THE PURCELL SINGERS Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2022
Charitable objects
The objects of the choir are:
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to advance, improve, develop and maintain public education in and appreciation of the art and science of choral music in all its aspects, by the presentation of public concerts and recitals and, if possible, by the making of recordings;
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and other solely charitable objects as defined by The Charities Act 2006, or any subsequent Act as determined from time to time by the Trustees of The Purcell Singers and delivered for the public benefit
The Trustees of The Purcell Singers have the responsibility of working with the Founding Musical Director, Mark Ford, and Conductor, Jonathan Schranz, in promoting the objects of the choir.
Achievements and Performance
After a near silent year in 2020-2021, 2021-2022 was a year of recovery. The year began cautiously, as the country was just starting to emerge from lockdown conditions for the third time. The choir organised and held a choral workshop on the 24[th] of July 2021 at St James’ Sussex Gardens as a flexible activity that would incur fewer costs than a concert if it had to be moved or cancelled, and as a desirable activity to bring members together after more than a year of not singing together. The workshop day was successful and well received by participants. Mark additionally hosted a BBQ on behalf of the choir to bring members together socially in the summer. We held audition sessions in mid-September, which brought the most ethnically diverse pool of auditionees we have yet had and saw 10 new members join the choir. The choir’s first full concert back, entitled My Spirit Sang All Day , was a prestigious event including a premiere of Three Shakespeare Songs , composed for the group by John Rutter, who was in attendance and had mentioned us on his social media platforms. Several new trustees came on board during the year: a new Secretary and Treasurer and a Digital Marketing Trustee, and the choir substantially revamped its marketing activity to potential members, audiences, and commercial contacts. The year ended a few days before another concert, Songs of the Baltic Sea.
Financial Review
The choir opened the year with funds of £13,375.89.
The choir spent £3,336.23 on events and an additional £873.82 on general running costs. We recouped £2,776.44 through musical events, GiftAid, and other means, and additionally received £5,200 in donations, of which £4,800 has been reserved for funding our next CD recording. The choir ended the year with a surplus of £3,766.39, largely as a result of the donations.
Funds carried forward at 31 March 2022 were £17,142.28.
Policy on reserves
The Trustees aim to maintain reserves at not less than £10,000.
The purpose of this policy is to ensure that the choir always has sufficient funds to support its roster of routine UK concerts.
Should the choir wish to carry out a large London concert with orchestra (such as at the Queen Elizabeth Hall), reserves would need to be at c. £30,000 and for a single ACT tour of similar scale to Rouen or Amiens (without recourse to a loan facility) then c. £40,000.
Structure, Governance and Management
The Purcell Singers is governed by a “Foundation” model constitution as a CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation) which was registered on 29 July 2016. The activities of the choir are determined and agreed by the Trustees in consultation with the Conductor and Founding Musical Director.
The Trustees have been using a rolling 3-year Strategic Plan as the touchstone against which to take decisions on behalf of the choir.
The Strategic Plan covers:
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Performance and repertoire
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Recordings
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Profile
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Membership
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Governance
The Trustees review the Strategic Plan every year: in the 2021-2022 financial year this was at the trustee Away Day in August 2021.
Training for new Trustees consists of invitations to concerts (where they are not already involved with the choir); discussion with the Chair and Founding Musical Director about the role and responsibilities; review with the Treasurer of the last Accounts and Trustees Annual Report; access to minutes of prior Trustee meetings; and invitations to attend one or more Trustee meetings.
Day-to-day administration of the choir’s activities is carried out by the Choir’s Administrator and Events Manager, Kim Hawthorn (appointed 7[th] June 2022; succeeding Eleanor Dale, who stepped down 2[nd] April 2022).
Public Benefit Statement
In carrying out their work the Trustees have had regard to the public benefit offered by the choir.
Membership of the choir is open to new singers, subject to audition and confirmation by the Founding Musical Director and Conductor, whose opinions are final.
Administrative Information
The Purcell Singers is registered with the Charity Commission under number 1168508.
The principal office is at 5 Sterling Gardens SE14 6DU.
Trustees who have served for all or part of the period from 1[st] April 2021 until 31[st] March 2022:
Mary Clayton-Kastenholz (Appointed trustee 06/09/2018; Appointed Chair 14/03/2019)
Ben Norman – Hon Treasurer (Appointed 01/11/2001, stood down 20/01/2022) Dominic Tighe – Hon Treasurer (Appointed 12/12/2021) Joanne Kilpatrick – Hon Secretary (Appointed 12/08/2021) Frances Birch (Appointed 12/01/2017) Emily John (Appointed 04/09/2017) Jennifer Lambert (Appointed 17/01/2019, stood down 04/05/2021) Wayne Jones (Appointed 30 March 2020) Bronte Larsen-Disney (Appointed 12/08/2021)
Ex officio members of the Trustee Board during this financial year were:
Mark Ford – Founding Musical Director Jonathan Schranz – Conductor (appointed 23[rd] June 2017) Eleanor Dale – Events and Administration Manager (appointed 24[th] September 2017)
Conclusion
2021-2022 was a year of recovery and reassessment for the choir, following an unprecedented year of silence which in turn had been preceded by the choir’s busy 25[th] anniversary celebrations. With a workshop and concert, we renewed our focus on building the choir’s membership, audience, and profile. Following on from discussions held in 2020-2021, the Board maintained its renewed commitment to improving diversity and inclusion in all of the choir’s activities.
Acknowledgements
The choir is grateful to Jonathan Schranz, Conductor, for his commitment to the choir and for leading the ensemble in new and interesting directions, and Mark Ford, the Founding Musical Director, for his continued support for the choir. The choir is additionally grateful to the Administrator and Events Manager and all committee members for their hard work and dedication.
Approved by the Trustees on 26 January 2023
Signed on behalf of the trustees by Mary Clayton-Kastenholz, Committee Chair Mary Clayton-Kastenholz
THE PURCELL SINGERS
Balance Sheet at 31/3/2022
| £ | £ | |
|---|---|---|
| Assets | ||
| Cash | ||
| Current Account | 7,163.64 | |
| Deposit Accounts | 9,066.40 | |
| 16,230.0 | ||
| 4 | ||
| Prepayments: for April 2022 | 911.16 | |
| concert | ||
| Accrual of income: interest | 1.08 | |
| (March 2022) | ||
| Liabilities | ||
| Accruals: | nil | |
| __ | ||
| 17,142.2 | ||
| 8 | ||
| Funds b/f 1/4/2021 | 13,375.8 | |
| 9 | ||
| Surplus from general account | 3,766.39 | |
| Funds c/f 31/3/2022 | 17,142.2 | |
| o/w restricted for CD | 8 | |
| o/w unrestricted | 4,800.00 | |
| 12,342.2 | ||
| 8 | ||
| ====== | ||
| == |
Chair
Mary Clayton-Kastenholz
Mary Clayton-Kastenholz
Treasurer
Dominic Tigbe Date: 20" January 2023
– Purcell Singers Income & Expenditure Account (2021/22 FY)
Events Account
| Events Account | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | ||
| Capacity building: choir | workshop (07/2021) / new member auditions | ||
| (09/2021) | |||
| Administration | (417.00) | ||
| Venue hire | (355.00) | ||
| Conductor | (250.00) | ||
| Music purchase | (84.79) | ||
| (Gross expenditure) | (1,106.79) | ||
| ====== | |||
| == | |||
| My Spirit Sang concert, St George’s Cathedral (11/2021) | |||
| Ticket income & programme sales | 1,649.80 | ||
| Income | 1,649.80 | ||
| Conductor | (925.00) | ||
| Administration | (624.00) | ||
| Music hire & purchase | (432.44) | ||
| Rehearsal venue | (150.00) | ||
| Programme printing | (98.00) | ||
| Expenditure | (2,229.44 | ||
| ) | |||
| Net income / (expenditure) | (579.64) | ||
| ====== | |||
| == | |||
| Total income on events | 1,649.8 | ||
| 0 | |||
| Total expenditure on events | (3,336.2 | ||
| 3) | |||
| Total (defcit) / surplus on events | (1,686.4 | ||
| 3) | |||
| General Account | |||
| 2021/22 | Memo item: 2020/21 | ||
| £ | £ £ |
£ | |
| Income | |||
| Donations | 5,200.00 | 4,320.00 | |
| o/w restrictred for | 4,800.00 | ||
| CD recording | |||
| Musical events | 1,649.80 | nil | |
| Gift Aid | 1,080.48 | 747.99 | |
| Income from royalties | 32.35 | 489.00 | |
| CD sales | 10.00 | nil | |
| Investment income | 3.81 | ___5.70 | |
| 7,976.44 | 5,562.69 | ||
| Expenditure | |||
| Musical events (3,336.23) |
(532.49) | ||
| Administration - | (142.5) | (654.00) | |
| general | |||
| Subscription & | (193.00) | (243.00) | |
| Insurance |
Marketing (incl. (168.07) (207.27) website) Strategy work (218.06) (111.39) Sundries (48.19) (91.68) Bank fees (104. (70.00 00) ) (4,210.05 (1,909.83) ) (Deficit) / Surplus 3,766.39 ___ 3,652.86 _____ ===== ====== === ==