TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2023-24 International Centre for Contemporary Music - London/New York
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International Centre for
Contemporary Music,
London
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C e l e b r a t i n g t h e m u s i c o f o u r t i m e
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C e l e b r a t i n g t h e m u s i c o f o u r t i m e
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CONTENTS
| Who we are | 1 |
|---|---|
| Our charitable purposes | 2 |
| Board of Trustees | 3 |
| Artists and collaborators | 4 |
| Signifcant activities | |
| Commissions | 5 |
| Masterclasses | 6 |
| Concerts | 7 |
| Coming of Age Festival | 7 |
| Recordings | 8 |
| Financial reports | 9 |
| __ |
WHO WE ARE
INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY MUSIC (ICCM)
Charity Registration No. 1192356
A Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) 167-169 Great Portland Street, Fifth Floor London, W1W 5PF, UK www,iccmlondon.org
Our Objectives
ICCM is dedicated to the performance, production, and promotion of contemporary classical music. London based and the first of its kind in the world, the new centre is performance oriented; its ensembles, programs, projects, collaborations, and services are intended to provide a platform for the creation and performance of new music as well as to give wider exposure to the significant works from the recent past. ICCM’s mission, then, is to be a fulcrum of contemporary symphonic music on the international music scene.
Reason for Existence
The idea of ICCM and its identity comes from a distant past when musicians and music organizations performed newly written music as a matter of course. Today, however, this is no longer true. We as a culture are determined to drive in reverse and park in the past. It is this existential incongruence that ICCM address: bring the listeners back to our own time by offering them a rich and exciting plethora of current music.
Our Corporate Model
ICCM is an organization that utilizes a corporate model which combines charity-driven community ownership with brass-tacks business norms. We believe in deep and noble artistic values and in unabridged, uncompromised artistic standards. Every age has its prophets – ours does too. Our job is to find them and perform their works because they speak the truth of our time. Our corporate model is not an end in itself but rather serves as the scaffolding that facilitates the fulfillment of our artistic objectives which are the enrichment and enlightenment of humanity through the exposure to fine arts.
Company’s Structure
Our corporate structure includes the Board of Trustees which is the owner of the organisation; the Administration and Management, which operates the company; and the performing ensembles and artists (in-house or hired in) which publicly materializes our charitable purpose.
By definition, the company is run by its administration and management -- experts who are hired specifically to operate the company. Normally, the board does not interfere with the company’s day-to-day affairs but rather tends to its own tasks which consist of: the maintenance and expansion of ICCM’s connection with the community, promotion of the organisation’s programs, protection of company’s interests and objectives, securing the company’s funding, and providing the necessary fiscal oversight. We believe in a new, more sophisticated corporate structure that on one side utilizes centuries-old model where the organisation is run by a professional team, and, on the other, the modern model where the power of ownership is given to the community itself, allowing for artistic, financial and philosophical independence from outside structures. In other words, servitude to or interference by the funding sources, civic schemes, or political agendas have no place in the arts.
OUR CHARITABLE PURPOSES
ICCM’s charitable purposes
The bedrock of our charitable purposes is creating and sharing of great art, and specifically, sharing of new and original pieces of contemporary music. We share it with the general public, with our youth, the underprivileged, the financially wealthy but perhaps spiritually impoverished, with those that are marginalized by the society, and to those that understand and celebrate great contemporary art. We produce this music first and foremost in order to give voice to the creators among us and then by sharing it, we aim to enrich and improve the wellbeing of our society. Great music needs no justification. But great music needs advocates and we view as a part of our mission to find ways of introducing this new music to our local and the international community.
Contemporary art has faced the same challenges of over the centuries. Our public is essentially no different than that of Vienna of the 1820s when Beethoven was producing some of his most original and lasting symphonic works -- works which today, some 200 years later have become the mainstay of the concert repertoire. But it was not always so. Beethoven’s struggle to familiarize both his patrons and the general public with his works demanded insistent and hard work on his part. The same applies today. One of ICCM’s key purposes is to both find and commission Beethoven’s of our time but also to present their work to a wider audience.
ICCM has established both traditional and novel ways of producing and “selling” of new music for the benefit of the community. We essentially work on two fronts: a) by establishing programs that encourage the creation and performance of contemporary works of music; and b) by creating avenues of sharing these with the public.
Compliance with the Commission’s public benefit guidance
As this Trustees’ report amply demonstrates, ICCM has relied and worked in tandem with the Commission’s public benefit guidance from the very start. In fact, our own approach, which was initially developed in the early stages of the company’s history, followed the same, universally applicable principles of non-profit work whose core philosophical tenets dictate a tight connection between the company goals (objectives) and its activities, a consistent developmental and long-term strategy, vigilant oversight of finances and operations, as well a commitment that all of ICCM’s activities be used for the benefit, education, and enjoyment of the communities we serve. We believe that music is or can be a game changer!
OUR CHARITABLE PURPOSES
Internationalism
Every word of our name has an artistic and charitable purpose. Thus “international” reflects not only that we are multi-culturalists but that we present projects, concerts, produce recordings, and maintain collaborative ties with artists and artistic entities around the world. Internationalism is a vital part of who we are both as a “centre” and as an organisation dedicated to performance and advocacy of new music. New music happens everywhere and having a pulse on what is happening in various countries allows us to present a more representative, more equitable, and more varied plethora of currently written works. Indeed, the world is our home.
OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Steve Long, Board Chair/Trustee Scott Cherney, Trustee Erika Sanchez, Secretary/Treasurer Heather Lee, Trustee (OMF rep.) Peter Brown, Trustee Zvonimir Hačko, Trustee (Ex officio) Alexander Staple, Trustee Kay Shelford, Trustee
ARTISTS & COLLABORATORS
Orchestras & Ensembles we work with
Due to the nature of our objectives and the diversity of specialties required to pursue our goals, ICCM does not maintain its own ensembles but rather hires the best and most suitable orchestra for each project. Consequently we are active in many different countries. Here are some of them:
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, concerts and recordings London Sinfonietta, concerts and recordings Teatro di Roma Opera Orchestra, recordings Philharmonia, recordings
Sinfonia Varsovia (Warsaw, Poland), special projects London Symphony Orchestra, recordings and concerts Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, concerts Orchestra of St. Luke’s (NYC) concerts and recordings Musica Sacra (chorus, NYC)), recordings and concerts Oratorio Society of New York, concerts and recordings Pacific Symphony (California), concerts Pacific Chorale (USA), concerts English Chamber Orchestra Budapest Symphony Orchestra
Soloists, conductors, composers, etc.
We believe in working with the best of music makers weather they are famous or just emerging artists. What matters is the commitment and the artistry. Here are some of the artist we are currently working with or who are slated to work with us in the future:
Steven Osborne, piano Eldbjørg Hemsing, violin Thierry Escaich, organist/composer Geir Draugsvoll, bayan player Philip Cobb, trumpet Aleksandar Serdar, piano Książek Piano Duo Wojciech Błażejczyk, el. guitar/composer Lukasz Borowicz, conductor Paweł Mykietyn, composer Clarice Assad, composer Zvonimir Hačko, conductor Avner Dorman, composer
SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES
As a new organization, now only in its third full year, ICCM has followed its own blueprint for championing new music, which has been greeted with enthusiasm by the music industry, the trustees, and the general public. During the course of the 2023/24 season we have introduced such programs as commissioning of new works, organizing masterclasses by various composers and performers, launched significant recording projects, created a new international composer-focused festival & conference, and curated performances dedicated to new music at major venues with major ensembles and artists not only in London but also abroad.
New commissions
A distinguished slate of composers received commissions from ICCM for new, substantial works for orchestra, chorus and orchestra, or a solo instrument with orchestra. These include:
HANNA KULENTY, Carres noir duration 20 min.; a work for piano fourhands, double string orchestra and percussion. Kulenty is Polish most prominent living composer who has created many fine pieces. Her latest work is bull of energy, brilliance, and virtuosity. It is dedicated to the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in New York.
Kulenty’s own type of Minimalism crosses many bouderies, eliciting a sense of travel through time and places that keep one riveted to the piece . . .
Carres noir is scheduled to be premiere in New York city at Carnegie Hall during the course of the 2025/26 concert season and then repeated several times in major European venues.
AVNER DORMAN: DOUBLE CONCERTO for violin and bayan, and full orchestra
Slated for violinist Viktoria Mullova and bayan player Geir Draugsvoll Premiere anticipated during the 2025/26 concert season.
Avner Dorman writes music of intricate craftsmanship and rigorous technique, expressed with a soulful and singular voice. A native of Israel now living in the United States, Dorman draws on a variety of cultural and historical influences in composing, resulting in music that affects an emotional impact while exploring new territories. His music utilizes an exciting and complex rhythmic vocabulary, as well as unique timbres and colors in orchestral, chamber, and solo settings.
- SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIESDEVELOP
WOJCIECH BŁAŻEJCZYK , CONCERTO FOR EL. GUITAR, PERCUSSION AND LIVE ELECTRONICS . The piece was originally commissioned by the Warsaw Autumn Festival; it was scored for electric guitar and strings. A year later it came to the attention of ICCM’s Music Director Zvonimir Hačko who suggested to the composer that the piece be re-orchestrated with the idea to capitalize on its inherent dramatic capacity. The composer embraced the idea and re-scored the work by adding percussion and live electronics making it into a bombastic flood of new and exciting sounds.
The piece premiered in April of 2023, at Queen Elizabeth Hall by London Sinfonietta and later recorded as part of the ICCM Leaning East Series -- a group of recordings of recently written or commissioned works featuring composers from Eastern Europe.
Masterclasses
We regularly collaborate with educational institutions specializing in music such as the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal College of Music, or various universities. One of the common ways we can connect with young musicians is through masterclasses. This year we held three masterclasses, two with composers and one with a soloists:
Masterclass in composition Wojciech Błażejczyk, composer April, 2024 Royal College of Music
Geir Draugsvoll, bayan player May, 2024 Royal Academy of Music
Bayan masterclass
SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES
Concerts
While performance represents one of the most important activities of ICCM, preparations for a concert series requires one or two years of advance planning. Consequently, during this season (2023/24) we concentrated on getting ready for the 2024/25 season.Nonetheless, we have launched our main series, the Leaning East Series that debuted sucessfully in May and June of 2024 with concerts of mostly Eastern European composers (Peteris Vasks, Thierry Escaich, Witold Lutoslawski, Penderecki, Peteris Vasks, etc.) by major ensembles and key music centres.
Composer-focused Scholarly Conference & Festival
We have established a new platorm for promoting groundbreaking composers of the past. The platform was developed during this season and it will be implemented next season opening with the Beethoven/Stravinsky Conference and Festival in April of 2026 in New York City.
World-renowned scholars and performers coming from Europe and USA will participate, giving the audiences and music specialists insight in the latest discoveries and scholarship related to Beethoven and Stravinsky.
SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES
Recordings
Understanding contemporary music is like learning a new language. While we at ICCM deal with the music of our time, ironically, our audience tends to live in the past. This, in fact has always been the case and thus the challenge to progressive composers. Invariably, most of them become accepted long after they die.
One of the key ways to make the public familiar with new compositions and their language is to have easy access to them. Thus the importance of recordings. This season (2023/24) we undertook two major recordings, one with the London Symphony orchestra, the other one with London Sinfonietta:
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LEANING EAST: THE NEW POLISH SCHOOL - Vol. 1
Wojciech Błażejczyk, el. guitar
London Sinfonietta
Zvonimir Hačko, conductor
Recording date: November, 2023
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REPERTOIRE
Krzysztof Penderecki: Sinfonietta per archi (1992)
Wojciech Błażejczyk: Concerto for El. Guitar, Percussion,
Live Electornics, and Orhcestra (2020 - 2021)
Paweł Mykietyn: PRANK for Chamber Orchestra (2021)
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LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
LEANING EAST SERIES, Vol. 2
Geir Draugsvoll, bayan
Recording date: June 2024, London
Soloist: Geir Draugsvoll, bayan
Conductor: Zvonimir Hačko, conductor
Repertoire:
Sofia Gubaidulina: Fachwerk (2009)
for bayan solo, percussion, and strings
Alfred Schnittke arr. Bashmet: Trio Sonata
arr. for string orchestra
Henry Wood Hall , London
Producer: Matthew Bennett
Sound Engineer: Mike Hatch, Floating Earth
Label: Signum Records, London
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Date
15/6/2024
Dr. Zvonimir Mihajla Hačko Trustee
International Centre for Contemporary Music Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 30 June 2024
Accounting policies (cont.)
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of charity. Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charity which the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside to use for a specific purpose. Restricted funds are donations which the donor has specified are to be solely used for particular areas of the charity’s work or for specific projects being undertaken by the charity.
Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT
Expenditure is recognized once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probably that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings:
-
Cost of raising funds comprise of trading costs and the costs incurred by the charity in inducing third parties to make voluntary contributions to it, as well as the cost of any activities with a fundraising purpose.
-
Expenditure on charitable activities included activities undertaken to further the purpose of the charity and their associated support costs.
-
Other expenditure represents those items not falling into any other heading.
-
Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.
Allocation of support costs
Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Support costs include back-office costs, finance, personnel, payroll and governance costs which support the charitable programs and activities. Those costs have been allocated between cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities. The bases on which support costs have been allocated on their total direct costs.
Debtors
Trade and other debtors are recognized at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.
Cash at bank and in hand
Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.
Creditors and provisions
Creditors and provisions are recognized where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measure or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognized at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.
Financial instruments
The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognized at transaction value and subsequently measure at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortized cost using the effective interest method.
International Centre for Contemporary Music Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 30 June 2024
International Centre for Contemporary Music Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 30 June 2024
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Accounting policies (cont.)
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of charity. Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charity which the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside to use for a specific purpose. Restricted funds are donations which the donor has specified are to be solely used for particular areas of the charity’s work or for specific projects being undertaken by the charity.
Accounting policies (cont.)
Pension
The charity operates a stakeholder defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable for the year are charged in the Statement of Financial Activities.
Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT
Expenditure is recognized once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probably that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings:
-
Cost of raising funds comprise of trading costs and the costs incurred by the charity in inducing third parties to make voluntary contributions to it, as well as the cost of any activities with a fundraising purpose.
-
Expenditure on charitable activities included activities undertaken to further the purpose of the charity and their associated support costs.
-
Other expenditure represents those items not falling into any other heading.
-
Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.
Allocation of support costs
Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Support costs include back-office costs, finance, personnel, payroll and governance costs which support the charitable programs and activities. Those costs have been allocated between cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities. The bases on which support costs have been allocated on their total direct costs.
Debtors
Trade and other debtors are recognized at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.
Cash at bank and in hand
Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.
Creditors and provisions
Creditors and provisions are recognized where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measure or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognized at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.
Financial instruments
The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognized at transaction value and subsequently measure at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortized cost using the effective interest method.
INTERNATIONA CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY MUSIC Statement of financial activities
Incorporating an income and expenditure account For the year ended 30 June 2024
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Restated | |
| Notes | Funds | Funds | 2024 | Total 2023 |
| Funds | Funds | |||
| Income from | ||||
| Grants and donations | 558,904 | 0 | 558,904 | 416,630 |
| Charitable income | 389,783 | 0 | 389,783 | 306,513 |
| Total income | 948,687 | 0 | 948,687 | 723,143 |
| Expenditure on | ||||
| Charitable activities | 943,550 | 0 | 943,550 | 726,680 |
| Total expenditure | 943,550 | 943,550 | 726,680 | |
| Net expenditures/income for the year | 5,137 | 0 | 5,137 | -3,537 |
| Net movement in funds | 5,137 | 0 | 5,137 | -3,537 |
| Reconciliation of funds: | ||||
| Total funds brought forward | 5,137 | 0 | 5,137 | -3,537 |
| Total funds carried forward | 5,137 | 1,600 | -3,537 |
INTERNATIONA CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY MUSIC Balance Sheet
As of 30 June 2024
| Notes Current assets Cash at bank Current liabilities No outstanding liabilities 7 Net liabilities/assets Total liabilities/assets Funds 9 Restricted funds Unrestricted funds General funds Total funds |
£ £ 2024 2024 1,600 1600 0 0 0 1,600 1,600 |
£ £ Restated 2023 Restated 2023 149 149 6,000 6,851 6,851 5,851 1,600 |
|---|---|---|
The attached notes are a part of these accounts
Approved by the Board of Trustees on __ and signed on its behalf by:
Zvonimir Mihajla Hacko Trustee
The attached notes are a aprt of these accounts
INTERNATIONA CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY MUSIC Notes to the financial statements For the year ending 30 June 2024
INTERNATIONA CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY MUSIC Statement of cash flow For the year ending 30 June 2024
| Notes 2024 Cash flow from operating activities Net cash provided by/used in operating activities Cash flow from investing activities Purchase of fixed assets Net cash provided by/used in investing activities Change in cash and cash equivalents in the period Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period 1) Reconcilliation of net income/expenditure to net cash flow from operating activities Net expeditures/income for the reporting period (as per the statement of financial activities) (Increase/decrease in debtors Decrease/increase in creditor Net cash provided by/used in operating activities 2. Analysis of cash and cash equivalents Cash at bank and in hand Total cash and cash equivalents |
£ 2024 2023 25,455 8,483 0 1,600 537 2,137 2,557 0 25,455 1600 1600 |
£ 2023 537 0 0 -537 |
|---|---|---|
| 686 | ||
| 149 -3,537 0 3,000 -537 -537 |
||
| -537 |
3. Income from charitable activies
| Project revenue | £ Unrestricted 389,783 389,783 |
Restricted 0 0 |
2024 Total 389,783 389,783 |
2023 Total 306,513 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 306,513 |
4. Analysis of expenditure
| Office operations Suppliers General operations Production Artist fees International projects Recordings Marketing and promotion Independent examination Total expenditure 2024 5. Net income for the year |
2024 Total 65,500 9,220 58,386 256,880 205,000 47,400 69,500 58,000 3,500 943,550 948, 687 |
2023 Total 63,000 8,865 52,777 205,258 125,736 45,787 65,417 56,000 3,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 726,680 | ||
| 723,143 |
5. Net income for the year
6. Analysis of staff costs, trustees remuneration and expenses, and the cost of key management personnel
| Staff costs were as follows: Slaries and wages Social Security costs Employer's contribution to defined contribution pension scheme Total |
2024 Total 105,000 789 0 105,789 |
2023 Total 24,527 141 0 |
|---|---|---|
| 24,668 |
No emplyee received remuneration of more than £60,000 during the period (2023) The total emplyee enfits including pension contributions for the key maangement personnel were nill.
Staff numbers: The average number of emplyees during the period was 6 (2023=2)
INTERNATIONA CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY MUSIC Notes to the financial statements
For the year ending 30 June 2024
7. Creditors
Accounts: 2024, none; 2023, £6,000
8. Analysis of net assets between funds
| Net current liabilities 9. Movement in funds Unrestricted funds/General fund Total unrestricted funds Total fuds |
At 1 July 2023 5,137 5,137 |
Unrestricted 0 Income 948,687 948,687 |
Restricted 0 Expenditure 943,550 943,550 |
Total 0 At 30 June 2024 5,137 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,600 |
10. Related expenses
There are no related party transactions to disclose for the year 2023/24