HASTINGS CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL TRUST
TRUSTEES’ REPORT
FOR THE PERIOD TO 31 DECEMBER 2024
The trustees present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the period to 31 December 2024.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Objectives and aims
The Hastings Chamber Music Festival Trust is a charitable organisation whose objects are to promote, improve, develop, maintain, and advance education and the arts for the public benefit, in particular through the promotion, support, and encouragement of the art of music and other art forms. This is achieved primarily through the presentation and production of the Hastings Chamber Music Festival, which may include public performances, open rehearsals, workshops and talks.
The Trust supports the annual Hastings Chamber Music Festival, which takes place each autumn in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex. The artistic director is Jane Gordon. The Festival presents outstanding chamber music performances in two principal venues: Kino-Teatr and Christ Church.
The Festival features a vibrant programme of public concerts showcasing both distinguished musicians and rising young artists, alongside open rehearsals and artists in conversation events, offering audiences rare insight into the music-making process.
Throughout the year, the Trust undertakes fundraising and promotional activities to support the Festival’s continued development. By making high-quality chamber music accessible to a wide audience, the Hastings Chamber Music Festival delivers meaningful cultural value to the local community and beyond.
ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE
We presented 4 concerts, open rehearsals and artist in conversation events.
Artistic activity
This year’s Hastings Chamber Music Festival brought together critically acclaimed chamber musicians and soloists for four concerts, held from 19–22 September 2024. The Sacconi Quartet, Rautio Piano Trio, Felix Ensemble, Duo Fabulae, and a number of outstanding guest musicians performed at Kino-Teatr and Christ Church in St Leonardson-Sea.
Programmes included Tchaikovsky’s virtuosic Souvenir de Florence , the world premiere of a string quartet by Jan Rautio, Schubert’s Death and the Maiden Quartet, a Young Artist Platform coffee concert, Fauré’s glorious Piano Quartet No.1, and Debussy’s Piano
Trio. The 2024 programme was a beautifully curated selection of some of the most powerfully expressive music in the chamber music repertoire.
Principal Achievements, and their financial impact
The principal achievements of The Hastings Chamber Music Festival Trust during 2024 were as follows:
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Presentation of four public concerts.
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One fundraising summer gala concert. We are very grateful to all those who attended, and to those who sent donations for the event.
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Increased festival friends circle to 12.
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We were extremely fortunate to receive a generous donation to support a large proportion of the Sacconi Quartet fees and facilitate the world premiere of Jan Rautio’s string quartet.
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Artists in conversation
Financial Review
The organisation's income is primarily generated through ticket sales for public concerts, alongside donations from individual supporters. We are especially grateful to our Friends and Patrons for their generous and ongoing support of the Hastings Chamber Music Festival.
FUTURE PLANS
Audience building
The Hastings Chamber Music Festival currently reaches around 400 subscribers through its mailing list and engages in reciprocal marketing with local arts organisations. While our concerts attract audiences of around 100 people, we aim to grow this to 160–170 per concert by expanding our visibility across Hastings (population approx. 90,000).
To achieve this, we plan to increase our advertising budget to support targeted local promotion, including posters, leaflets, press adverts, social media campaigns, and placement in key publications such as Coastal Currents and the Hastings Independent . We also intend to invest in high-visibility options like council poster boards and a seafront banner. Support from venues like Kino-Teatr (with a mailing list of 5,000) and Christ Church helps amplify our outreach efforts.
Artistic plans
‘ ’ - 2025 Programme Resounding Nature (October 23 26)
The 2025 Hastings Chamber Music Festival promises to be our most ambitious and varied programme to date, offering a dynamic mix of four chamber music concerts that span an impressive 350 years of repertoire, from the Baroque to contemporary works. Featuring a mix of renowned and emerging artists, the festival offers a rich programme of special events, including Artist in Conversation with composer Sally Beamish and Open Rehearsals that incorporate a live-drawing initiative for local art students. A panel discussion, Music & Climate Consciousness , will feature a climate scientist, exploring the intersection of the arts and environmental awareness. The festival’s theme, Resounding Nature , resonates throughout the programming, taking place across two venues, Christ Church and Kino Teatr, in St Leonards-on-Sea, October 2025.
CONCERT 1 Felix Ensemble: Metamorphoses & Resilience CONCERT 2 Hermes Experiment: Tree CONCERT 3 Apollo’s Cabinet: Elements
CONCERT 4 Rautio Piano Trio & Sally Beamish: Echoes of the Sea and Soul
PANEL DISCUSSION: Music & Climate Consciousness
OPEN REHEARSALS: drop-in for the public, live-drawing initiative for local art students ARTISTS IN CONVERSATION: Q & A event with musicians
With an exceptional and diverse line-up, the 2025 festival is set to be a celebration of musical excellence that reflects environmental awareness and fosters strong community connections through its ‘Nature’ theme.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Governing document
HCMF Constitution
To promote, improve, develop, maintain and advance education and the arts for the public benefit, in particular through the promotion, support, encouragement of the art of music and all other art forms by the presentation and production of the Hastings Chamber Music Festival which may include public performances, masterclasses, coaching, open rehearsals, workshops, talks and lectures.
Recruitment and appointment of new trustees
Members may elect or re-elect Trustees by ordinary resolution at the AGM and the Board may co-opt Trustees between AGMs.
Organisational structure
The organisation is managed and administered on a day-to-day basis by its Artistic Director. She reports regularly to the Board of Trustees, which meets every few months to review the activities of the organisation and to consider more closely the financial and managerial status.
Risk management
The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. The trustees consider the detailed operation of the organisation and the associated risks at their regular trustees' meetings.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Registered Charity number: 1206760
Registered office: 28 West Hill Rd, St Leonards-on-Sea, TN38 0NB
Trustees: Chris Gordon (Chair), Andrea Corso (Treasurer), Nigel Dyer KC, Tom Hoffman FCA, Laetitia Yhap
Independent Examiner: Ian Menzies
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE HASTINGS CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL TRUST
This is my report to the trustees of Hastings Chamber Music Festival Trust (HCMFT) on the year ended 31st December 2024.
The HCMFT members are responsible for the preparation of the annual reports. An audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Charities Act”). An independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
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examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act,
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to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and
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to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
In connection with my examination, no material matters have come to my attention which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act or
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Dated: 26 September 2025
IAN MENZIES Independent Examiner
Barling House Hiham Green Winchelsea TN36 4HB
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE PERIOD TO 31 DECEMBER 2024
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR THE PERIOD TO 31 DECEMBER 2024
1. OTHER EXPENSES
| 2024 (£) | |
|---|---|
| Insurance | 55 |
| Website Costs | 72 |
| Eventbrite Fee | 68 |
195
2. TOTAL FUNDS BROUGHT FORWARD
2024 (£) Cash at Bank 204
This represents the funds remaining from the running of the Hastings Chamber Music Festival prior to its incorporation as a charitable organization (during the period 2017 to 2023). The incorporation was confirmed on the 29[th] of January 2024.
3. DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
| Gift Aid Payment 2024 Friend’s fee late payment |
2024 (£) 1,076 50 |
|---|---|
| 1,126 |
4. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
| 2024 | (£) | |
|---|---|---|
| Artistic Director’s Fee | 500 |
5. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES
The total amount of donations received from trustees during the year 2024, without conditions, totalled £135.