## Report to the Charity Commission 2021-22
The Charity’s activities at the beginning of the financial year commencing April 2021 were all directed to the fulfillment of the core aims through the performance of @emele, a new comic opera by Roger Simmonds and David Willcock.
## Production and Performance of @emele
Continuing restrictions surrounding Covid 19 were in place for amateur participants until May 17[th] , and even after this only six amateur singers were allowed to sing indoors. However, rehearsals with the professional cast were allowed and went ahead according to contract. Similarly professional musicians were employed to accompany in the band.
The rehearsal period was short but the show was staged at Wheatley House, Ladder Hill, Wheatley on 7[th] , 9[th] 10[th] July as planned with amateur participants singing outdoors and with a socially distanced audience.
Many in-kind donations were received from local businesses. Despite ticket sales being reduced due to social distancing issues the production did break even according to the budget.
## Changes in Trustees
At the half-yearly meeting of the Trustees, held on 30[th] September, David Willcock and Ruth Burdett tendered their resignations from the Board citing their concerns regarding the difficulties of financing future OCO productions. Roger Simmonds and Roy Gordon thanked David Willcock and Ruth Burdett for the work that they had contributed during their tenure and also declared it was their intention to continue to develop OCO and seek appropriate ways in which to support the OCO activities. To that end, on 28[th] October 2021, David Keene was appointed as a Trustee and to serve as Chairman.
## OCO’s next production
In parallel with working on @emele Roger Simmonds’ fertile gaze was also working on the score for a new opera entitled, Fame and Envy, with a libretto by Simon Kingston. The new work was completed by the end of 2021 and has as its focus the Art World with its opportunities for vast wealth, unbounded ambition and unscrupulous corruption. Fame and Envy starts out with a debate between two friends which essentially amounts to one friend’s jealousy of the other’s success in the world of contemporary painting. The debate escalates to a
37D Church Road, Wheatley OX33 1LZ Registered charity number 1178044
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challenge centred on an exhibition of “mock” art which, in turn, engenders subplots of envy, infidelity, scandal and murderous intent. Inevitably, there are unintended consequences and these lead to the opera closing with two tragic deaths. OCO is scheduling the production of this tale of jealousy in the world of fine art for the summer of 2023. Once again OCO will seeking to recruit young professionals to work with aspiring amateur performers and musicians.
At the beginning of 2022 OCO staged a fund-raising event entitled “The Age of Aquarius” which comprised various musical genres including two scenes from Fame and Envy. Gratifyingly, these extracts were well received which bodes well for next year’s production.
With @emele, OCO’s first major venture, completed successfully the Trustees are pleased to confirm that the Charity’s funds are in credit for forthcoming productions and events.
David Keene Chairman of Trustees
July 2022
37D Church Road, Wheatley OX33 1LZ Registered charity number 1178044
http://www.oxcontemporaryopera.org info@oxcontemporaryopera.org
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## OXFORDSHIRE CONTEMPORARY OPERA
## FINANCIAL STATEMENT
37D Church Road, Wheatley OX33 1LZ Registered charity number 1178044
http://www.oxcontemporaryopera.org info@oxcontemporaryopera.org
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## Oxfordshire Contemporary Opera
## Statement of financial activities in FY 2021/22
||Note||FY|FY|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||2020/21|2021/22|
||||£|£|
|Income|||||
|Brought forward from FY 2019/20|||2,191.21||
|Brought forward from FY 2020/21||||3,026.75|
|Ticket sales (1)|1|||800.00|
|Raffle ticket sales|1|||226.00|
|Bar sales (1)|1|||364.30|
|Donations|2||2,505.00|1,324.92|
|HMRC Gift Aid||||200.00|
|Ticket sales (2)|3|||7,435.00|
|Bar sales (2)|3|||988.55|
|Programme sales|3|||411.00|
|Ticket sales (3)|6|||460.00|
|Raffle tickets sales (3)|6|||75.00|
||||_______|
_______|
|Total income|||4,696.21|
15,311.52|
|Expenditure|||||
|Squarespace|||216.00|
216.00|
|OCO Insurance|4||600.00||
|Google||||214.25|
|TEN licences (x2)||||42.00|
|Refreshments/SUN voucher costs (1) 1||||302.78|
|Hire of chairs/tables for concert|1|||173.04|
|Musician Fee|1|||50.00|
|Parchments Print (1)|3||176.00|
795.97|
|Rehearsal space hire (1)|3||168.00|204.00|
|Rehearsal Pianists|3||400.00||
|Piano Tuner|3|||68.00|
|Soloist travel expenses|3||75.32|825.29|
|Carecheck|||12.00||
|Postage|3||22.14|7.95|
|Hire of tables/chairs|3|||173.58|
|Hire of Portaloos|3|||390.00|
|Advertising and signage (1)|3|||90.00|
|Video and lighting|3|||1,480.51|
|Rental of monitor, cable etc|5|||75.00|
|Set construction and design|3|||408.16|
|Costumes|3|||86.01|
|Soloists Fees|3|||5,500.00|
|37D Church Road, Wheatley OX33 1LZ|||http://www.oxcontemporaryopera.org||
|Registered charity number 1178044||||info@oxcontemporaryopera.org|
|||2|||
|Musicians Fees|3||1,300.00|1,300.00|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|Performance film costs|3|||47.00|
|Refreshments costs (2)|3|||568.57|
|Soloist/musician food|3|||365.32|
|Thankyous, props and sundries|3|||344.88|
|Business Cards||||28.20|
|Parchments Print (2)|6|||20.20|
|Advertising and Signage (2)|6|||125.67|
|Rehearsal space hire (2)|6|||66.00|
|Hire of Holton Village Hall|6|||130.00|
|Card reader costs||||2.02|
|||_________
|_________||
|Total Expenditure||(1,669.46)
|(14,100.40)||
|Funds|||||
|At April 2021||3,026.75||-|
|Net Movement of Resources in the Year||834.54
|(1,815.63)||
||||_|__|
|At March 2022|||1,211.12_||
The Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure are derived from continuing activities.
## Notes
1. A fund-raising concert was held on 29[th] May, 2021.
2. In FY 20/21 funds were donated by The Thistle Trust (£1,500) and The Martin Smith Foundation (£1,000). These were augmented in FY 21/22 by donations from other supporters.
3. All these expenses were incurred in preparation for the OCO production of _@emele_ in July 2021
4. Renewal will be postponed until required for future fund-raising events and productions.
5. £25 of these costs were incurred in FY 20/21. In agreement with Spire Film Ltd., payment for these costs was deferred until FY 21/22.
6. A fund-raising concert was held on 12[th] March, 2022.
37D Church Road, Wheatley OX33 1LZ Registered charity number 1178044
http://www.oxcontemporaryopera.org info@oxcontemporaryopera.org
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