## Welsh Singers Showcase
## Trustees’ Annual Report for the Financial Year to 31 July 2023
Welsh Singers Showcase (WSS) is a charity (no. 1179521) governed by a board of Trustees. Its principal purpose is to promote young Welsh classical singers at the start of their careers. It achieves this by staging a competition at which the Welsh representative in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, the leading operatic competition for young singers, is selected by a distinguished jury. Its operations are relatively modest with a competition which takes place every alternate year.
## 2022 Competition
The Welsh Singers Competition 2022 final was held on October 30th at a packed Dora Stouzker Hall, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Cardiff, and later broadcast on S4C in December 2022.
Following auditions at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, five of Wales' most talented young singers competed for the opportunity to represent their country at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2023.
**Presenter:** Tim Rhys-Evans MBE, Director of Music at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama **Final Jury:** Rebecca Evans CBE (Chair), Dame Felicity Lott, Mary King **Conductor:** David Jones
**Orchestra:** RWCMD Orchestra supported by professional musicians **Official Accompanist:** David Doidge **Broadcaster:** S4C
## Broadcast Statistics provided by S4C:
The main broadcast had an audience of 9,800. This increases to 14,200 including the rebroadcast. The equivalent figure across the UK was 14,900.
It performed best among viewers 45+, the ABC1 class and in the North and West. The non-Welsh speaking audience was also very strong. In terms of online performance, there was a total of 1,091 across i-Player and Clic.The AI score: 84
## Finalists:
## **Dafydd Allen (Baritone)**
Dafydd is a Welsh National Opera Associate Artist for their 2022/23 season. He is a recent graduate of the Royal College of Music, where he studied with Brindley Sherratt.
## **Osian Wyn Bowen (Tenor)**
Osian is a Scottish Opera Emerging Artist for 2022/23. He is a graduate of the David Seligman Opera School, where he studied under the tutelage of renowned vocal coach John Fisher and Adrian Thompson.
## **Jessica Robinson (Soprano)**
Jessica graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama gaining a distinction in MA Opera Performance. During her time at the RWCMD, Jessica gained a first class honours undergraduate degree.
## **Erin Gwyn Rossington (Soprano)**
Erin is a recent graduate of the Opera Course at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, having previously gained a Masters of Music also at GSMD, and a 1st class bachelor’s degree at the RNCM.
## **Kieron-Connor Valentine (Countertenor)**
Winner of the 2019 Bath Opera Isobel Buchanan award, Kieron-Connor is a graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, where he studied with David Lowe. He is currently engaged on the opera course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
Soprano, Jessica Robinson received both the audience prize and overall prize and went on to represent Wales at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World.
## Outcomes:
For all participants, the competition offered:
- An opportunity to experiment with repertoire and receive expert feedback from the panel.
- The opportunity to meet other young singers on a similar journey.
- Exposure to influential figures in the classical music industry.
- All competition finalists gained:
- Experience of performing under the unique pressure of a competition final
- Experience of performing with an orchestra and professional conductor
- Experience working with WSC official collaborative pianist
- Exposure to a wider audience as the final was broadcast on S4C
## Financial Results
Donations amounting to £31,895 were received during the year. Total expenditure was £32,823. Important relationships have been formed with Brewin Dolphin, Rathbones, The Moondance Foundation and the Jenour Foundation to support the 2022 competition.
The activities described above were reported, discussed and approved at meetings of the Trustees. The Trustees would like to record their thanks to Mrs Sue Welch for dealing efficiently with the administration of the competition.
## Policies
## Safeguarding Vulnerable Beneficiaries
The beneficiaries of the Charity are young classical singers. The Trustees take all possible care to ensure the wellbeing of the participants in the showcase, both at the auditions and the main event itself.
## Conflicts of Interest
The Trustees are experienced individuals who are aware that any potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed. Inevitably, such conflicts arise from time to time and the Trustees ensure that the conflicted Trustee does not participate in the relevant decision.
## Paying of Staff
The Charity does not have any staff. Mrs Sue Welch is paid for administering the Charity, which is disclosed under Administration in our financial accounts.
## Reserves Policy
The Charity recognises the need to hold reserves in order to secure the sustainability of the competition. At the end of the last two-year cycle of activity, the Charity held reserves of £10,442, being approximately 24% of the cost of the previous competition.
Signed on behalf of the Board of Trustees
**Dr Carol Bell, Chair**
**25 May 2024**
**1179521**
## **WELSH SINGERS SHOWCASE**
**Receipts and payments accounts For the period** 8/1/2022 **To from**
**payments accountsayments accountsyments accountsments accounts CC16a** 8/1/2022 7/31/2023 **To**
## **Section A Receipts and payments**
**Unrestricted Restricted Endowment funds funds funds**
**to the nearest £**
**to the nearest £ to the nearest £**
## **Total funds Last year**
**to the nearest £ to the nearest £**
## **A1 Receipts**
|**A1 Receipts**||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Donations||**31,895**||**-**||**-**||**31,895**||**11,750**||
|Gift Aid||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**50**||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||
|**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for AR)_||**31,895**
||**-**||**-**||**31,895**||**11,800**||
|||||||||||||
|**A2 Asset and investment sales,**||||||||||||
|**(see table).**||||||||||||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||
|**_Sub total_**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||
|||||||||||||
|**_Total receipts_ **||**31,895**||**-**||**-**||**31,895**||**11,800**||
|**A3 Payments**||||||||||||
|Awards||**25,696**||**-**||**-**||**25,696**||**1,862**||
|Administrator fees||**7,127**||**-**||**-**||**7,127**||**-**||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||
|**_Sub total_ **||**32,823**||**-**||**-**||**32,823**||**1,862**||
|||||||||||||
|**A4 Asset and investment**||||||||||||
|**purchases, (see table)**||||||||||||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||||
|**_Sub total_ **||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||
|||||||||||||
|**_Total payments_ **||**32,823**||**-**||**-**||**32,823**||**1,862**||
|||||||||||||
|**_Net of receipts/(payments)_ **||**- 928**||**-**||**-**||**- 928**||**9,938**||
|**A5 Transfers between funds**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||
|**A6 Cash funds last year end**||**11,370**||**-**||**-**||**11,370**||**-**||
|**_Cash funds this year end_ **||**10,442**||**-**||**-**||**10,442**||**9,938**||
## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**
|**Categories**
**B1 Cash funds**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B3 Investment assets**
**B5 Liabilities**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees|**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
Signature
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))|**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**10,442**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**10,442**
**-**
OK
OK
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
Print Name
RICHARD WATKINS
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Fund to which**
**liability relates**
**Amount due**
**(optional)**|**to nearest £**
**Endowment**
**funds**|
|---|---|---|---|
||||**-**|
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**Endowment**
**funds**|
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||||Date of
approval|
|||RICHARD WATKINS|5/29/2024|
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## **WELSH SINGERS SHOWCASE – charity number: 1179521**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended **31/07/2023** .
As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
- the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
- the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed:
Name: C J G Davies, FCA
Professional Body: ICAEW
Address: 13 Llwyn y Grant Rd, Cardiff, CF23 9ET
Date: 30 May 2024