passion concert planned for March 2022 whilst at the same time managing the response to the continuing Covid pandemic.

Following the very successful March concerts, the trustees focussed on planning the rest of the year’s concerts.

To prepare for the planned resignation of the Chair from the board by the end of the year, the board recruited two new trustees who were officially appointed during the December AGM but already attended meetings and took on work throughout the year.

In September the trustees met in person including a workshop to set the priorities for the 2[nd] half of the year. Focus areas were how better to communicate with and involve members and section leaders to spread the workload of organising the choir activities.

Social media activities

2022 social media posts drew attention to upcoming concerts and new member recruitment by using various hashtags such as #MeetTheChoir; #schollpassion including 8 videos posts; questionnaire on favourite Christmas carol.

4. Summary of the Annual General Meeting of Associate Members

6 December 2022, 19.30 Christuskirche Knightsbridge

Full General Meeting of Associate Members (AGM) was was held to conclude the year 2022 and attended by 34 Associate Members. The choir approved the work of the Trustees and new members of the Board, elected section leaders for 2023, and discussed a number of ideas relating to rehearsals and the running of the choir. Minutes of this meeting are available (in English). The main agenda items were:

Section leaders were elected as follows:

Approval of Board of Trustees by members and updates: All trustees were approved and (re-)elected. See section 2 above for details.

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5. Financial Summary

Please see separate document for details.

6. Acknowledgements

Aside from the Trustees, several associate members have significantly contributed to the development of the choir during 2022 as volunteers which we wish to acknowledge:

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7. Upcoming concerts and events currently planned for 2023

18 March 2023 – Coronation Concert at St Pancras Church London

22 April 2023 – Coronation Concert at St … Berlin

21 May 2023 – Service at Christuskirche Knightsbridge (Mendelssohn Denn er hat seinen Engeln) 28 May 2023 – Choral Evensong at St Albans

16 July 2023 – A Grand Night for Singing at Upstairs at the Gatehouse Highgate

18 September 2023 – Tag der deutschen Einheit at German Embassy London

25 September 2023 – Choral Evensong at St Pauls

18 November 2023 – Come and Sing Day at St Boniface German Catholic Church East London

5 December 2023 – Deutsche Handelskammer Christmas Party

10 December 2023 – Bach Weihnachtsoratorium at St Lawrence Jewry London

12 December 2023 – AGM

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GERMAN CHOIR OF LONDON (CHARITY NUMBER 1162894)

Accounts For the year ended 31 December 2022

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GERMAN CHOIR OF LONDON Receipt and Expenditure account

for the year ended 31 December 2022

Receipts
Member subscriptions
General donations
Grant income
Concert ticket sales
Interest income
Payments
Conductors fees & rehearsals
Venue hire
Instrumentalists & soloists
Marketing, event & other expenses
Accountancy fees
Expenses
Total expenses
(Shortfall)/surplus of receipts over expenditure
Unrestricted fund:
At 1 January
(Shortfall)/surplus of receipts over expenditure
At 31 December		 2022
2021
£
£
13,204
7,711
302
5,390
14,000
-
10,686
98
21
4
38,213
13,203
17,380
8,781
8,130
360
24,901
200
5,112
2,361
960
900
56,483
12,602
56,483
12,602
(18,270)
601
36,613
36,012
(18,270)
601
18,343
36,613

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GERMAN CHOIR OF LONDON Balance Sheet As at 31 December

Notes
£
Current assets
Cash at bank and in hand
18,343
Net current assets
Net assets
Unrestricted fund:
Fund balance
2
Total funds		 2022
£
£
36,613
18,343
18,343
18,343
18,343		 2021
£
36,613
36,613
36,613
36,613

Signed by two trustees on behalf of all the trustees

Signature:

Print name: RICHARD LOESER

Date: 30/10/2023

Signature:

Print name: ELISABETH MINKNER

Date: 30/10/2023

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CHARITY IOMM15510N OR F,IGLAND ,IfilL Independent examinerfs report on the accounts vklLLS Section A Independent Examiner"s Report Report to the trustees GERMAN CHOIR OF LONtX)N On accounts for the year ended Charity no (if any) 1162894 Set out on pages I rewt to the trustees cffi my examinatJn of the accounts ofthe atrf￿e charity (Ihe Trusn fTh-the year ended 31112r2022. Responsibilities and basi5 of report As the thatitys trustees, you are responsible for the prepar8tw)n of the accounts in a(r￿dan￿ wÈth the requirements of the CharrtEs Act 2011 (￿he W. I rep￿t in respect of my examination ofthe Trusys accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination. I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Chartty CommiSs￿)n under sedion 145(5)(b) of the ACL Independent I have c£rfnpleted my examinat¥)n. I confimi that no material matters have examinerfs statement come to my attention in connection wilh the examination vthich gives me cause to believe that in. any material ￿peCt. the accourrting records were not in ￿ordan￿ wilh section 130 of the Charities Act" or the accounts did not accord with the acctyjnling records,. or the accounts did not comply wrth the applicable requirements con￿MIng the form and content of a¢counls set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the w)unts give a In￿ and fail view which ts not a matter conshgered as part of an independerrt examination. I have no c()n￿M$ armd have ¢J)me across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enab￿ a proFEr understanding of the accx)unts to be reached. Signed: 2 October 2023 Name: Dr Michael Erras Relevant professional qualifi&*ion(s) or body (rf any): nla Address: 78 Engadine Street London SW18 5DA IER Oct 2018

Section B Disclosure Onty ¢omWe rf the examiner rEeds to hpJhlvJht material matters of cOn￿M (see CC32, Indewdent examinalion of charity accounts: directb)ns and guidance for examiners). Give here brief detsils of any iterns that the examiner ￿$heS to disclose. IER Oct 2018