## TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT
Harlekin Studio Opera - Charity No. 1183089
The trustees of Harlekin Studio Opera present their annual report for the period 24[th] April 2022 to 23[rd] April 2023. The report follows the structure of the _Charity Accounts Template – Trustees’ annual report for the period_ published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
Items are numbered using the SORP reference system, with optional items included where appropriate.
Period start date: 24/04/2022
Period end date: 23/04/2023
Charity name: Harlekin Studio Opera
Charity Number: 1183089
Objectives and Activities
## **1.17 Summary of purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document**
To promote the art of opera music for the public benefit by:
- a) The organisation and/or presentation of performances of high educational and artistic merit.
- b) To advance the education of the public in the subject of opera music.
## **1.18 Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit**
The charity’s trustees have read and understood the guidance on public benefit and have worked closely together to ensure that the charitable purposes have been met.
## **1.19 Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit**
The 2022-2023 period saw the continuation of our weekly workshops, providing education in Opera through learning arias and choruses in a safe and supportive environment. The main vehicle for our work in this year was Purcell’s opera, Dido and Aeneas.
Dido and Aeneas proved to be a great choice for our first completely staged opera as singers were able to work in their native language and instead focus on aspects of music that might have been lost to the time restrictions of working in a foreign language. Through the source material the singers were able to explore acting, dramatic pacing, musical phrasing and music theory amongst many other things.
In the months following our primary project for the year we took a deep dive into our core repertoire of choruses, ensemble and arias to facilitate further learning and development, of music Theory, interpretation, performance, and vocal production. Culminating in a concert of arias and choruses at St. Paul’s church Whitley Bay which brought opera to a new audience and attracted further interest in participation, in particular the start of our next project Pagliacci, to be performed in late 2023.
For the production of Pagliacci the delivery team has been expanded to include Jamie Whitfield as Director, and our resident conductor Desmond Lau has been given greater control over Musical Direction. The themes that are being explored in our production include adultery, domestic violence, and workplace relations. Great care is being taken to make sure that the cast are comfortable, happy and safe throughout the rehearsal period. We have provided sessions on language coaching, the intricacies of Verismo Opera, and workshops on Chekovian and Brechtian Theatre.
Alongside our formal presentations we performed a short set of choruses at Fiesta Whitley Bay; a small local market, occurring quarterly, and run by the local business community and St Pauls Church. Fiesta is a lively, family-oriented event and has proven
to be a good opportunity for us to boost our performance opportunities and raise awareness of our presence in the North East.
## Achievements and Performance
1.20 Summary of main achievements, examples of benefits to beneficiaries and society as a whole
The performances of Dido and Aeneas took place at Newcastle Castle keep and represents the first time in recorded history that opera has been presented at the venue. Singers felt boosted by working in such an ancient space at the heart of the city’s Historic and Cultural Core. The project attracted new members to the company both through its rehearsal and as a result of the final performances. The production was well received by the audience with one audience member, active in local theatre scene, saying we have brought to the area something which hasn’t been seen before.
Our winter concert allowed our participants to showcase their own personal repertoire, highlighting their vocal and musical development throughout the year. The programme was supplemented by the return of former participants, who no longer live in the area, and a selection of invited friends. This additional personnel boosted the presence of the chorus, and made for an engaging performance, attracting new members to the company.
In al,l this year has seen a remarkable growth in the confidence and ability of our participants, and this shines through in their performances, and interactions with their colleagues in rehearsal. A number of our participants have faced personal hardships through the year, but our regular rehearsals have provided solace and a safe space for them to freely explore their voice, movement and creativity.
## FINANCIAL REVIEW
## **1.21 Review of charity’s financial position at the end of the period**
The charity ended the year in a better financial position than the previous year. An increase in participants subscriptions and a successful opera run led to a small surplus of £612 and a closing balance of £1,491.
Although this provides the company with a reasonable buffer the trustees will look at ways to ensure the financial security of the company for the future and for ways to increase spending power for future projects.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
## **1.25 Type of Governing Document**
The company is a Charitable Incorporated Society using the ‘foundation’ model. It is managed by a board of trustees in accordance with a constitution.
New trustees are nominated by existing trustees and admitted to the board following a vote at a meeting of the trustees in accordance with the constitution which states that:
(1) Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee must be appointed
for a term not exceeding 5 years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees.
(2) In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO.
## REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Charity Name: Harlekin Studio Opera
Other name(s): HSO
Registered Charity Number: 1183089
Charity’s Principal Address: 53 Bishops Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE15 6RY
Charity Trustees:
Mr. James Whitfield (Chair and Co-Treasurer)
Mr. Robert Hardiment (Co-Treasurer)
Dr. Susan Baker (Trustee)
Miss. Jolanda Grijpstra (Trustee)
Miss. Holly Zeffertt (Trustee)
Trustees declare that the trustee’s report has been approved for submission to the Charity Commission.
Signed:
Name: James Whitfield
Position: Chair Date: 01/04/2024
||**HARLEKIN STUDIO OPERA**|**HARLEKIN STUDIO OPERA**|**HARLEKIN STUDIO OPERA**|**1183089**|**CC16a**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Receipts and payments acco**|||**unts**|||
||**For the period**
**from**|**24-Apr-22**|**To**|**23-Apr-23**|||
||||||||
|**Section A Receipts and payments**|||||||
|**A1 Receipts**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**|**Restricted funds**
**to the nearest £**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**|**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**|**Last year**
**to the nearest £**||
|Membership Subscriptions|**-**
**2,855-**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**2,855-**|**-**
**980-**||
|Ticket Sales - Concert|**-**
**225-**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**225-**|**-**
**100-**||
|Ticket Sales - Dido and Aeneas Performances|**-**
**1,071-**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**1,071-**|**-**
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|Donations|**-**
**375-**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**375-**|**-**
**--**||
|||**-**
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|||**-**
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**--**||
|||**-**
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**--**||
|**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for AR)_|**-**
**4,526-**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**4,526-**|**-**
**1,080-**||
|**A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).**|||||||
|||**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|||
|||**-**
**--**|**-**
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|**_Sub total_**
**_Total receipts_**
**A3 Payments**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**||
||||||||
||**-**
**4,526-**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**4,526-**|**-**
**1,080-**||
||||||||
|Venue Hire|**-**
**1,209-**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**1,209-**|**-**
**743-**||
|Musicians Fees|**-**
**2,705-**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**2,705-**|**-**
**802-**||
|Making Music Membership|**-**
**--**|||**-**
**--**|**-**
**141-**||
|||**-**
**--**|**-**
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**--**
**-**
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**-**
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**-**
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**-**
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|**_Sub total_**||**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||
|||**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||
||**-**
**3,914-**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**3,914-**|**-**
**1,686-**||
||||||||
|**A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table)**|**-**
**--**|**-**
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|||**-**
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|**_Sub total_**
**_Total payments_**
**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**
**A5 Transfers between funds**
**A6 Cash funds last year end**
**_Cash funds this year end_**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|||
||||||||
||**-**
**3,914-**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**3,914-**|**-**
**1,686-**||
||||||||
||**-**
**612-**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**612-**|**-**
**606-**||
||**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**||
||**-**
**1,104-**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**1,104-**|**-**
**--**||
||**-**
**1,716-**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**1,716-**|**-**
**606-**||
||||||||
||||||||
|**Section B Statement of assets and**|**Details**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**||**Restricted funds**|**Endowment**
**funds**||
|**Categories**
**B1 Cash funds**|||**to nearest £**|**to nearest £**|**to nearest £**||
||Lloyds Bank Account||**-**
**1,491-**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**||
||Cash||**-**
**225-**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**||
||||**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
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|**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B3 Investment assets**
**B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use**
**B5 Liabilities**
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees|
**(agree balances wi**
**Details**|**_Total cash funds_**
**th receipts and payments**
**account(s))**|**-**
**1,716-**|**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**||
||||**OK**|OK|OK||
||||**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|**Restricted funds**
**to nearest £**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**||
||||**-**
**--**|**-**
**--**|**-**
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||**Details**||**Fund to which asset**
**belongs**|**Cost (optional)**|**Current value**
**(optional)**||
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||**Details**||**Fund to which asset**
**belongs**|**Cost (optional)**|**Current value**
**(optional)**||
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||**Details**||**Fund to which**
**liability relates**|**Amount due**
**(optional)**|**When due**
**(optional)**||
||||||||
|||||**-**
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|||||**-**
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|||||**-**
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|||||**-**
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||Sign|ature|Print|Name|Date of approval||
||||James|Whitfield|01/04/2024||
||||||||
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
01/04/2024
1