The 2020/21 Season was the most challenging ever for The Boundstone Chorus. Perhaps the most difficult element was the inability to make any firm plans because of the constantly changing nature of the pandemic and the necessary short-term responses made by the government in a fast-changing and unpredictable world.
However The Boundstone Chorus was determined to continue making music in whatever way was possible. I led regular weekly zoom sessions from my lounge and we were able to learn a new repertoire of songs which were accessible through this new way of working. We were able to establish a shape to these zoom rehearsals in which we broke up the singing sessions with a ten-minute social break when singers were able to unmute and catch up with the latest gossip. Particularly for those who were isolated this had a really important positive mental health element. We also ended each session with a rather wild performance of songs like “Deep down in my soul”, always ending with our own arrangement of “This little light of mine” where singers would switch their house-lights off and dance around their room with a torch while singing. This led to a count-down to their final weekly “goodbye”. These virtual sessions were attended regularly by between 20 and 30 singers. I think that it is also important to say that the choir was regularly supported in their home-singing with regular learningfiles which I recorded and then our Administrator posted on our website’s members’ page. These were usually first circulated by email.
To make singers feel that they were always moving forwards we purchased and distributed a set of Novello’s “Today’s Choral Classics” and two of the songs we learned from this have now become part of our concert repertoire.
We also decided to spend £2,000 of the Choir’s money on creating a number of composite videos of music for Christmas so that we would still be able to make a contribution to our community’s festive celebrations. We employed Pete Davison
for this. We already knew that there were a significant number of the singers who were technically able to do this as I had composed “Peace, peace I give you” as a unison song in memory of one of the choir who had sadly died, circulating the piano track for individual singers to record and film their own contributions. A good friend then created a lovely final composite video.
In our Christmas video project we wanted to challenge ourselves further but also continue to use original compositions and arrangements so that the final videos could be used as wanted without causing any copyright or licensing problems. Marion Peskett, one of the Choir, created a complex Christmas piece called “First born” and this was recorded by members of the Choir and also by family members and instrumentalists from Worthing Philharmonic Orchestra. We quickly began to realise the importance not just of having an audio click-track but also of having a visual video of me conducting the performers. Just involving our own singers, we also recorded my own setting of “In the bleak midwinter” and my arrangements of “Hush be still” and “Silent night”. The Choir were also invited to participate in Worthing Philharmonic Orchestra’s own Christmas video. It was good to know that in those difficult days we were still able to continue an element of collaboration with other local musicians.
These five videos were then widely circulated by singers and were accessed hundreds of times from the local church’s website. They also enabled us to present two live Christmas celebrations, one at St Michael’s Church and one at St Peter’s Church in our community within the current covid regulations where live readings and instrumental items were interspersed with the playing of the videos.
We waited until September 2021 to return to live rehearsals and performances, taking every possible precaution to keep everyone safe.
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES The Boundstone Chorus Recei tsand ments accounts 1173539 CC16a Forthe period from PcilO-. c.rid 0110912020 311Q812021 Section A Receipts and paymenls Unr•$trl¢tsd Re6tr1ct?d Endowment lund# funds fund8 toth• r•¥¥t £ É toth• toth• n襕•t E 10t n•Tht t Total tund8 Last y••r A1 Recel Vc4tsn18ry wlpis ch9rft0b aolvrtieE Ad1vleS lor uEn&ratTrJ fund8 3,303 7.156 113 100 100 337 mss incom& ARJ 3A16 10,ty 13.$16 iJJ66 on nv•8 13.518 Cost8 olch8ni8r48 xllbll ia67 11,J96 G0veM costs 211 Sub tolal 2,83Z 11.718 A4 As••t and I•1M•fil Sub total 1832 22 11,716 Net of receipts/(payments) A5 TrHn$l•rs beeen funds A6 Cash fund8 188t year Ond Cash funds this year end 10.000 10.684 1,6SO 14.079 10.OIK X079 13.39S 2210312022
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted Restricd Detslls fundB funds Endowment fund& to n•s¢••¢£ Ct•gorfes 81 Cash fund8 Bank account 10.000 Total cash fvn(ts 14.079 10.OOD Unr•slrf¢t•d fund8 nfr4rnst£ Rutrl¢ted fund8 nr•ll E Endowment fund• to M•r•¥t£ D8tai F¥t0hIch Curr•nt Y8lu• lon41 D•tall¥ Co•t{JpYor Co•t{¢W0nl ¢urrnrt Val Detslls 84 A##•ts r•laln•d for th• chorlty'• own u•• Fwid to whkh When du4 Dots1 BS Lbabilities S(9d by Ne or truses on behalf of al the truse8 Prirrt Name Date ol rov81 A KERNEY 2310312022 I TOUT 2310312022 2210312022