## **Music in the Castle - Charity number: 1187306**
**Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending**
**31 December 2021**
## **Objectives and Activities**
**To advance the education of the general public and, in particular but not exclusively, schoolchildren in the arts by providing and assisting in the provision of classical music concerts, recitals and workshops in Devon and the surrounding areas.**
**Seven evening concerts and three workshops for schoolchildren had been planned and advertised on the website for 2021. However due to the pandemic and so much remaining uncertainty, a printed brochure had not been produced in order to save money. The events had been carefully considered to create a wide variety, thereby appealing to as many schoolchildren and the wider general public as possible. They included, Brass, Strings, Piano, Vocal and a new duo combination for us – Flute & Guitar.**
**The concerts were due to start in March 2021 with Post Graduate singers from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. Having had them previously, this was to be a very welcome return and they were to deliver a free workshop for school children in the afternoon and present a public concert in the evening. This was to be followed by a similar day in April, but given by the students of Wells Cathedral School Brass Ensemble, enabling students to present music to younger children with the hope of inspiring the next generation of musicians. This event had been re-scheduled from the previous year. The third planned concert was an evening event only, and for the general public with the Fitzwilliam String Quartet in May. A highly respected and internationally renowned Quartet, this concert was also re-organised from 2020.**
**For the very first time Music in the Castle had been asked to host a concert by Clare College Cambridge Chamber Choir as part of their UK tour. We were extremely happy to oblige and knew this would be an exceptional concert and certainly bring in a large audience, so the date created an extra concert for our season at the end of June. We were also fortunate to secure the Young Musician of the Year Piano finalist of 2020 – Thomas Luke - for a concert in September which was to be followed by the unusual**
**combination of Flute & Guitar Duo, planned for October, who would also present our final schools concert/workshop of the year.**
**To conclude the year, our hugely popular small scale performance of Messiah by Handel was planned for December, featuring the 8 voices of Powderham Consort and Divertimento Ensemble.**
**All events were agreed by the Trustees and given due and careful regard for the policies outlined in the governing document.**
## **Achievements and Performance**
**Sadly Covid restrictions were still in place for the first few months of 2021 and once again our planned concerts in March and April had to be cancelled. We made a promise to those performers that we would re-schedule their dates as soon as possible. Very tentatively we were able to go ahead with the Fitzwilliam String Quartet in June, albeit with a necessary limited audience and significant spacing between seats. This was an incredibly emotional event for both audience and performers alike, even though all audience were required to wear masks. Live music had returned to the Music Room and the whole evening was filled with beautiful music, superbly played and introduced in an informative and informal way, making the audience feel relaxed and very happy to be back.**
**Tickets had sold very favourably for our extra concert of the season – the Chamber Choir from Clare College Cambridge at the end of June. We were to be the last concert of their tour and it was good to see them all arrive safely in the afternoon. However over the course of their tour, several had begun to test positive for Covid and were having to leave the ensemble and return home. With huge disappointment a further positive test for one young singer was discovered in the afternoon and very reluctantly the decision was made to cancel the concert at the very last moment. It was decided that voice parts were becoming too depleted to effectively create a performance equal to their normal standard and with the possibility of spreading the virus to the audience was something they rightly felt very uncomfortable about. So it was with great sadness for everybody, they departed back to Cambridge and a hurried email was sent to all those preparing to attend.**
**Thanks to the wonderful organisation, Ticket Source, refunds for all cancelled concerts were automatically made to those who had already purchased tickets.**
**Thankfully with Covid case numbers declining, we were able to reliably proceed with our September concert and the stunning playing of pianist Thomas Luke. The sixteen year old had hugely impressed the adjudicators of BBC young Musician of the Year and he won his**
**category in 2020. Unsurprisingly our audience were tentative and wary of returning to a classical concert, so numbers were low, but to those present, the dedication; commitment and intensity of the playing was evident throughout, and the professionalism with which he spoke and conducted himself was impressive to see in one so young. It was a joy to watch such talent begin to blossom and we were thrilled to be able to offer this aspiring young man the chance to perform and give him further invaluable experience as he embarks on a musical career - The very thing that Music in the Castle was designed to encourage.**
**Our next big step was to encourage our young audience to return for one of our ‘free’ afternoon concerts/workshops. No persuasion was necessary and our Schools Co-ordinator writes –** _**“ With great relief we were able to welcome school parties back to Powderham Castle's magnificent Music Room in October 2021, after the pandemic. The Meraki Duo (Meera Maharaj, flute & James Girling, guitar) performed a stimulating programme that was carefully planned to introduce the young audience to the great scope of this musical pairing. The audience was made up of 106 state and independent school children from many parts of Devon. As before, the levels of concentration and the questions following the performance indicated a very engaged audience. All the accompanying staff were extremely pleased to be able to incorporate a live event in their term's programme.”**_
**The evening concert that the Meraki Duo presented was varied and highly entertaining. The audience, once again rather small in number, were amazed at the numerous techniques displayed by both players that were unfamiliar to us all, creating real diversity but wonderful team work in their programme that spanned many decades and much work in arranging classical works for this unusual combination of instruments. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all and we were extremely pleased to have given these two young players, one supported by the Munster Trust, the chance to express their art in such wonderful surroundings.**
**Thankfully we were also able to go ahead with our popular Christmas concert – A performance of Handel’s Messiah. The size of the venue and the need to accommodate all the audience that wish to attend – it has been a longstanding arrangement that the performance is small scale and possibly as Handel intended. Just 17 performers present this mighty work and a capacity audience is always a delight to see. This occasion was no different and the performance concluded a disturbed year once again for ‘Music in the Castle’ but ended on a real high with a standing ovation for all performers and a promise that this event would return again very soon.**
**Future plans for 2022 include rescheduled concerts from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and Wells Cathedral Brass Ensemble. Four further concerts and three free workshops for local school children have also been arranged.**
## **Financial Review.**
**Having hoped that all seven concerts would be able to go ahead, it was disappointing that three had to be cancelled. Three of the remaining concerts saw low audience figures due to hesitancy over venturing back to live events, but costs and expenses were not able to be diminished. Our final concert however saw numbers back to almost pre pandemic levels. Funds at the beginning of the year stood at £16,039. Income created, amounted to £4043.90 (including donations)with costs arising to £7,201.52. A balance of £12,882.20 at end of December 2021, is now held in reserve.**
**Policy on Reserves**
**Reserves are held to further promote and develop concerts and workshops for young people and the wider public, and to cover any future unforeseen fluctuations in income and expenditure.**
**Structure, Governance and Management**
**Music in the Castle – Constitution was adopted in January 2020 and is registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation .**
**Future Trustees are appointed following recommendations presented to the Board of Trustees.**
## **Reference and Administrative details**
**Charity Name – Music in the Castle Registered Charity Number – 1187306 Principal Address – 3. Gulliford Cottages, Lympstone, Devon. EX8 5AQ**
**Trustees: Alison Burnett – Artistic Director Rosalind Mason – Schools Co-ordinator Bernard Hadley**
## **Declarations**
**Signature(s) Full name(s)** Alison Burnett **Position (eg Secretary,** Artistic Director **Chair, etc) Date** 7th September 2022
## **Statement of Financial Activities as at 31[st] December 2021**
||**2020**|**2021**|
|---|---|---|
|**Opening balance:**|**£16,307.19**|**£16,039.82**|
|**Income**|||
|**Donations**|**£0**|**£39.90**|
|**Charitable Activities**|**£0**|**£4004.00**|
|**Total Income**|**£0**|**£4043.90**|
|**Expenditure**|||
|**Charitable Activities**|**£0**|**£4,238.80**|
|**Instrument tuning, Website, Admin, Printing,**|**£267.37**|**£2,962.72**|
|**Total Expenditure**|**£267.37**|**£7,201.52**|
|**Total Unrestricted Funds carried forward**|**£16,039.82**|**£12882.20**|
**The trustees report that Music in the Castle has no outstanding debts against the Charity in this financial period.**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
7th Sept 2022
**----- End of picture text -----**
**Music in the Castle 2021**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Concerts Income Direct Costs Profit/ Loss
Phone Sales Ticketsource Donations/Sponsorhip Season Ticket Total Income Performer Fees Travel/AccomRefreshmentsRoom Hire Total Costs
(5% discount)
RWCMD CANCELLED TO COVID-19 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00
Wells Cathedral CANCLLED TO COVID -19 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00
Fitzwilliam Quartet £75.00 £850.00 £925.00 £911.80 £120.00 £1,031.80 -£106.80
Clare College CANCELLED TO COV Tea refund - 65 Tea refund - £65 £65.00 £93.88 £93.88 -£28.88
Thomas Luke £34.00 £634.00 £19.00 £687.00 £200.00 £229.80 £120.00 £549.80 £137.20
Meraki Duo £34.00 £620.50 £10.45 £664.95 £200.00 £75.00 £120.00 £395 £269.95
Messiah £85.00 £1,606.50 £10.45 £1,701.95 £2,000.00 £48.32 £120.00 £2,168.32 -£466.37
Concert Totals £39.90 £4,043.90 £4,238.80 -£194.90
**----- End of picture text -----**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Admin Expenses
Date Piano/Org TunMiscell/ AB Hon EquipmEquipment cost LCN Toco/ Scribble Total
01/21 £0.00
02/21 £0.00
03/21 £16.74 £16.74
04/21 £0.00
05/21 £75.00 Solo Pr £52.70 £127.70
06/21 £0.00
07/21 £0.00
08/21 £0.00
09/21 £75.00 Solo Pr £37.22 £112.22
10/21 £204.00 Solo Pr £29.63 £233.63
11/21 £0.00
12/21 £2,000.00 solo Pr £53.43 £419.00 £2,472.43
Total £354.00 £2,000.00 £172.98 £16.74 £419.00 £2,962.72
**----- End of picture text -----**
|**Donations/Sponsorship/Adverts**|**Donations/Sponsorship/Adverts**|**Mason Sponsorship from 2019 £4,976.50**
**Mason Sponsorhip 2020**
**£0.00**
**Total**
**4.976.50**
**NGA Costs**
**£395.00**
**Total remaining for 2022**
**£4,581.50**|
|---|---|---|
||||
||||
|**Mason 2019 (carried over**|**)**
**£4,976.50**||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
|**Total**|**£4,976.50**||
**Bank Acc total @31/12/21 £12,882.20**