a brigantesorchestra SHEFFIELD'S PROFESSIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT for BRIGANTES MUSIC (1187752)
for the period
ending 31 March 2025
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Summary of the purposes of the charity
SORP Para. 1.17
“To advance the education of people in the arts for the public benefit, in particular classical music of professional standard, primarily, but not exclusively, through the provision of public orchestral performances and the education of young musicians, young people, and the provision of classical music to those less likely to engage with it.” – Brigantes Music Governing document
The charity is in the form of a symphony orchestra with hired professional musicians, soloists and conductor who will, over the course of each season, present various performances of classical music, film music or contemporary music (including commissioned compositions) for Sheffield audiences. By forging close links with schools and the city’s musical education services, the charity will offer free tickets to young people with a view to encouraging a love of the arts in general and music in particular. The charity will offer opportunities to young up-and-coming soloists to perform with a professional symphony orchestra. The musicians of the orchestra will themselves be in developing careers and local to Sheffield – in this way the charity also benefits the local arts economy.
The Brigantes aim to benefit the UK, Sheffield / Yorkshire’s existing audiences, new audiences including young people, school children, young musicians, students, over 65s and those on reduced incomes. Also, the orchestra aims to promote local musicians with developing careers, young soloists, young / student composers; those in minority groups by cross-cultural bridging, or by raising awareness of contemporary issues.
Music education is an important aim of the charity, both for existing, regular audience members who will be offered jargon-free, instructive programme notes, pre / post-concert talks and musical combinations of pieces which highlight a specific issue, for example mental health awareness or issues of equality, sexuality and gender; and for local school-children or young instrumentalists in the form of easy and affordable access to music, and programmes specifically tailored to their education or the entertainment of their family group.
contact@thebrigantes.uk | +44(0)7456 521148 thebrigantes.uk | @thebrigantes | insta/brigantesmusic
Brigantes Music is a registered charity: 1187752
Public Benefit
SORP Para. 1.17
The Trustees have had due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. They believe that the activities described in this report have provided clear public benefit through the presentation of professional-standard orchestral concerts, the provision of accessible and educational musical experiences, targeted outreach to young people and marginalised groups, and the support and development of professional musicians based in Sheffield and the surrounding region.
Summary of main activities
SORP Paragraphs 1.17 & 1.19
This period covers the end of the season 2023 / 2024 (the final two concerts in the season with the theme of ‘Dance’) and the first part of the season 2024 / 2025 (three of the four concerts programmed), as well as encompassing our Fifth Birthday celebrations, the first two concerts for schools and a return of the popular Christmas-styled baroque programme.
The new season (2024 / 2025) was to include three main full-sized symphonic concerts spread reasonably evenly through the year (October, March & June) as well as a concert with Brigantes Strings of “Baroque Bonbons” aimed at a Christmas audience in December. Due to agenda conflicts with our usual home, Sheffield Cathedral, we experimented with two concerts in the Catholic Cathedral including the season premiere and the December concert (ultimately this was not a venue we would like to return to). Music included symphonies by Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Weill, concerti by Poulenc, Vivaldi, John Williams and Henriëtte Bosmans, and other pieces by Saint-Saëns, Barber and Ravel. Soloists included local Sheffield pianist Anabelle Lawson, the orchestra’s leader (also local to Sheffield), David Milsom, violinist Jonathan Martindale, and an innovating visual ‘soloist’, Rosa van der Vijver a Dutch Sand Artist.
The remaining concerts in the previous series (encompassed by this report) included our first concert for schools with a second evening performance for families, and a season finale and Fifth Birthday celebration including Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with visiting soloist Oliver Janes.
Previous pricing restructure in favour of younger audiences saw rises in attendance for the age groups 16 and under, and aged 17 to 23. Audience numbers for the other demographics were in general static through all the concerts covered by this report.
A Public Relations Consultant was retained who managed to secure newspaper coverage (Sheffield Star, Yorkshire Post and Sheffield Telegraph) and online presence with regularity each month of the season. A Consultant Charity Fundraiser began work in April 2024 with the aim of securing additional funding for special projects including our schools’ programme and outreach work in general.
contact@thebrigantes.uk | +44(0)7456 521148 thebrigantes.uk | @thebrigantes | insta/brigantesmusic
Brigantes Music is a registered charity: 1187752
Contribution made by volunteers
SORP Para. 1.38
Brigantes Music was well supported by volunteers including:
-
i. Volunteers to promote the concert including the distribution of flyers and posters
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ii. Front-of-house volunteers who issued tickets and collected payments, sold CDs and other merchandise, handed out programmes and generally liaised with the audience at the concerts. Their brightly coloured Polo shirts with the orchestra’s logo on the front proved distinctive and popular.
-
iii. Further volunteers gave their time to proofread published material.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
Summary of the main achievements of the charity
SORP Para. 1.20
The charity can report small increases to our principal target demographics over the concerts in this period. Our governing document commitment to audience development details our aspiration to lower the average age of attendees (Sheffield’s usual audience for classical music tends to be aged 60+). Further, with a Charity Fundraiser in place we embarked upon identifying and inviting potential audiences in marginalised demographics or those who had never had a concert experience of classical music, as well as reaching out to children specifically in areas of known poverty in the city environs, thus beginning plans to develop “The Audience of Tomorrow” , a project to renew ageing audiences in Sheffield and increase audiences in neglected demographics. In the meantime, we continued our collaboration with a small volunteer charity called Creative Connections and were able to offer 20 to 30 free tickets per concert for asylum seekers and their families currently living locally to Sheffield.
We have continued to present largescale orchestral projects so that more musicians from Sheffield or the surrounding environs could count the ensemble as regular work. The average age of the orchestra has settled at around 35. The orchestra is conscious of its diversity and gender balance and has focused on maintaining this consistency: on average, 56% of the ensemble is female, around 15% report a hidden disability (including neurodiversity), and there is a meaningful representation of LGBTQ+ musicians, comprising approximately 17%.
The trustees had previously discussed the need for a youth training scheme in connection with one of the nearest further-education universities or conservatoires to offer opportunities for potentially graduating musicians to gain some orchestral experience with a professional orchestra. This project took its first steps in this period, and the charity began negotiations with Royal Birmingham Conservatoire to initiate a “Student Access Scheme” with auditions in the season 2025 /2026 and the first placements to begin in January 2026. Funding was to be sought to maximise the scheme’s efficiency and efficacy.
The charity is continuing its commitment to educating its audiences. The new programme booklets (free to every audience member) were extremely popular in helping to give musical context, break down the barriers of musical jargon and acquired knowledge, and show how the repertoire applied to contemporary and popular culture. New programme booklets for children were launched at our first schools concert in April
contact@thebrigantes.uk | +44(0)7456 521148 thebrigantes.uk | @thebrigantes | insta/brigantesmusic
Brigantes Music is a registered charity: 1187752
2024 and both the adult and youth versions were made available online in high quality through our website and also on the platform Issuu: https://issuu.com/brigantesorchestra.
The charity published updates and further essential procedural policy relating to the employment of our musicians including documents concerning complaints, harassment and bullying, and safeguarding. These were published on our website along with guidance for trustees.
We fulfilled many of our aims in the previous TAR, including inaugural schools concerts, as well as an artistic broadening of our remit to include multimedia and new repertoire such as film music and other pieces from the 20[th] century. Further, the themes of the season 2024 to 2025 looked at fluidity in terms of musical structure, but also in relation to diversity. We were able to include music that reflected this diversity including by Dutch female composer Henriëtte Bosmans, and by Tchaikovsky, Poulenc, Saint-Saëns, Israeli composer Lior Navok, and by the American, Samuel Barber.
Future Plans
SORP Para. 1.19
Looking ahead, the Trustees intend to consolidate and build upon the progress made during this reporting period. Priorities for the coming year include the continued development of the charity’s schools and education programme, ensuring that high-quality orchestral experiences remain accessible to children and young people across Sheffield, particularly those who might not otherwise engage with live classical music. The charity also plans to progress the proposed Student Access Scheme, developed in partnership with a higher-education conservatoire, to provide structured orchestral experience for emerging professional musicians. Alongside this, the Trustees will continue to focus on audience development, financial sustainability and fundraising capacity, while maintaining the artistic quality and diversity of programming that underpins the charity’s public benefit.
Performance of fundraising activities against objectives
SORP Para. 1.41
The charity secured funding from a local company to meet any shortfall in earnings from other streams including ticket sales and donations. The donations scheme has continued to yield small but consistent income and audience members have also made additional and generous contributions at the box office in the form of donations in addition to the price of their ticket. Ticket sales were robust and reasonably constant, helping to reduce the funds required from our supporting local company and maintain cashflow. Donations represented approximately 87% of total income for the period.
Our fundraiser secured financial support from Sheffield City Council’s Cultural Pipeline Fund , from Skipton Building Society and from the People’s Postcode Lottery. The latter specifically aimed at helping children from our chosen Postcode to access our schools concert in March 2025.
FINANCIAL REVIEW (see receipts and payments accounts)
Current financial position
SORP Para. 1.21
Brigantes Music had donations which entirely met its requirements for the period including from a local business, audience donations and restricted funds acquired for specific use in our education plans.
contact@thebrigantes.uk | +44(0)7456 521148
thebrigantes.uk | @thebrigantes | insta/brigantesmusic
Brigantes Music is a registered charity: 1187752
Reserves
SORP Para. 1.22
Brigantes Music increased its reserves as at March 2025, primarily as a result of strong donation income, including restricted funding for education activity, alongside careful control of costs. Improvements to ticketing systems have also supported more consistent cashflow across the year. Some restricted funds were carried forward into the next financial year to support delivery of agreed education activity.
Risk and Uncertainty
SORP Para. 1.9
The Trustees recognise the charity’s reliance on voluntary income and continue to mitigate this risk through diversifying funding sources, developing fundraising capacity, and maintaining close control of costs. Venue availability remains a practical risk, and alternative spaces are explored where necessary. The Trustees also keep under review the operational capacity of the organisation and the demands placed on trustees, seeking to mitigate this through careful planning and the use of professional freelance support where appropriate.
STRUCTURE & GOVERNANCE
The charity’s trusts
SORP Para. 1.25
Brigantes Music is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) with a constitution governing document and currently has three trustees.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Principal Information
Brigantes Music (The Brigantes Orchestra), 1187752. Registered at 3 Banner Cross Drive, Sheffield.
Trustees
Chairman: Mr Quentin Clare (appointed 04 February 2020); Secretary: Dr Anthony R Hart (appointed 04 February 2020); Mr David Watkin-Holmes (appointed 04 February 2020).
DECLARATIONS
The Trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed
QUENTIN CLARE, CHAIRMAN | 04 APRIL 2025
contact@thebrigantes.uk | +44(0)7456 521148 thebrigantes.uk | @thebrigantes | insta/brigantesmusic
Brigantes Music is a registered charity: 1187752
Receipts and Payments Accounts ending 31.03.2025
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS PERIOD 01 APRIL 2024 to 31 MARCH 2025
| LAST YEAR 30,997 0 11,243 |
LAST YEAR 30,997 0 11,243 |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNRESTRICTED Receipts Donations 44,700 Bank Cash Reward 2 Refund 271 Ticket Revenue 11,185 |
RESTRICTED 33,857 0 0 0 |
ENDOWMENT 0 0 0 0 |
TOTAL 78,557 2 271 11,185 |
LAST YEAR | |||||||
| Donations | 44,700 | 33,857 | 0 | 78,557 | 30,997 | ||||||
| Bank Cash Reward | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| Refund | 271 | 0 | 0 | 271 | |||||||
| Ticket Revenue | 11,185 | 0 | 0 | 11,185 | 11,243 | ||||||
| SUBTOTAL 56,158 Asset Sales None 0 |
56,158 | 33,857 | 0 | 90,015 | 42,240 | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| None | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| SUBTOTAL 0 TOTAL RECEIPTS 56,158 Payments Performers Wages 38,710 Consultancy 5,650 Ticket Refunds 0 Venue Hire 1,636 Printing 1,002 Marketing 504 Office 594 Website Design 214 Concert Expenses 3,244 Sheetmusic 2,576 Financial Charges 6 Membership Fees 0 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 56,158 | 33,857 | 0 | 90,015 | 42,240 | |||||||
| 17,900 8,290 0 0 567 213 212 0 0 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
56,610 13,940 0 1,636 1,569 717 806 214 3,244 2,576 6 0 |
|||||||||
| Performers Wages | 38,710 | 17,900 | 0 | 56,610 | 35,291 | ||||||
| Consultancy | 5,650 | 8,290 | 0 | 13,940 | 2,100 | ||||||
| Ticket Refunds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 64 | ||||||
| Venue Hire | 1,636 | 0 | 0 | 1,636 | 1,089 | ||||||
| Printing | 1,002 | 567 | 0 | 1,569 | 608 | ||||||
| Marketing | 504 | 213 | 0 | 717 | 241 | ||||||
| Office | 594 | 212 | 0 | 806 | 29 | ||||||
| Website Design | 214 | 0 | 0 | 214 | 383 | ||||||
| Concert Expenses | 3,244 | 0 | 0 | 3,244 | 1,105 | ||||||
| Sheetmusic | 2,576 | 0 | 0 | 2,576 | 757 | ||||||
| Financial Charges | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | ||||||
| Membership Fees | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| SUBTOTAL 54,136 Asset Purchase None 0 |
54,136 | 27,182 | 0 | 81,318 | 41,672 | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| None | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| SUBTOTAL 0 TOTAL PAYMENTS 54,136 NET 2,022 TRANSFERS 0 CASH LAST YEAR END 1,430 CASH THIS YEAR END 3,452 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 54,136 | 27,182 | 0 | 81,318 | 41,672 | |||||||
| 2,022 | 6,675 | 0 | 8,697 | 568 | |||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| 1,430 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| 3,452 | 6,675 | 0 | 10,127 | 1,430 | |||||||
Receipts and Payments Accounts ending 31.03.2025
| STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES ENDING 31 MARCH 2025 | STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES ENDING 31 MARCH 2025 | STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES ENDING 31 MARCH 2025 | STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES ENDING 31 MARCH 2025 | STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES ENDING 31 MARCH 2025 | STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES ENDING 31 MARCH 2025 | STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES ENDING 31 MARCH 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNRESTRICTED Cash Funds Cash at Bank 3,452 |
RESTRICTED 6,675 |
ENDOWMENT 0 |
TOTAL 10,127 |
LAST YEAR 1,430 |
||||||
| Cash at Bank | 3,452 | 6,675 | 0 | 10,127 | 1,430 | |||||
| SUBTOTAL Other Monetary Assets |
3,452 | 6,675 | 0 | 10,127 | 1,430 | |||||
| 0 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 QUENTIN CLARE 04/04/2025 |
0 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 |
||||||
| None | 0 | |||||||||
| Investment Assets | ||||||||||
| None | 0 | |||||||||
| Assets for Own Use | ||||||||||
| None | 0 | |||||||||
| Liabilities | ||||||||||
| None | 0 | |||||||||
| Signed on behalf of the Trustees: |
||||||||||