THE GUSTAV HOLST SOCIETY
TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024
Charity number: 1175057

THE GUSTAV HOLST SOCIETY
YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTR_ATIVE DETAILS
REGISTERED CHARITY:
1175057
HONORARY PRESIDENT.
Martyn Brabbins
HONORARY VICE PRESIDENTS:
Alan Gibbs
Raymond Head
Colin Matthews
Adrian Partington
TRUSTEES.
Chris Cope, Chairman
John Wright, Vice Chairman
John Graham
OFFICERSI MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE".
Chris Cope, Chairman and Editor of Newsletter
John Graham
Marina Moore
Vacant.. Treasurer
Vacant: Secretary
PRINCIPAL OFFICE:
Hammetts, Kings Nympton,
Devon EX37 9ST
Tel: 01769 580041
BANKERS.
Lloyds Bank plc, PO Box 1000,
White Hart Street, High Wycombe,
Bucks BX1 1 LT
WEBSITE:
www.holstsociet
-or
ACCOUNTANTS:
ets
Lime Court
Pathfields Business Park
South Molton
Devon
EX36 3LH

THE GUSTAV HOLST SOCIETY
REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES AND OUTLOOK FOR THE YEAR 2024125
Membershi
The Society had 128 members at 3181 May 2024 (a 20/0 decrease on 2023 - 131) which
included 18 (18 2023) honorary members. Our honorary membership includes the
President, the Vice Presidents, the Holst Victorian House, St Paul's Girls, School, the
English Music Festival, the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society and the Thaxted Festival,
together with professional musicians who have supported Holst's music. In addition, in
October 2024, the trustees decided that the overseas secretaries should be granted
honorary membership, particularly because a number had encountered difficulties paying
their subscription due to exchange control issues. We offer our thanks to all our members
for their continuing support.
Planned recordin
For the year 2024125, the Society had a number of plans for recording works by Holst,
particularly those that had never been recorded before, We aim to sponsor a new
recording every year.
1. EM Records recorded all Holst's works composed for St Paul's Girls, School
(SPGS), including the Vision of Dame Christian, the Brook Green Suite, the St
Paul's Suite, the Seven Choruses from the Alcestis of Euripides, the Playground
Song and the Gavotte (which Holst withdrew from the Brook Green Suite) over the
weekend of 41h15th November 2023.
The recording took place at SPGS with the BBC Concert Orchestra under former
director of music at SPGS, Leigh O'Hara.
The Society was unable to provide funding for the recording. However, we
understand that costs were largely met by parents of SPGS, 777 pupils and the
school's alumnae.
The recording appeared in the autumn of 2024, coinciding with Holst's 150th
birthday.
2. In conjunction with Paul Hindmarsh, the Society planned a major recording of
Holst's music for brass band, together with works for brass by his daughter
Imogen. In fact, Holst only composed one work for brass band, namely the
Moorside Suite. There were two other works for concert band which have been re-
arranged for brass band. We also identified a number of orchestral works which
were well suited to arrangement for brass. These arrangements were
commissioned.

The final list of works included the First Suite in E Flat, the Second Suite in F, A
Fugal Overture, the Ballet Music from the Perfect Fool, and A Moorside Suite. The
works by Imogen were The Unfortunate Traveller and The Glory of the West.
The recording was made at the end of May 2024. The band was the Tredegar
Town Band conducted by their musical director lan Porthouse. Our President,
Martyn Brabbins, conducted the recording of the Moorside Suite.
The recording was on the Doyen label. The Society provided substantial funding
towards the costs of approximately £10,000.
The recording appeared in the autumn of 2024, coinciding with Holst's 1501h
birthday.
3. As part of the Holst 150 celebrations, the Society also planned a recording of
music for violin and piano by Holst and his contemporaries. The recording was
made in May 2024. The works by Holst were as follows.'_
Song of the Night (premier recording for violin and piano).
Invocation, arranged for violin and piano by Hannah Roper (first
recording in this arrangement).
Lyric Movement, arranged for violin and piano by Hannah Roper (first
recording in this arrangement).
We also planned works by William Hurlstone, Ralph Vaughan Williams,
Rebecca Clarke and Ethel Barns.
The soloists were'.-
Violin - Hannah Roper
Pianist- Martin Jacoby
Soprano- Emma Tring
Harp - Valeria Clarke
The recording, on the Albion label, appeared in the autumn of 2024, coinciding
with Holst's 150th birthday.
This recording was fully funded by the Holst Society.
Events in the
ear to 31 Ma
2024
The Society publishes a bi-monthly newsletter. The following information is taken from
the six issues which appeared during the year.

Jul 2023 newsletter
BBC Proms
As usual, there was just one work by Holst, namely the Planets. There was not much
British music. Composers featured included Britten, Coleridge-Taylor (no less than six
works, more than any other British composer), Elgar, Handel, Tippett, Vaughan Wiliams
and Walton.
This was the year of Rachmaninov's 150th anniversary. Twelve works were featured.
Three Choirs Festival
Took place at Gloucester. Works by Holst included his Short Festival Te Deum, Ode to
Death and Lyric Movement.
All Saints Church. Cheltenham
The Hill organ in the church is now 150 years old and is in urgent need of repair. This
was the instrument on which Holst learned to play. The church needs to raise a huge
amount of money (well into six figures) in order to restore the organ.
Number 10 The Terrace Barnes SW13
This was the property where Holst and his wife lived for five years from 1908. We reported
that it had recently been sold for £2.9m. This was where Holst composed Savitri and the
Four Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda.
tember 2023 newsletter
Holst's birthda
concert
The annual concert arranged by the Holst Victorian House was due to take place on
Sunday 1 October. It was to be given by musicians from St Paul's Girls, School in London
where Holst taught for over 30 years. The school would be providing choir, orchestra,
soloists and conductors. The music would include the Brook Green Suite, movements
from the Planets (for piano duet) and the Four Songs for Voice and Violin.
Holst's trombone
We published a picture of Holst's trombone which presently resides in the museum at the
Royal College of Music. Holst played with the Scottish Orchestra for about four years at
the beginning of the last century and this was the trombone that he played.
November 2023 newsletter
We reported that the recording at SPGS (see above) had taken place over the weekend
of 41h15lh

Breakfast on 3
In every issue, I set out the music by Holst broadcast by the BBC at Breakfast on 3.
Certainly, Holst is holding out well largely, I think, due to the input by the resident DJ
Petroc Trelawny. I do write to him from time to time suggesting a particular work by Holst
that the BBC might have forgotten.
Janua
2024
Holst 150
And so we moved into the 150th anniversary year, Holst being born on 21 September
1874.
Recordin
s (violinlbrass)
I was able to report that the two recordings (mentioned above) had received sufficient
funding to enable these recordings to go ahead in the spring of 2024.
Morle
Colle
Morley College was where Holst devoted many years as director of music. As part of the
150th celebrations, the College held a creative and fun afternoon on Saturday 10th
February when it was planned to explore choral masterpieces dedicated to Morley
College, namely the Short Festival Te Deum and A Festival Chime.
Billie Eilish
I mentioned that Billie Eilish's new album Happier than Ever included a song entitled 'Gold
Wing, based upon one of Holst's Hymns from the Rig Veda. In fact, the song is a note-
for-note representation of Holst's hymn. According to Twitter, it describes the song as
obscure, but also wonderful. Twitter says that 'in typical Holst style, it is full of poignant
harmony and evocative orchestration and draws on the church chorale style,.
Talks
I mentioned that I had been booked to give five talks this year on the subject of 'ls there
more to Holst than The Planets?, The first was to be at the Salisbury Music Society and
the second at the English Music Festival.
March 2024
Annual General Meetin
The Annual General Meeting took place on Sunday 10 March at the Kitson Hall at st
Mary's Church in Barnes. In addition, there were three musical events arranged for that
day. Immediately preceding the AGM, the Barnes Concert Band gave a concert in St
Mary's Church which included Holst's Second Suite in F. Later that afternoon, Holst
scholar and expert Neil Arthur Williams gave an entertaining talk entitled 'The Global
Popular CuSture Phenomenon of The Planets by Gustav Holst,.

The evening concert given by the Holst Singers included Holst's Ave Maria, the Nunc
Dimittis and 'Lord who has made thine own,.
'Ben and Imo,
I mentioned a new play called 'Ben and Imo, being staged at the Swan Theatre in
Stratford upon Avon. The play originally written in 2013 explored the working relationship
between Benjamin Britten and Imogen Holst. There was to be a limited run.
Heraklion Piano Festival
Holst Society member and composerlarranger Paul Sarcich was conducting a concert at
the Fifth Heraklion Piano Festival in Crete on 11 February. The concert featured Paul's
arrangement of The Planets for four grand pianos and eight players. Another
performance of the 16-hands arrangement was to be given at Morley College on 7th June.
Professor Simon Heffer
I was pleased to report that the journalist and broadcaster Simon Heffer had joined the
Society as an honorary member. Professor Heffer is a great supporter of British music
and has written extensively on a number of English composers, including Holst whom he
regards as one of our greatest composers.
Overseas corres
ondents
I reported that Tom Clarke, formerly of Cheltenham, who had emigrated to Ballarat North
in Australia, had agreed to become the Society's first Australasian overseas
correspondent.
l also mentioned that Joe Yang, our Taiwanese overseas correspondent, had written
regarding four concerts in Taiwan featuring Holst's music due to take place between May
and December.
Charles Villiers Stanford
March 2024 marked the centenary of the death of Stanford who was Holst's teacher of
composition at the Royal College of Music. On Saturday 27th April, there was to be a
memorial evensong service at Westminster Abbey followed by a drinks reception hosted
by the Dean and a gala dinner in the evening.
2024 newsletter
New recordin
I was pleased to announce that both the violin and brass recordings would take place
later that month.
En
lish Music Festival
Due to take place at the end of May and featured a number of works by Holst. including
the Cotswold Symphony in F, A Song of the Night, the third group of Hymns from the Rig

Veda, 'This have I done for my true love,, '1 love my love., Greeting and finally my talk on
Holst on 27th May.
ar Societ
l announced that the Holst and Elgar societies had reached an agreement with regard to
reciprocal membership. However, the agreement had yet to be endorsed by the Council
of the Elgar Society.
Classic FM'S Hall of Fame
In the top 300, Holst featured just twice. The Planets remained at No 7 with the St Paul's
Suite up two places at 273.
Ornulf's Dra
This work by Holst was recorded for the first time on the EM label under the title 'La Belle
Dame,. Other composers featured included Roger Quilter, Frederick Delius, Norman
O'Neill, Cyril Scott, Havergal Brian and Alexander Mackenzie. This recording has since
been released,
BBC Proms
The Proms programme had recently been published. The programme included fourworks
by Holst, as opposed to the usual single outing of The Planets. The works to be performed
included The Evening Watch, The Cloud Messenger, Hammersmith and The Planets
itself.
Philippa Tudor (honorary member of the Society) and I had had a meeting with David
Pickard, the director of music at the BBC Proms at the BBC in March 2023, when Mr
Pickard gave us an hour of his time during which we extolled the virtues of Holst and
reminded Mr Pickard that next year was Holst 150.
Concert listln
In each issue of the Holst Society newsletter, we include concerts in the UK and abroad
featuring Holst's music. As members will have noticed, during the last year or two, the
number of concerts featuring Holst's music has increased substantially, no doubt due to
the public becoming conscious of Holst's 150th anniversary. I would like to take this
opportunity on behalf of the Society to thank Karen Fletcher, our publicist, who puts
together the complex listings every issue. This is an invaluable service to the Society and
l am sure that members will have taken advantage of the listings to attend concerts in
their locality.

THE GUSTAV HOLST SOCIETY
TRUSTEES, REPORT
The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the charity for the
year ended 31st May 2024. The trustees confimi that both the report and the financial
statements comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the
charity's governing document and the provisions of Charities SORP FRS 102 Second
Edition October 2019
Accounting and Reporting by Charities.. Statement of
Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance
with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS
102) (effective 181 January 2019). The Legal and Administrative Information on page 1
forms part of this report.
Ob
ectives and activities
The Society's objectives are to promote public education and appreciation of the life and
works of Gustav Holst.
The charity carries out these objectives by.'_
Sponsorship of public performances of music by Holst.
Promotion of recordings of music by Holst, hitherto unrecorded.
structure
overnance and mana
ement
The charity is called The Gustav Holst Society and is registered with the Charity
Commission as number 1175057. On a day-to-day basis, the charity trades under the
name, The Holst Society.
The charity was formed in 2017 as an unincorporated association. It was re-registered as
a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in October 2017 and the current
constitution can be found on the Society's website.
Trustees and officers of the Society who served during the year are detailed on page 1
of this report. Trustees are elected by members at the AGM, which is open to all
members. New trustees are recruited generally by invitation, or by seeking volunteers at
general meetings. Nominations of additional trustees may be made at or before the AGM,
for consideration at that meeting. New trustees are briefed on their legal obligations under
charity law, the Charity Commission Guidance on Public Benefit and are also made
aware of the charity's constitution, decision-making processes and financial position. The
trustees meet on a regular basis and are responsible for all operating decisions.
Achievements and
erformance
The review of activities commencing on page 2 forms part of this report.

Financial review
Income from subscriptions was 17 % more than that for the preceding year at £3,921.
Bank balances rose to £7,895 from £1,249, a year earlier, largely due to donations made
in respect of recordings.
Risks and reserves
The trustees have reviewed the risks to which the Society is exposed and consider them
to be negligible. In the year 2024125, the Society is likely to be incurring substantial
expenditure with regard to the recording of Holst's music for brass band and for violin and
piano. The Society will be seeking external funding.
The trustees have agreed that before embarking upon either recording programmes, all
anticipated funding is secured in advance. If not, the recordings will be deferred.
statement of trustees, res
onslbllltiesl accountin
olicies
1. Accountin
Policies
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention
with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otheNise stated in the
notes to these accounts.
Accountin
Convention
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's
governing document, the Charities Act 2011, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting
standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" ("FRS 102") and the
Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of
Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in
accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and
Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019). The charity is a Public
Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to
prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency
of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the
nearest £.
2. Reserrfes
The Trustees, objectives are to build up sufficient reserves to enable grants and
donations to be made to activities relating to the works of Gustav Holst. They
anticipate that future subscription income will enable it to continue as a going

concern. The Trustees will continue to monitor the reserves policy and if necessary
make the required amendments to enable the Society to fulfil its objectives in this
regard.
3. Members, Subscri
tions
Subscription income for the year represents members, annual subscriptions
received.
4. Fees and Ex
enses
No trustee received remuneration or fees during the year.
5. Em
lo
There were no employees during the year.
6. Reserves Balances
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
(8,842)
7,737
1,070
7. Restricted Funds
Transfer
between
funds
Balance at
1 June 2023 Income
Balance at
31 May 2024
Expenses
Recording of Holst's
sacred music
7,737
7,737
7,737
7,737
10

THE GUSTAV HOLST SOCIETY
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024
2024
Unrestricted funds
2024
Restricted
funds £
2024
Total
2023
Total
INCOME
Members, Subscriptions
Donations
Gift Aid
CD Sales
Ticket Sales
Book Sales
Grants
Lectures
TOTAL
3,921
3,921
4,737
3,350
1,131
819
146
2,882
37
4,737
52
52
3,000
3,000
150
150
EXPENDITURE
Artwork
Subscriptions
Grants
Concert Listings
CD Purchases
Book Purchase
Advertising
Sheet Music Purchase
Sheet Music Hire
Admin services
Accommodation
Travel expenses
Loan Interest
Concert Tickets
Musicians, Fees
Venue Fees
Arranger's Fees
EventBrite Fees
Web Development
Accountancy Fees
Postage
AGM Expenses
For EMF, not Holst Society
Bank Charges
TOTAL
600
200
1,300
442
191
600
200
1,300
442
191
60
750
595
849
665
19
210
200
115
40
664
159
665
1,430
181
210
200
115
40
664
159
27
2,289
345
345
43
140
100
1,278
118
100
1,278
118
72
300
130
71
68
Surplus/(Deficit) for the year
Transfers between funds
Net Movement in Funds
Total Funds Brought Forward
Total Funds Carried Forward
(2,591)
7.737
5,146
1,428
(2,519)
7,737
5,146
7679

THE GUSTAV HOLST SOCIETY
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES A_S AT 31 M_AY 2024
2024
2023
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash at bank:
Current
Restricted
203
477
772
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Loan
NET ASSETSI(LIABILITIES)
(6,2_51)
CHARITY FUNDS
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
TOTAL FUNDS AT 31 MAY 2024
{1.105) (6,251)
The financial statements were approved by the Trustees on
signed on their behalf by:
March 2025 to be
Christopher Cope (Chair of
Trustees)
12

ACCOUNTANTS, REPORT
In accordance with the terms of our engagement we have prepared for your approval
these financial statements of The Gustav Holst Society for the Year Ended 31 May 2024
from the accounting records and from information and explanations you have given to us.
As a practising member firm of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and
Wales (ICAEW), we are subject to its ethical and other professional requirements which
are detailed at icaew.com/regulations.
Our work has been undertaken solely to prepare for your approval the financial
information of The Gustav Holst Society and state those matters that we have agreed to
state to you in this report in accordance with the guidance of ICAEW as detailed at
icaew.comlcompilation.
Azets
Lime Court
Pathfields Business Park
South Molton
Devon
EX36 3LH
Date..
.March 2025
13