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2020-09-30-accounts

Sinfonietta Productions Limited (Limited by Guarantee)

Report and Accounts

Year to 30 September 2020

Company registration No: 00926551 Charity No: 255095

Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

Contents
Page
General information 3
Report of the Chair of Trustees 4
Report of the Councilof Trustees
Strategic Report 6
Statement of Accounting and Reporting Responsibilities 25
Independent Auditors’ Report 27
Statement of Financial Activities 29
Balance Sheet 30
Statement of Cashflows 31
Notes to the Accounts 32 – 40

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Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

General Information

Trustees Paul Zisman (Chair)
Sudeep Basu
Andrew Burke
Régis Gautier-Cochefert
Timothy Gill
Annabel Graham Paul
Kathryn Knight
Sally Millest
Charlotte Morgan
Jonathan Morton
Matthew Pike (resigned 9 December 2020)
Paul Silverthorne
James Thomas
Ben Weston
Secretary Frances Bryant
Registered office and Kings Place
administrative address 90 York Way
London
N1 9AG
Auditors MGR Weston Kay LLP
Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors
55 Loudoun Road
St John’s Wood
London NW8 0DL
Bankers Lloyds TSB plc CCLA Investment
London Bridge Branch Management Ltd
69 Borough High Street COIF Charity Funds
London SE1 1NQ Senator House
85 Queen Victoria Street
London
EC4V 4ET
Registered numbers Company no 00926551 Charity no 255095

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Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

Report of the Chair of Trustees For the year ended 30 September 2020

It was impossible to imagine at the start of the 2019-20 financial year, that so many of the exciting events and artistic projects that were planned for the season would be postponed or cancelled due to restrictions put in place by governments to save lives in the face of a deadly pandemic.

Our Report on activity in the 12 months to 30 September 2020 is therefore one of two very different halves. During the first 6 months of the year the London Sinfonietta continued to deliver planned activity in line with the Business Plan. However, from mid-March 2020 the organisation was forced to adapt its operations, cancel or postpone concerts and discover new ways to maintain contact with audiences. We have always prided ourselves on our ability to innovate and respond quickly to changing circumstances, skills which stood us in good stead as we faced an uncertain period ahead.

During the first half of the year we continued to implement our longstanding goal of reaching wider audiences through artistic projects developed especially with touring and repeat performances in mind. Our association with Music Theatre Wales (MTW) led to performances of Gerald Barry’s music theatre work The Intelligence Park both in London (Linbury Studio Theatre, ROH) and then on tour to Cardiff, Manchester and Birmingham. Later in the year we continued the partnership with MTW with a touring production of Philip Venables’ Denis & Katya which went to Newport, Mold and Aberystwyth followed by two performances at Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room. We also achieved success in building and diversifying our audiences through a chamber tour exploring the music of minimalist composers, The Emergence of Minimalism. With support from the Foyle Foundation we developed new presentational formats to offer to venues, including for families and schools.

Southbank Centre, where the ensemble is proud to be resident, continued to be where we created the backbone of our artistic season, including concerts of new commissions by Edward Nesbit, Tansy Davies and GF Haas; a major collaboration with Marius Neset; a family concert as part of their Imagine Festival and a concert as part of the Sound Across a Century series exploring music of the 20[th] and 21[st] centuries. We thank them for the long-standing, mutually beneficial and collaborative relationship our residency represents.

Our schools programme, Sound Out , continued to work with children and young people in the London boroughs of Haringey, Waltham Forest and Enfield allowing them to experience contemporary classical music for the first time. The project resulted in both compositions and performances as part of our annual Schools Concert at Royal Festival Hall (which took place in March 2020, shortly before the first lockdown). We also worked with schools in Southampton.

Unfortunately, following successfully recruiting early-career instrumentalists to participate in the course, our annual Academy , which develops talent in young musicians, had to be postponed due to restrictions. We look forward to working with these outstanding, emerging performers in 2020-21.

As the pandemic tightened its grip in March 2020, we started to plan how best to respond to such unprecedented and uncertain circumstances. The staff team swiftly moved to remote working from home, adapting existing office-based working practices and systems.

The recently launched Digital Channel became our main platform of communication with audiences as the team quickly conceived, planned and delivered a series of live, online events with players performing from their own homes. The highlights have included a series of live solo performances of new works, a Postcard Pieces project which encouraged young people to compose works to be performed online, as well as a more ambitious 8-hour live streaming marathon of music, discussion and films. Our players and staff have overcome many technical difficulties to deliver performances of unfailing excitement and quality. Encouragingly we have seen a high level of engagement with our digital offerings both by our loyal supporters but also from many new viewers. We are thinking of ways in which once we move beyond the current restrictions back to live performances, we can maintain these audiences.

The Council played a vital role in giving its oversight and advice during this period, supporting the management team as it worked to review and mitigate the risks and impacts of the pandemic. It was planned that I would be retiring as Chair during 2020 but, understandably, recruitment for a new Chair has taken

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Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

longer than originally envisaged and I therefore agreed to extend my tenure until such time that a new appointment could be made. We are pleased to be able to announce that Fiona Thompson has been appointed as the new Chair of the London Sinfonietta Council and will be taking up the role later in 2021. We are also grateful to Matthew Pike, who retired during the year, for his unstinting support of the organisation over his time as Trustee.

The evolution of the performing ensemble has also been slowed by the restrictions over the last year. A recruitment process for the positions of Principal Piano, Principal Second Violin and Principal Trumpet started with auditions in 2020 but trialing those shortlisted has been delayed. Once the ensemble is able to perform again regularly together the process of completing these appointments and recruiting for two other vacant positions (Principal Bassoon and Principal Horn) will begin again. We have considered carefully how to evolve our recruitment process to ensure that we attract a broad and diverse pool of applicants.

While the pandemic continued, Summer 2020 became an important moment in the Black Lives Matter movement and provided a catalyst for deeper reflection on how the organisation can respond more authentically and become more truly representative of the communities and audiences it serves. We had already embarked on a journey to build consideration of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion into all our activities and this year has seen us commit fully to making significant and visible progress in this area. One response as part of this commitment took place early in the 2020-21 season with Yet Unheard (October 2020), a concert of music by established and emerging black composers co-curated by George Lewis and Elaine Mitchener.

Climate change and ecological considerations are also moving up our agenda as we work towards a more embedded and comprehensive approach to understanding and reducing our carbon footprint. This includes writing a new Environmental Policy and Action Plan and delivering projects which raise awareness of the issues with audiences.

Financial stability in the face of considerable risk and uncertainty has become a crucial focus for all charities over the last year. We took steps early in the lockdown to reduce costs wherever possible, furloughing staff who could not work due to the restrictions and applying for emergency funding. We were successful in applying for a grant from Paul Hamlyn Foundation, a proportion of which is recognised in these accounts. After the year-end the organisation also heard that it had been offered a grant of £80,990 following its application to Arts Council England’s Culture Recover Fund. The grant will support the organisation and help to offset the additional costs of working in line with Covid-19 safety guidelines during the 6-months to 31 March 2021.

As planned, and after eleven happy years in our offices at Kings Place, the London Sinfonietta moved out in September 2020. Due to the difficulty of finding and moving offices in a pandemic, we have rented six desks at Kings Place Music Base to provide us with a base while the staff team continue to work mainly from home. We are grateful to Peter Millican and Kings Place Music Foundation for our continued relationship at Kings Place during this uncertain time.

We are pleased to report in these accounts a surplus of £601 on General Funds and Net Income of £2,208 on Total Funds. Although we were not in a position to increase our Reserves at the year end, it has been possible to set aside £23,000 of Designated Funds, to help underpin the organisation’s future resilience and provide crucial support for new strategic projects in the next season.

Despite the challenges of the last 12 months and the uncertainty we all face ahead, we believe that the London Sinfonietta can play a crucial role in restoring hope and changing lives through the music it creates and performs. We therefore face the future with optimism and determination.

Finally, we could not achieve any of our work without the generous and unwavering support that we receive from Arts Council England and numerous trusts, foundations, corporate supporters and individuals. We are extremely grateful to all of them. We are also indebted to our loyal, curious and passionate audiences for coming on a journey with us to explore new music and experience the thrill of artistic creation.

Paul Zisman, Chair of the Trustee

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Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

Report of the Council of Trustees For the year ended 30 September 2020

The Trustees are pleased to present their annual report together with the financial statements of the Charity for the year ended 30 September 2020, which are also prepared to meet the requirements for a Directors’ report and accounts for Companies Act purposes.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out on pages 32-33 of the attached accounts and comply with the charitable company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011, other applicable laws, the requirements of the Statement of Recommended Practice for Charities effective for all periods commencing on 1 January 2019 (October 2019 SORP) and the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

STRATEGIC REPORT

Purposes

The purposes of the Charitable Company, as stated in its governing documents, are to advance and encourage public education in the performing arts, particularly music, and from its earliest days in 1968 the London Sinfonietta set out to commission and premiere new works from the composers and creators of the time, performing them with the most talented musicians and taking the art-form to national and international audiences as well as into schools and community settings.

Vision and Mission

The London Sinfonietta’s current Vision is for contemporary classical music to be an indispensable part of contemporary society that challenges and inspires audiences, the public and policy-makers. This is built on the art-form’s ability to produce powerful moments of collective experience and communicate messages to audiences that result in empathy and reflection on contemporary society. The organisation has a vision for musical creativity and performance as a fundamental part of a young person’s education while public participation and engagement in the sounds and ideas of new music provide a catalyst for personal growth and positive community change.

To achieve this Vision, the London Sinfonietta has identified that its current priority is to develop the orchestra’s world-class standards and programme the best contemporary classical music made in the 21[st] century while involving the public in co-creating new work that reflect the communities of which they are a part. It seeks out the most interesting composers and collaborating artists to work with from around the world, while also actively supporting the early careers of composers and musicians. It continues to programme the music of the 20[th] century to establish a context for the work of today.

It commissions new work, fosters new music and collaborations with other art-forms, works with experimental sound-worlds, creates new performance events inside and outside the concert hall, devises co-creative projects that involve the community, making contemporary music ever more relevant to people’s lives, and delivers digital performances to reach wider audiences (learning from our experience of streaming events during the pandemic).

The ensemble aims to perform inspiring and challenging new music to an ever wider audience and creates projects that directly engage and involve the public as creators, curators, learners and performers in order to change the way they see the world.

It evaluates its work to develop practice and shares the outcomes to provoke public discussion that adds to the evidence for the positive impact of music and arts on society.

The Charity's current Mission Statement is:

The London Sinfonietta is a new music organisation that commissions, curates and produces new music performed by an ensemble of the highest calibre musicians. We work with the greatest living

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composers of contemporary classical music and collaborate with innovative contemporary artists to create new work and engage audiences and participants of all ages and backgrounds. We seek to produce contemporary music projects to both reflect and shape life in contemporary society and to challenge perceptions, stimulate imaginations and unlock creativity in individuals and communities.

The Company identifies six main areas of activity, through which it delivers its Mission, and its budgets and accounts are structured to reflect these six activity areas:

In January 2018 the organisation wrote a new Business Plan for the four-year period 2018-22 which took effect from the start of the 2018-19 financial year. This Report and Accounts is therefore the second to report against the Aims and Objectives included in this Business Plan. An update to the Business Plan covering the 1-year period 2021-22 is currently being written (March 2021) and a further update covering the 2022-23 season will be written in the coming months. Both take into account the recent changes to the broader context that the organisation now finds itself working within.

The Company discusses its ambitions under three key areas: Inspire , Engage and Evolve . Each of these areas identify two main Aims under which two Objectives delineate how we plan to achieve the Aims:

INSPIRE

AIM 1: ARTISTIC PROGRAMME

We want to radically develop the artistic programme to include a diverse range of formats and platforms to inspire greater numbers of audiences.

AIM 2: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

We plan to expand our training and development work to include a broader range of ages and involve people from a wider variety of backgrounds.

ENGAGE

AIM 3: PARTICIPATE AND LEARN

We will work to embed Participation and Learning as a core part of our work through immersive and collaborative relationships.

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Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

AIM 4: COMMUNITY

We will develop and enact the London Sinfonietta Community Project through both digital and communication strategies.

EVOLVE

AIM 5: FINANCIAL RESILIENCE

We aim to build financial resilience into our long-term business model by increasing income generation and strategic investment.

AIM 6: BUSINESS RESILIENCE

We plan to create greater business resilience by investing and developing the organisation’s people and processes.

The organisation’s progress during the 2019-20 financial year against the Strategic Aims listed above is summarised later in this Report, including details of how the Coronavirus pandemic impacted on planned activity.

Public Benefit

The Trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the aims, objectives and activities of the Charity.

As described in its Mission Statement and Strategic Objectives, the London Sinfonietta aims to engage and inspire a wide and diverse audience with the best contemporary classical music, by placing it at the heart of today’s culture. The organisation’s ticket pricing policies are designed to be accessible to all, with frequent special offers and concessions for students and young people. Those that are unable to experience live performances can listen to selected concerts which are broadcast on BBC Radio 3. There is also a wide range of digital content available free of charge on the organisation’s website and digital channels, including podcasts and films introducing the composers and artists the ensemble works with. Recordings (CDs or digital downloads) of the London Sinfonietta are available from various outlets and free audio streams (including excerpts from live concerts) are also available through the Charity’s website. These digital channels were particularly important during periods of lockdown in Spring 2020, in enabling the organisation to maintain a relationship with its audiences.

The organisation offers unique opportunities to young composers, conductors and players, supporting them as they develop the skills necessary for their professional careers as performers and music creators. Emerging composers and music creators are given the chance to develop their ideas and practice through working with the ensemble to help create inspiring new work which engage the public and promote a collaborative way of working.

The Participation & Learning programme works to achieve the Charity’s objective to advance musical education and provides a wide range of opportunities to individuals from a variety of backgrounds to engage with contemporary classical music. This includes projects and concerts designed especially for school children which involve young people participating as composers and performers in events as part of the London Sinfonietta’s main season. We also provide opportunities for the public to explore and contribute to the creative process and workshops which involve participants in the performance of new music. Most of the creative projects involve no payments by the participants.

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Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

Achievements and Performance

The number of performances and the level of activity across all areas often fluctuates from year to year due to the nature of our art form. New, cutting edge work and collaborations necessarily take time to develop and curate, and the market for such work in the UK and world-wide is smaller than for mainstream classical or popular music. During the 2019-20 year, the world-wide Coronavirus pandemic had a significant impact on activity from March 2020 onwards with all activity planned (including concerts, touring, work in schools and in support of talent development) needing to be cancelled or postponed. The London Sinfonietta had in previous seasons started to diversify its output to include more regular production of digital content in order to reach new audiences in new ways and as part of this development the organisation launched its own Digital Channel in January 2020. This fortuitous timing put the organisation in a strong position to respond to the restrictions put in place to combat the spread of the virus and allowed us to continue reaching audiences with digital output even when concert halls had to close their doors.

During the 12-month period to 30 September 2020, the London Sinfonietta reached an estimated 4.9 million people (3.9 million in the 12 month period to 30 September 2019) with its work. The increase from year to year is mainly due to increases in digital reach and is broken down as follows:

It reached 22,110 people with 58 live performance events (2019 - 48) in venues and online, including 19 own and co-promotions, 20 UK engagements, 2 overseas engagement and 17 online events, including 9 performances for schools and families. The total number of performances reflects our partnership working with Music Theatre Wales as well as the ensemble’s own chamber tour (as part of the Foyle New Music Touring Network). In addition, 4 London Sinfonietta concerts were broadcast on radio, adding an estimated 1 million listeners for the ensemble’s work across the year.

The Participation and Learning Department programme performed live to 2,427 (2019 – 2,151) children attending schools’ concerts, with 330 (2019 – 895) children also attending workshops. The London Sinfonietta Academy was postponed and did not take place in the period due to the pandemic. 20 (2019 – 37) students from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama performed side-by-side with the ensemble and at least 141 students and young artists were given opportunities across the year to attended workshops and masterclasses with the ensemble.

20 participants from Contemporary Music for All (CoMA) were given the opportunity to participate in a live performance with the ensemble. Concerts such as Turning Points: Kagel included a presentational element which provided the audience with information about the composer and the piece being performed (in place of separate pre-concert talks).

Across all its live and broadcast work, the London Sinfonietta gave 14 (2019 – 16) world premiere performances and 2 (2019 – 4) UK or territory premieres, which included 9 (2019 – 14) works that have been commissioned by or developed collaboratively with the ensemble.

In terms of digital reach, there were 122,046 (2019 – 126,746) unique views of the Charity’s website during the period. The organisation also sustained and grew its social media following to 18,697 (2019 – 17,776) on Facebook, 30,337 (2019 – 29,945) on Twitter and 2,245 (2019 – 1,665) on Instagram, in addition to 3,768 followers (2019 – 2,747) and over 3,564,732 (2019 - 2,563,717) listens on Spotify and 85,508 (2019 – 64,804) views on YouTube during the period. Steve Reich’s Clapping Music App continued to be successful, with estimated downloads of 90,000 during the period bringing the total downloads since its launch to 475,000 to date. The increased digital interactions in the year were partly due to the Launch of the LS Channel in January 2020 and increased online-only performances during the Spring lockdown.

Further audience reach for the London Sinfonietta is achieved through digital streaming via a range of other platforms (in addition to Spotify, as mentioned above), radio play of its CD back catalogue and repeats of live radio broadcasts. This number is unquantifiable (or even estimable), and therefore not included in the figures reported above. Access to the ensemble’s significant recorded legacy through radio station relays, (with their subsequent opportunities to ‘listen again’) and activity on streaming platforms, adds hugely each year to the organisation’s reach.

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Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

Artistic highlights of the 2019-20 financial year included:

Own/co-promotions

In the first 6 months of the period, prior to the first Coronavirus lockdown in March 2020, there were 5 own and co-promotions at Southbank Centre, 2 at Kings Place and 3 performances in association with Music Theatre Wales at Linbury Theatre (Royal Opera House) which subsequently toured to 3 venues in the UK. Performances at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall included:

There was also a Family Concert at Purcell Room, Repeating Patterns (February 2020) which explored the musical patterns of minimalism with presenter Patrick Bailey.

Concerts at Kings Place included Venus Unwrapped and another in the ensemble’s Turning Points series, this time exploring the music of Mauricio Kagel (February 2020).

A concert in collaboration with Contemporary Music for All (March 2020) at Queen Mary University of London invited musicians of all abilities to perform with the London Sinfonietta.

Due to the pandemic, 4 Own Promotion concerts (3 at Southbank Centre and 1 at Kings Place) planned for the period March to May 2020 had to be postponed to a future year or cancelled. In response to these cancelled events, the organisation quickly conceived, planned and delivered a series of live-streamed digital events from players’ homes as a way of staying in contact with audiences and allowing players to continue performing. Lockdown Live was very well-received by the public, in the UK and overseas, and is described in more detail under Digital projects below.

UK engagements

Although UK touring was curtailed from mid-March 2020 onwards, the ensemble enjoyed a busy period of touring work during the first half of the year. During Autumn 2019 the ensemble toured with Music Theatre Wales (MTW) to Cardiff, Manchester and Birmingham (following dates at Linbury Studio Theatre, ROH) with Gerald Barry’s The Intelligence Park .

Also during the Autumn period, a chamber tour of work by minimalist composers, funded by The Foyle Foundation, toured to Warwick Arts Centre, RWCMD Cardiff, Wiltshire Music Centre and Turner Sims, Southampton. There were 2 performances at most venues, usually a family or schools concert in the afternoon followed by a further concert in the evening.

Continuing our long association with Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, the premiere of a new commission by GF Haas took place at the festival (November 2019) before receiving a repeat performance in London (see under Own Promotions).

Then in Spring 2020 the ensemble toured to Newport, Mold and Aberystwyth with MTW’s production of Denis & Katya , followed by 2 performances at Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room. A final date planned as part of the tour at RWCMD, Cardiff in late March had to be cancelled due to the pandemic.

A further tour with MTW of Violet , a new chamber opera by composer Tom Coult with text by Alice Birch, was due to begin production in May 2020 with the premiere taking place in Aldeburgh in June 2020 and subsequently touring to Mold and Buxton Festival, but all dates including at Linbury Studio Theatre (ROH) in late September/early October 2020 unfortunately had to be postponed.

After these cancellations, the London Sinfonietta was pleased to be invited to perform at the BBC Proms in September 2020, as part of a limited number of concerts that were able to go ahead. The

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Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

London Sinfonietta’s performance was broadcast on TV and radio as well as being made available on BBC iplayer.

Overseas engagements

There were two international engagements planned for the year, both of which took place before the impact of the pandemic took effect. The ensemble toured to Singapore for a performance at the Esplanade in November 2019 and to France for a performance at Radio France in February 2020.

Participation and learning

In 2019-20 Sound Out continued its relationship with music education hubs in the London boroughs of Haringey, Enfield and Waltham Forest, working with children from primary and secondary schools. The project focused on the link between contemporary music and visual art, in particular the work of Bridget Riley. Students participating in Sound Out were offered the opportunity to visit an exhibition of her work at the Hayward Gallery as part of the project and created their own musical responses through composition workshops. Following 3 In-School Concerts at the participating schools, the project culminated in the organisation’s annual mainstage Schools Concert at the Royal Festival Hall (March 2020) which included the performance of a new piece created collaboratively with all the participating schools (arranged by composer Trish Clowes). Over 65 secondary age students were provided with free tickets to attend a concert through our Concert Club scheme.

A further Schools concert took place in Southampton (November 2019) in partnership with Turner Sims and local music hubs. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, a return to Gloucestershire for a project with local schools that was planned for June 2020 had to be postponed to 2021.

The London Sinfonietta Academy was due to take place (for the 12[th] year running) in July 2020 but had to be postponed due to restrictions around working face-to-face with students. It was initially replanned for September 2020 but was subsequently postponed into the 2020-21 financial year.

Continuing our work to support students in developing their understanding and experience of contemporary classical music we worked with Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, the Royal College of Music Junior Department and the Royal Northern College of Music offering workshops and masterclasses for performers and composers to support their studies.

Further higher education work was developed with Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London (students made 5 short films set to Sinfonietta Shorts), the Institute of Education (teacher training CPD) and Huddersfield University (a year-long student placement as part of a sandwich degree).

Other opportunities for public engagement included 3 family concerts (in Cardiff, Wiltshire and London) and several pre-concert talks and open workshops.

A concert involving the public in the performance of a new piece by Cathy Milliken was postponed to a future season due to the pandemic.

Composer commissions and new work

Key London Sinfonietta commissions which received their premiere during the 2019-20 season included Edward Nesbit’s Viola Concertante , Tansy Davies Love is the answer (commissioned with Kings Place) and Hommage a Bridget Riley by GF Haas (co-commissioned with Southbank Centre).

The ensemble also gave the UK premiere of Marius Neset’s Viaduct (commissioned for the Kongsberg Jazz Festival in 2018) and Philip Venables true-story chamber opera Denis & Katya (cocommissioned by Opera Philadelphia, Music Theatre Wales and Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier) which won the Fedora Generali Prize for Opera 2019.

Finally, the organization continued to commission and perform Sinfonietta Shorts (4 during the year), short solo works by composers at a variety of career stages from student to established professionals.

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Digital projects

The organisation was proud to launch its new Digital Channel in January 2020, fulfilling its ambition to re-focus and increase the organisation’s digital content as part of its artistic and audience development strategies. The launch period included a series of live, ticketed events at Spiritland (a bar beneath Royal Festival Hall) which were recorded for release as podcasts on the Channel and included discussions with composers and artists about recent and upcoming work on the concert platform.

Following the nationwide lockdown in March 2020, and the cancellation or postponement of the rest of the organisation’s concert season, revised plans for the Digital Channel were swiftly put in place to enable us to maintain contact with audiences during this difficult period. Lockdown Live was conceived as an online festival which started in April 2020, with players broadcasting short performances live from their homes via YouTube. The series included several formats such as performances of Sinfonietta Shorts alongside informal chat with composers/performers, introductions to contemporary performance techniques for different instruments and performances of short pieces sent in on postcards by the public. In total 17 online events took place in the period from April to mid-June which have been watched by over 10,000 people online since their release. This enabled the organisation to reach its audience and build a relationship with them in a new way, hopefully sustaining their interest in the music we perform until such time that concert halls can reopen again.

Other changes during the year

The organisation was originally due to move out of its 17-desk office at Kings Place (shared with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment) in July 2020 and had been looking for a new base to use as its headquarters. When the pandemic started in March 2020 and the office team moved swiftly to remote working from home, plans to rent a new office space were put on hold. Kings Place Music Foundation generously extended our period of peppercorn rent at Kings Place to the end of September 2020 in order to give the organisation more time to make plans for the immediate future and clear our existing office. Following discussions, management made a decision to continue the relationship with Kings Place by renting 6 desks in the Kings Place Music Base (a shared office space for arts organisations within the same building) and follow a model of working mainly from home with staff using the office only when necessary (and as allowed by government restrictions). This has provided the continuity of an office base in the same building in the short-term and helped minimise overhead costs. It is envisaged that the organisation will continue to be based at Kings Place Music Base for at least the next 6-12 months, until such a time that we can plan for the longer-term future.

Progress against Strategic Aims and Objectives

Aim 1: To radically develop the artistic programme to include a diverse range of formats and platforms to inspire greater numbers of audiences.

Objective 1: Develop ambitious concerts and staged projects created by composers of worldrenown that lead to repeat performances and help build audiences.

Objective 2: Create varied event formats to reach new audiences for both concert halls and alternative venues, particularly for UK touring partners and international audiences

The organisation’s partnership with Music Theatre Wales (MTW) was especially productive during the period and three, staged music theatre projects were planned for the 2019-20 period, two of which were able to go ahead (Gerald Barry’s The Intelligence Park and Philip Venables’ Denis and Katya ). In the end the third project had to be postponed due to the pandemic but is anticipated to take place in a future season.

One major new commission premiered during the season, GF Haas’s Hommage a Bridget Riley , received its first performance at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (hcmf) and a subsequent repeat performance in London, thereby helping to build audiences for new music in both locations. The organisation has built a long-term relationship with GF Hass, following the first UK performance of his seminal work in vain which the ensemble performed at 2013 in hcmf and London.

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New concert formats were also developed and trialled as part of The Emergence of Minimalism tour in Autumn 2019 (part of the Foyle New Music Network). Each chamber venue visited as part of the tour was offered different formats to suit their local audiences, including a family concert, a schools concert and a main evening concert. This enabled us to tailor each event by altering the presentation, although the same repertoire was performed across all events. A new family concert format, Repeating Patterns , was also developed during the year as part of the Foyle New Music Network minimalism package and successfully delivered at the Purcell Room in February 2020 as part of Southbank Centre’s Imagine Festival for children and families. The concert received very positive feedback from the audience.

The Turning Points concert format, involving high quality production values, video materials and elements of stage and lighting design, was developed this year around the music of Mauricio Kagel, adding to a series of concerts in this format that have been produced over the last few years. The objective of this concert format is to showcase the composer in a more accessible way by using intimate performance settings and leading the audience on a journey through different spaces at Kings Place.

Aim 2: To expand our training and development work to include a broader range of ages and involve people from a wider variety of backgrounds.

Objective 3: Expand our training for early-career composers and creators by seeking to include those from different musical and cultural backgrounds, while also involving younger people in composition through education and public participation programmes

Objective 4: Embed our performance training ethos into all areas of the educational journey and use our alumni to inspire the next generation of performers and conductors.

During 2019-20 the organisation was proud to launch the fourth edition of its Writing the Future scheme which is an open-call programme supporting a talented group of music creators through the process of making new work with the London Sinfonietta ensemble. First launched in 2011, the programme has, to date, supported 22 composers and music creators, leading to the creation of several new works and larger-scale commissions from the London Sinfonietta. In fact, a new piece Viola Concertante by Edward Nesbit, participant in the 3[rd] edition of the Writing the Future scheme, was premiered in October 2020 as part of the Solos, Duos, Ensemble programme.

For the fourth edition of the programme, which will start in 2020-21, the organisation sought to identify artists from non-classical backgrounds, including creators from historically underrepresented groups or communities to ensure that the scheme represents a diverse range of voices and is as inclusive as possible. The participants have now been announced as Nwando Ebizie, Luke Lewis, Alicia Jane Turner and Alex Paxton. This edition of the scheme also has a strong focus on the creation of work which reflects issues in contemporary society and engages with specific communities or places. The participants will begin their journey with the ensemble in the 2020-21 financial year, with some adjustments to the timetable to take account of lockdowns and social distancing restrictions. Some of the projects may therefore culminate in performances in the 202122 season.

A younger age-group of up-and-coming composers worked with the ensemble through its Sound Out programme on a project entitled Art of Sound . The project aimed to unlock the creative imaginations of young people in Haringey, Enfield and Waltham boroughs through interactive, experimental composition workshops, led by professional composers and musicians, involving 69 pupils aged 11-18. The workshops explored the use of visual art as a stimulus for creative musicmaking and participants from all three London boroughs attended curated tours of the Hayward Gallery’s Bridget Riley exhibition in order to develop their art appreciation and contribute to their creative journey. Children in each borough then made their own short musical extracts which were woven into a new piece for youth orchestra arranged by Trish Clowes.

40 school-age performers formed the Sound Out Youth Orchestra to give the premiere of the new work created, Three Rhythmic Vehicles for Colour. The young performers received coaching from

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London Sinfonietta musicians and performed on stage alongside London Sinfonietta musicians as part of the Sound Out Schools Concert at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in March 2020.

In terms of performance training for students and emerging professionals, the organisation’s 12[th] annual Academy course and concert, planned to take place in July 2020, had to be postponed due to national Covid-19 restrictions. This will now take place in 2020-21 period.

Workshops and performances as part of London Sinfonietta’s Junior Academy scheme, offering training opportunities to young musicians under the age of 18 and supported by a grant from the Leverhulme Foundation, were also postponed to a future season.

Aim 3: To embed Participation and Learning as a core part of our work through immersive and collaborative relationships.

Objective 5: Develop longer-term residencies with schools and music hubs that will create more profound and developmental learning journeys that positively affect the learning of young people and the culture of the schools

Objective 6: Promote Participation Projects across the year to actively engage the public in the music and inspiration of our concert programme

During 2019-20 the organisation’s flagship Sound Out programme again worked with its music education hub partners in Enfield, Haringey and Waltham Forest to provide concerts and workshops for primary and secondary age schoolchildren in the boroughs. This year the project focused on the link between contemporary music and visual art, in particular the work of Bridget Riley. 3 in-school concerts (one in each borough) were delivered, presented by cellist Zoe Martlew, providing an opportunity for more than 480 secondary school pupils to experience a live performance of new music in their schools. For most of the participants, the Art of Sound project was their first experience of contemporary classical music. The project also provided an opportunity for participants to work closely with pupils from across different schools and Key Stages with a shared creative aim, creating a strong element of peer aspiration to encourage longer-term instrumental learning.

The Art of Sound project culminated in a Schools concert at the Royal Festival Hall (March 2020) – see Aim 2 for more details. The concert was sold out with over 2,000 primary school children from 16 different London boroughs attending. Teachers were provided with a bespoke resource pack to support creative composition and music making activity in the classroom and 14 teachers attended a CPD session in January to support their group’s attendance at the concert.

Other schools concerts during the year included events in Southampton (November 2019) in partnership with Turner Sims and local music hubs. Due to the pandemic, a return to Gloucestershire for a project with local schools that was planned for June 2020 had to be postponed to 2021.

In early March London Sinfonietta again collaborated with Contemporary Music for All (CoMA) for its annual festival, providing public participation opportunities to a wide range of amateur musicians of all ages. Ensemble musicians provided coaching and took part in side-by-side performances of contemporary works alongside members of the public, culminating in a concert at Queen Mary’s University.

The Connect participation and performance project had been due to take place in April at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, but will now be re-scheduled in a future season. This project is the third cycle of the CONNECT- Audience as Artist participation project, supported by Arts Mentor Foundation Lucerne and in partnership with Ensemble Modern, Asko Schoenberg and Casa da Musica. The concert, entitled Night Shift , will feature a co-commission from Cathy Milliken.

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Aim 4: To develop and enact the London Sinfonietta Community Project through both digital and communication strategies.

Objective 7: Create an audience cultivation and development strategy that utilises software tools, data knowledge and the artistic assets of the London Sinfonietta

Objective 8: Expand significantly our digital output with a focus on engaging new audiences to discover the London Sinfonietta and encouraging existing audiences to learn more about new music

During the period the organisation continued to attract large audiences to its live events both in London and across the UK, and for the first time, created a substantial new digital audience as a result of initiatives throughout the year, including the launch of the London Sinfonietta Digital Channel. Total audience attendance overall was 22,110 including 11,305 live audience attendance (a reduction on 2018-19 due to the impact of coronavirus and concert cancellations from Spring 2020 onwards). Audience reach was aided by the London Sinfonietta’s continuing partnership work with Music Theatre Wales (with touring productions of Gerald Barry’s The Intelligence Park , and Philip Venables’ Denis and Katya ) and the delivery of The Emergence of Minimalism tour in Autumn 2019 (as part of the Foyle New Music Network). These took the ensemble to wider regions of the UK including Wiltshire, Southampton, Newport, Mold and Birmingham, amongst others, where contemporary music is not often performed.

A highlight of the year was the launch of London Sinfonietta’s new Digital Channel, in January 2020, as a platform for streaming regular releases of captured content including video and audio to engage a wider audience and encourage attendance at concerts. Content includes streams of live performances as well as series such as The Composer’s Mind (interviews with composers) and a podcast series The Music That Made Me . Over the coming season we will continue to develop and pilot new strands of content for the Channel, focusing on providing a ‘way in’ to contemporary music, as well as a platform through which we can make content available to world-wide audience who would otherwise not be able to attend.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in Spring 2020 naturally accelerated work in digital capture and transmission, as our principal route to reaching audiences in extended periods of lockdown. One key initiative was the Lockdown Live series comprising 17 separate live stream events between April and June 2020. This online festival featured short, live solo performances from players’ homes, alongside conversations with players and composers, using an entirely new informal, presentation style. It led to an increase in our digital audience of 16% between March and June. With over 10,000 digital views to date, Lockdown Live received hugely positive feedback and the format will be carried into future initiatives planned for Autumn 2020.

Over the year we have increasingly used digital means to engage, market to and communicate with our audiences, using email and platforms such as our own website and social media services Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. As of the end of September 2020 we are happy to report significant increases in digital views, listens and subscriber numbers. Total Spotify listens and Youtube views combined reached 3,564,732 and our total digital subscribers (podcasts, Youtube and Spotify followers) reached 5958 (up from 4198 in 2018-19). Digital releases this year included Viaduct , our second collaboration with Marius Neset which was released on CD and digitally in November 2019. Radio broadcasts included the Marius Neset and GF Haas: Hommage to Bridget Riley concerts for BBC Radio 3. A particular highlight was our BBC Proms performance in September 2020 which not only captured a large live TV audience but continues to accumulate hundreds of thousands of viewers through BBC iplayer and website streaming.

The 2019-20 year saw further exploration of audience development strategy with an external review of the London Sinfonietta’s brand position, outward-facing messaging and audience reach entitled ‘Re:set’. This review was delivered by the consultants Winster Marsh, and the recommendations from the project will start to be implemented over the course of 2020-21 beginning with targeted measures to re-engage with our most loyal audience. Alongside this we continue to embed our Customer Relationship Management system Tessitura. Further training

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took place across the teams to exploit existing targeting and segmentation capabilities through Tessitura and fully utilize the potential of the system.

Aim 5: To build financial resilience into our long-term business model by increasing income generation and strategic investment.

Objective 9: Increase income by harnessing the power of our commissions and innovative projects that inspire support, and develop relationships with businesses

Objective 10: Build reserves and designated funds to support new work, training, digital innovations and new opportunities

The Charity started to explore new avenues for building corporate relationships and a corporate event package was developed. This was trialled in November 2019 with a pilot event for law partnership Francis Taylor Building. Following a successful event this is something that we plan to develop further in future seasons.

The organisation also maintained its close relationship with Lark Music who have supported the organisation for 6 years. Discussions are in progress regarding renewal of their sponsorship support, although this will now fall into a future period.

Our ongoing partnership with Music Theatre Wales (MTW) helped to increase earned income with two UK tours in association with them taking place in Autumn 2019 and Spring 2020. Unfortunately the tour of a third production (Tom Coult’s new chamber opera Violet ) had to be postponed to a future period due to the pandemic.

With the pandemic severely restricting activity from March 2020 onwards, the organisation needed to put in place measures to support business resilience during this difficult period. A decision was made to furlough a minority of staff during April and May. Additional staff, up to a maximum of 10 members of the team, were furloughed from June onwards (mostly on a part-time basis from July) due to most events being cancelled. Staff have since been brought back from furlough with all employees working their full hours from late October onwards.

The organisation also sought additional support from individual donors to help the organisation during this period by running a campaign to encourage donations which ran alongside the organisation’s Lockdown Live (a series of live online events broadcast from players’ homes in April to June 2020). This saw an uplift in general (unrestricted) donations from individual donors which helped to support the 2019-20 financial year, and raised restricted donations towards digital activity in the 2020-21 financial year.

Due to the challenging financial picture arising from the pandemic, the Trustees made a decision that the aim should be to maintain Reserves at the current time, rather than build them. The Reserves Policy has therefore been revised to show that the timetable for meeting the £120,000 target is postponed to September 2024. The Contingency Reserve therefore remained at £95,000 at the year end.

At the end of the 2019-20 financial year we were, however, able to add £23,000 to Designated Funds to help build greater resilience to support strategic projects in future periods. This brings the total balance on Designated Funds at 30 September 2020 to £84,156.

Aim 6: To create greater business resilience by investing and developing the organisation’s people and processes.

Objective 11: Invest in people through recruitment and training to develop our workforce and reflect and respond to the diversity of society and the evolution of the business

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Objective 12: Embed and integrate new software and develop an ethos of sharing knowledge, information and decision-making

The early part of 2019-20 saw some key staff changes at the Charity. During the Autumn of 2019 we recruited a new Head of Participation & Learning and a new Concerts & Touring Co-ordinator. This was followed in Spring 2020 with recruitment for a new Marketing Manager. Although we continue to aim to provide progression opportunities in-house, some staff churn is inevitable as individuals look to further their career in larger scale organisations.

Over 2019-20 we were again fortunate to run a successful Professional Placement Position which takes place during the 3[rd] (sandwich) year of a University Course and provides a broad grounding in orchestral management. However, because of the pandemic and the uncertainty around live events delivery, we were unable to move forward with recruiting this position for 2020-21. Instead the Charity will work to refine its Placement offer and will look to launch this in time for the 2021-22 season.

Professional development for management staff has included personal training and mentoring as well as attendance at industry events including Association of British Orchestra, Incorporated Society of Musicians and regular specialist sessions arranged by the Association of British Orchestras. Meetings have mostly moved online during the pandemic which has increased the facility to attend such events. In addition a whole-company training session in EDI (see section below) took place in November 2019 and two separate workshops were organised in the Autumn for all staff and Council to scope possibilities for a future office base for the orgaisation (although these plans have now been put on hold).

During the year we were sad to see two members of the London Sinfonietta Principal Players step down from their positions: John Orford (Principal Bassoon) and Michael Thompson (Principal Horn). Alongside this, auditions for pre-existing vacancies of Principal Piano, Principal Trumpet and Principal 2nd violin continued during the year; however, progress on trialling was halted due to the pandemic lockdown. We look forward to restarting recruitment processes when a wider return to inperson playing is possible in 2021.

Alongside many other workers in the UK, the London Sinfonietta staff team made the switch to fully remote working from home during March 2020 when lockdown began. A full return to the office has not, to date, been possible within Covid-safe guidelines, although members of the team returned over the summer period to help pack up the office for the move to the Kings Place Music Base at the end of September 2020. Previous measures undertaken in 2018-19 to strengthen IT infrastructure and remote working processes proved crucial and additional software was installed including MS Teams and Zoom video conferencing. New electronic based processes were put in place to ensure continuity and we anticipate this change to mainly paperless systems will remain in place even when the organisation returns more fully to the office.

Because of the impact of the pandemic on the delivery of our work, Spring 2020 saw several members of the team furloughed on the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. This was managed carefully to ensure a continuity of staff across the organisation and also to enable us to deliver Lockdown Live . In July we entered the flexible furlough period where staff could be furloughed for any pattern or hours of work according to the needs of the business. Preparation work for the new season stepped up during this period across all the teams, and staff were required on site to help clear out and pack up the office. Accordingly working hours for staff were gradually increased between July and October with all staff returning to their full contracted hours by late October 2020.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The Trustees are including this new section in the Report this year as a statement of their serious intent to work towards achieving greater Equality, Diversity and Inclusion across the organisation. The worldwide Black Lives Matter movement provided a catalyst for deeper reflection about how the organisation can be more representative of the communities in which it performs and how its artistic programme can become more inclusive to people of all backgrounds.

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The Diversity Working group expanded to include members of the Council and ensemble as well as the management team, and has reviewed progress towards achieving greater diversity of representation within the organisation’s governance, workforce, performing artists, composers, participants and audiences as well as within its programming. Discussions with ensemble representatives have opened up ways in which we can work to achieve better gender balance and include greater diversity within player representation in the future.

In 2019 the organisation evolved its recruitment processes for composers and conductors to participate in talent development schemes, seeking specifically to include more people from groups under-represented in the classical music industry. As a result of this we achieved 41% female, 16% ethnically diverse and 10% disabled applicants for the Writing the Future Scheme Edition 4. In addition, our schools and community projects over the year reached areas of social deprivation and cultural diversity both in London and in the regions of England (including Southampton and Wiltshire).

The Charity will continue to seek further projects and opportunities in coming seasons to progress its aims around EDI. Planning for the 2020-21 season represents a significant positive shift in the diversity and inclusion profile of both our artistic and participation programmes and a concert specifically featuring the music of Black composers ( Yet Unheard ) took place in the Royal Festival Hall in October 2020.

Over 2019-20 the organisation continued its relationship with Tonic Theatre (Director, Lucy Kerbel) who delivered a whole company training session in key principles of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in November 2019. This was followed by a workshop in June 2020 with the Diversity Working group which explored further themes of diversity within the playing ensemble. The services of Tonic Theatre will be retained to lead the Charity through the next stages of realising its ambitions in this important area.

Environmental Responsibility

The Trustees are also reporting on the organisation’s response to the climate crisis for the first time in this Report, as part of a renewed commitment to enacting change across the organisation in order to minimise the impact of our activities on the environment and raise awareness of these issues with partners and audiences.

An existing Environmental Policy and Action Plan (written in 2019) outlines the actions the organisation planned to take during the 2019-20 period to reduce its carbon impact. However, due to significant changes to circumstances as a result of the pandemic it was necessary to adapt our operations (e.g. moving to remote working) so some of the actions listed in the plan became less relevant. Since then a working group has been set up with a view to developing a new Policy and Action Plan for the 2021-22 period. A key aim in this interim 1-year plan will be to improve data collection and monitoring so that we better understand our impacts. This improved understanding will also support the development of a longer-term Policy and Action plan for the 3- 5 year period from April 2022.

In the 2020-21 season, two artistic projects are planned that have strong environmental themes and will raise awareness of the climate crisis (in particular focussing on narratives around waste and consumer culture, the loss of polar ice and the loss of biodiversity) with audiences.

Evaluation and review

The London Sinfonietta already benefits from an annual review with its major stakeholder, Arts Council England, and has further evolved a tiered structure for gaining feedback on its work. At the end of each fiscal year, Arts Council England requires data and an activity report from all organisations it funds which leads to an evaluation statement on the organisation’s progress against its own Business Plan and Arts Council England’s objectives.

Each quarter, the London Sinfonietta executive team reports back to the Council of Trustees on their progress against the Business Plan. In order to do this, the management team collects monitoring data across all key areas of activity in order to assist the executive team and Trustees in evaluating and appraising whether the organisation has been successful in delivering on the key Aims and Objectives set out in the Business Plan.

Feedback from our audiences and participants is important to us and we regularly ask them to provide their views on the experience of attending our concerts, workshops and events through Audience Finder Surveys, digital surveys (such as Culture Counts) and paper questionnaires. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation is carried out based on the data from these surveys which assists both with reporting back to funders and

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planning future projects. We also welcome informal and anecdotal feedback received through social media platforms or in conversation with audience members.

Other external feedback, for example from press reviews and industry peers, helps us to gain a rounded view of how projects are critically received.

Key individual projects across the London Sinfonietta year are also independently externally evaluated in order to give guidance on how they may evolve. In addition, the executive team regularly review, discuss and record the internal experience of delivering each major project at an operational level so that lessons learned from this can be fed into planning and support efficient and effective delivery of future projects.

Financial review and Key Performance Indicators

The Charity is pleased to report a surplus on General Unrestricted Funds for the year of £23,601 (£4,277 – 2019) prior to a transfer to Designated Funds of £23,000. The Revenue Reserve shows a balance of £3,461 (£2,860 – 2019) and the Contingency Reserve has maintained a balance of £95,000 (£95,000 - 2019). At the end of the period, the balance on Restricted Funds was £139,996 (£161,389 - 2019) and the balance on Designated Funds increased to £84,156 (£61,156 - 2019).

The Statement of Financial Activities shows net income on Total Funds of £2,208. This is made up of a surplus on General Funds of £23,601 and a decrease on Restricted Funds of £21,393. The movement on Restricted Funds represent net expenditure on restricted projects which will take place in future periods.

Total incoming resources in the year were £1,225,203 (£1,497,831 to 30 September 2019). This figure includes £504,161 of core funding from Arts Council England (£499,565 - 2019), £312,255 (£405,639 – 2019) from other fundraised sources such as trusts, foundations and individuals and £302,144 (£529,929 - 2019) earned from the Charity’s activities (principally engagement fees and box office income).

Full details of all the figures are shown in the Statement of Financial Activities and Note 17. Further details of the Charity’s Key Performance Indicators are shown in the Report of the Chair of Trustees and in the Achievements and Performance section of the Strategic Report.

Funds

The charity’s funds fall into two groups:

Restricted Funds – funds which are earmarked for a particular purpose by those who provide them

Unrestricted Funds Designated Funds – funds which the Council earmarks for specific strategic purposes Contingency Reserve – funds held to provide for contingencies that may arise in the future Revenue Reserve – the balance carried forward on the Statement of Financial Activities consisting of funds available for use by the organisation to contribute towards its ongoing future artistic activity

Reserves Policy

A key element in the management of financial risk is the regular review of the Charity’s policy on reserves. The Trustees aim to build up a Contingency Reserve to provide for unforeseen liabilities that may arise, whilst also giving the Charity the confidence to fulfil its artistic ambition to continue to innovate and invest. Following a review by the Council in December 2017, the target for Contingency Reserves was set at £120,000, this being broadly equivalent to either 3 months’ operating costs or the amount required to safeguard against a potential loss (such as non-payment of fee on a large-scale artistic project).The Business Plan for the period 2018-22 stated that the organisation planned to meet this revised target by the end of the 2021-22 financial year. However, due to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Trustees have revised the timetable for meeting this target. In the short to medium term, as the arts sector recovers from the impact of the pandemic, the organisation will seek to maintain Reserves at their existing level. A new date of 30 September 2024 has recently been agreed for achieving the £120,000 target and in line with this policy the Contingency Reserve remained at £95,000 at 30 September 2020 (£95,000 - 2019).

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Going Concern

The Trustees consider that, at the date of the signing of the report and accounts, the Charity is a going concern, based on their review of existing funds, secured income for future periods and expected cash flows. This takes into account confirmed and likely cancellations and other known or anticipated impacts of the Coronavius (Covid-19) pandemic at the date of signing these accounts.

Risk Management

The Council of Trustees is responsible for the management of the risks faced by Sinfonietta Productions Limited. The organisation has a written Risk Register which identifies the major risks to which the organisation may be exposed and ranks these by likelihood and impact as well as summarising controls in place to mitigate each risk. These risks are reviewed at Council meetings throughout the year and the Risk Register is revised annually in the light of changes and developments.

The Charity’s controls are designed to provide reasonable but not absolute assurance against material misstatement, loss or exposure to risk. Activities are largely project-based and systems are in place to ensure that the Charity’s exposure is kept more or less in line with secured project funding. The Trustees are satisfied that the systems developed will mitigate exposure to major risks and believe that risk management is a tool that assists the Charity in promoting its charitable purposes.

The most significant risk the Charity has faced in the past year is the uncertainty and loss of income arising from the ongoing Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. This has caused several government-mandated shutdowns of performance venues and non-essential business operations which saw much of our activity curtailed between March and September 2020. Staff have been working effectively from home for almost a year at the time of writing and this is set to continue into summer 2021. Arts Council England confirmed in the early stages of the pandemic that it would continue to fund and support all National Portfolio Organisations during this uncertain period and launched a Culture Recovery Fund in July 2020. The organisation was successful in applying for funding to support activity in the 6-month period to March 2021 and has since applied to round 2 of the Culture Recovery Fund for follow-on funding for the 3-months April to June 2021 as venues start to re-open. This has provided a foundation of financial stability for the organisation during the 2020-21 financial year, until normal activity can be resumed. The outcome for the 2020-21 year is re-forecast regularly to take into account changes to government restrictions, changing date availability at venues and other factors arising from the pandemic. Current projections show that the organisation will achieve breakeven at 30 September 2021, with Designated Funds used to support activity during the period. Other key risks and uncertainties facing the Charity, in no particular order, have been identified as follows:

Risk identified Action taken to mitigate risk
A significant drop in income which changes the
organsiation’s business model and threatens
stability (e.g. a substantial reduction in our grant
from Arts Council England).		 Regular monitoring of changes to ACE strategy
and wider government policy to ensure our aims
and objectives remain well-aligned.
Positive working relationship with officers at ACE.
Membership of industry bodies, such as the
Association of British Orchestras, who engage with
politicians from all main parties and work to
communicate the concerns of their members.
Cultivation of strong relationships and regular
communication withother key partners.
Risks arising from an unforeseen Force Majeure
event, such as a major catastrophe in London,
causing the cancellation of events at late notice
and/or closure of the LS office.		 The pandemic has helped us to put in place better
business continuity plans and the organsiation was
quickly able to work effectively remotely. Promoter
contracts include Force Majeure clauses to reduce
potential liabilities and cancellation insurance
policies are takenoutwhere appropriate.
Multiple impacts arising from the continuing
Covid-19 pandemic which further negatively affect
the organsiation’s ability to deliver activity and
operate effectively.		 LS’s flexibility as a smaller organisation allows it to
respond quickly to change. We remain in close
contact with industry bodies (e.g. ABO, MU, ISM)
for guidance on best practice while performances
continue ‘behind closed doors’ to provide our
audienceswithartistic experiences.

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An adverse change to the organisation’s long-
standing relationship with Southbank Centre as
Resident Orchestra, as their annual contribution to
LS’s artistic season at the venue is reduced,
leading to loss of income, a reduced level of work
and a diminished artistic profile at the venue.		 There is considerable goodwill between both
partners to continue a mutually beneficial
relationship. LS is seeking discussions as soon as
possible regarding how best LS and SC can work
together in the future under new financial
arrangements.
Failure to meet key fundraising targets in the
budget.		 A high proportion of funds are usually confirmed in
advance.
Cash flow difficulties arising from timing of receipts
(e.g. significant promoter fees and Orchestra Tax
Relief).		 Careful cash flow forecasting undertaken well in
advance, strong credit control practices and day-to-
day cash management.
Support from regular funders in helping to manage
cash flow fluctuations.
A proportion of tax relief claimed each year is used
to build Designated Funds for future years,
reducing the risk of cash flow issues arising as the
funds will only be used to support activity once the
cash inflow has taken place.
Cyber security risks including malicious attacks
from external sources resulting in damage to IT
systems and/or loss of data leading to financial
liabilities, operational difficulties and potential
damage to reputation.		 IT support company advise and manage security
and back up procedures.
Relevant Employee Policies in place to help
safeguard IT security and data.
Cyber Security insurance cover to be increased in
April 2021 in linewithbroker recommendations.

Funders and supporters

For the 4-year cycle of its National Portfolio of funded organisations (NPOs) running from April 2018 to March 2022, Arts Council England (ACE) confirmed in July 2017 that the London Sinfonietta would receive standstill grant funding of £499,565 per fiscal year (although the final, fourth year of this commitment is formally contingent on the next government’s spending review). In December 2019, the organisation received written confirmation from ACE that as a result of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport confirming an inflationary increase of 1.84% on their 2020-21 budgets, all NPOs would also receive an inflationary increase to their annual grant funding for the 12 months from April 2020. This means that the London Sinfonietta’s grant increased by £9,192 to £508,757 for the funding year April 2020 to March 2021.

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, in late March 2020 ACE confirmed that they would be delaying their new investment process by 12 months. This means that the London Sinfonietta, along with all other funded arts organisations in the National Portfolio, will need to reapply for funding in January 2022 for the period starting from April 2023. In the meantime, existing funding agreements will be rolled over for an additional 12 months from April 2022. In terms of longer-term planning, the organisation has already started to review and discuss its strategy for the future in order to begin the process of writing a new 4-year Business Plan for the artistic season and financial period starting in 2022. This will consider and respond to ACE’s new 10-year strategy Let’s Create which was published in January 2020.

The London Sinfonietta is incredibly grateful to Arts Council England for its continued support.

The London Sinfonietta would also like to gratefully acknowledge the support of other key funders including Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne, The Boltini Trust, Britten-Pears Foundation, Cockayne – Grants for the Arts, The Foyle Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, The London Community Foundation, London Music Fund, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and PRS for Music Foundation.

We also acknowledge with gratitude the donation-in-kind from Kings Place Music Foundation of office space at Kings Place for the 13 years up to 30 September 2020. Due to the necessity of working mostly remotely since mid-March 2020, the organisation is now renting 6 desks in the Music Base at Kings Place until such a time that it can review its office requirements for the longer-term future.

The London Sinfonietta was grateful to receive continued corporate support from Lark Music during the year.

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The organisation acknowledges with much gratitude the many donations from individual supporters which help us to achieve our goals, particularly in supporting the development of new commissions and digital work. The London Sinfonietta was a member of the Fundraising Regulator during this financial year.

Plans for the Future

At the time of preparing this Report, artistic plans for the 2020-21 financial year are coming into focus after a period of uncertainty due to the lockdown in January to March 2021. The government’s Roadmap and the successful roll-out of the vaccine give us confidence that planned activity is likely to go ahead, including:

Own/co-promotions (London and UK)

Due to restrictions in place and many venues, including Southbank Centre, being closed to audiences until May 2021, concerts in the first 6 months of the financial year are all being broadcast to the public. This includes audio broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and streamed films of concerts (live or delayed) available for free on YouTube. In Autumn 2020 3 events took place at Southbank Centre:

A concert at Kings Place (November 2020) with socially-distanced audience in attendance, performed more more more by Matthew Herbert, a comment on endless consumerism, and premiere The Melt which draws attention to climate change.

Following the cancellation or postponement of nearly all concerts in January-March 2021, events planned for Spring/Summer 2021 include:

The government’s latest roadmap means that we can, with reasonable confidence, plan for a socially-distanced, ticket-buying audience to attend all these events (except for Landmarks ).

Other small-scale activity across the season includes solo online performances (World Premiere Wednesdays and performances of Postcard Pieces) acting as taster events for new audiences and helping to sustain relationships with existing audiences during the extended period of restrictions across 2020-21.

UK engagements

Planned UK engagements for 2020-21 have been considerably impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic, with nearly all touring in the first 6 months of the period cancelled or postponed while venues remain closed to audiences. The only engagement to go ahead is a Schools Concert in Southampton’s Turner Sims Concert Hall in late March 2021 which was broadcast online to local schools.

Our longstanding relationship with Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival was also sustained by the inclusion of James Dillon: Pharmakeia in their 2020 festival.

A small-scale corporate event for Francis Taylor Buildings was delivered online in January 2021.

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Overseas engagements

Due to the pandemic, and the uncertainty around Brexit, no overseas touring is planned in 2020-21 financial year. We are conversation with overseas promoters regarding a potential return to international touring in 2021-22 but this is not yet confirmed.

Participation and learning

Due to restrictions around going into schools, Sound Out , the organisation’s annual schools programme, was a digitally-delivered project this year, culminating in a live-streamed Schools Concert from the Royal Festival Hall in March 2021. 15 schools took part in the project which set 2 Commission Challenges and requested responses from the students. Some of the pieces written by the students were performed at the concert by members of the London Sinfonietta. At least 50 schools planned to stream the concert to their students live, with more watching in the following 7- days. A return to schools in Gloucestershire is also planned for June 2021, postponed from June 2020.

The London Sinfonietta Academy returns in July 2021, following its postponement in July 2020, for its twelfth edition, offering young professional musicians and conductors the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge of contemporary music. The course will also include opportunities to gain industry experience though curated sessions led by London Sinfonietta musicians and staff and will culminate in a concert at the Purcell Room in July 2021. As a leading training provider supporting students to develop their understanding and experience of contemporary classical music the organisation will re-instigate its work with music colleges and conservatoires offering workshops and masterclasses for performers and composers to support their studies, from the 2021-22 season.

The London Sinfonietta Junior Academy programme supports young musicians to explore contemporary repertoire and develop their skills as creative musicians through workshops delivered online and live (where possible). These include continuing to develop our relationship with the RCM Junior Department, supporting teenage composers.

Composer commissions and new work

Key London Sinfonietta commissions receiving their premiere in the 2020-21 season include James Dillon’s Pharmakeia , Luke Bedford’s In the Voices of the Living and Laura Bowler’s Extinction Manifesto . Four songs for jazz singer commissioned from Shabaka Hutchings, Elliot Glavin, Cassie Kinoshi and Laura Jurd will be premiered as part of the Notes about Now event. Other new works planned to be premiered in the 2020-21 season have been postponed until 2021-22 (including a new work by Cathy Milliken and another by Nicole Lizee).

The organization continues to commission and perform Sinfonietta Shorts each year, short solo works by composers at a variety of career stages from student to established professionals. Composers during 2020-21 will include Robert Mitchell, Oliver Leith, Luke Lewis, Anders Nordentoft, Matthew Kaner, Lisa Illean, Naomi Pinnock and Hannah Kendall. A new series of solo miniatures is also being established with Community Commissions, short works written for members of the public who have been proposed by their local communities.

Digital projects

With concert halls closed and lockdowns in force for much of the 2020-21 period, filming or recording performances for live or delayed digital relay has been a necessity in order to reach audiences. This has resulted in the organisation quickly gaining new skills and experience in order to build technical expertise in-house although larger-scale projects have also required investment to expand our capabilities in terms of equipment and resourcing and maintain the high production values we aspire to. This activity has only been made possible due to the organisation’s appointment (2 years ago) of a full-time member of staff responsible for digital output and the timely launch of the LS Digital Channel in January 2020. A grant from Arts Council England in October 2020 (Culture Recovery Fund 1) also helped support the purchase of crucial digital equipment without which we would not have been able to successfully capture events in our season for digital relay.

23

Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Legal status

Sinfonietta Productions Ltd (working as the London Sinfonietta) is registered as a Company limited by guarantee (Company number 00926551) and as a Charity with the Charity Commission (Charity number 255095). The Charity’s Trustees, who are also Directors of the Company, are referred to as the Council. The Charity was founded in 1968 and is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. Membership of the Company consists of the current Directors. Members are co-opted by the Council and stand for election by the Members at the following general meeting of the Company. The registered office of the Company/Charity is at Kings Place in London, as detailed on page 3.

Appointment of Trustees

As set out in the Articles of Association, the number of Trustees shall be not less than five and shall not exceed 18. This includes at least two and no more than four Trustees who are Principal Players with the London Sinfonietta. The Trustees have the power to co-opt additional Trustees who will stand for formal appointment at the subsequent general meeting. A skills audit of existing Trustees is undertaken regularly in order to identify any specialist skills needed. All Trustees are able to nominate potential new Trustees for consideration and the Council advertises publicly for new Trustees as required.

A third of Trustees are required to retire from office at each Annual General Meeting and are eligible for reelection. Trustees are able to serve a total of three terms of three years, a maximum of nine consecutive years, and retire by rotation in accordance with the Articles of Association.

An induction process is in place for new Trustees which includes spending time with the Chair and the Chief Executive as well as receipt of an induction pack containing information about the organisation and their responsibilities as Company Directors and Charity Trustees. The Council of Trustees meets at least four times a year and they are encouraged to attend the organisation’s programme of concerts, events and projects. Many also sit on Working Groups involving the management team where they can bring advice to particular areas of the operation. Trustees are also encouraged to attend appropriate external training events where these will facilitate the undertaking of their role.

Paul Zisman, who joined the Council in 2010 and was appointed as Chair of the Trustees in 2012, was due to step down from the Council in June 2020. However, due to delays to the recruitment process as a result of the pandemic, the Trustees were thankful to Paul for agreeing to extend his tenure as Chair, to allow additional time to find a new Chair and ensure a smooth transition. A successful recruitment process took place during the early part of 2021 and the appointment of Fiona Thompson as the new Chair has just been announced. She will start in post later this year. The organisation will continue the regular rotation of Trustees and be looking to recruit one or two further new Trustees in the next 12-18 months.

Ultimate responsibility for the Charity rests with the Council of Trustees. The Trustees during the year are listed on page 3 and details of the Trustees’ responsibilities are set out on pages 25-26.

Organisation and Management

The day-to-day running of the organisation is managed by the Chief Executive & Artistic Director, Andrew Burke, working closely with the General Manager, Head of Finance, Head of Concerts & Production, Head of Participation & Learning, Development Manager and other senior members of staff (Marketing Manager, Digital Officer) to deliver the Company's programme of work. Over the period, the Company has had a team of ten full-time and three part-time salaried staff members. The Chief Executive reports to the Council of Trustees and maintains regular contact with the Chair. Budgets are set by the Chief Executive and ratified by the Council. The organisation’s Business Plan describes the Company's strategic aims and ambitions in all areas, including artistic planning, participation and learning, digital projects development, financial planning and organisational development. The Business Plan also includes an analysis of the perceived main risks to the organisation. In all matters the Council monitors progress and delivery against the aims of the Business Plan and budget.

The current Business Plan originally covered the 4-year period from October 2018. However, due to the considerable social change arising from the pandemic, an update to the Business Plan covering the 1-year period 2021-22 is currently being written (March 2021) and a further update covering the 2022-23 season will be written in the coming months, both to be submitted to Arts Council England. A new Business Plan for

24

Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

2023-27 will be drafted during 2021 as the Charity prepares to re-apply to Arts Council England for renewed funding from April 2023.

The Council has two long-running sub-groups: the Development Working Group, which meets 8 times a year and consists of Council members, staff and occasional external consultants who give advice and bring contacts in the search for more funding; and the Finance Working Group, which meets 4 times a year and consists of Council members and staff who review the organisation’s finances in advance of Council meetings. Both groups allow the management team to draw upon the specific areas of expertise that members of the Council can provide, and allow Council members to maintain regular contact with management between Council meetings and to gain a deeper understanding of these crucial areas of work. Other ad-hoc working groups are set up from time to time to work on specific, short-term projects.

Remuneration Policy for Senior Management Personnel

The Trustees consider that the Council of Trustees and the senior management team comprise the key management personnel of the Charity, in charge of directing and controlling, running and operating the Charity on a day to day basis. During the year ended 30 September 2020, the senior management team were considered to be the Chief Executive & Artistic Director, the General Manager, the Head of Finance, the Head of Concerts and Production and the Head of Participation & Learning. The remuneration of all staff is reviewed annually and increased at regular intervals in accordance with inflation to reflect a cost of living adjustment. Trustees regularly benchmark pay levels against other charities of similar size and purpose. Taking into account the ongoing impact of the pandemic the charity has instituted a temporary pay freeze until activity can be fully resumed.

Council members give of their time freely to undertake their responsibilities as Charity Trustees. No Trustees received remuneration during the period, except as authorised by the Company’s Memorandum & Articles of Association. Where Trustees receive remuneration for other services provided to the Charity, these are detailed under Note 12. During the year, this included the Chief Executive & Artistic Director and three Principal Players.

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES IN RELATION TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The following statement is made in order to clarify the responsibilities of the Trustees in relation to the accounts.

The Charity Trustees (who are also Directors of Sinfonietta Productions Ltd for the purposes of Company Law) are responsible for preparing a Trustees’ annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the surplus or deficit, profit or loss of the charitable company for that period.

In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are also responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Trustees acknowledge their responsibility for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charity’s website.

25

Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

So far as the Trustees are aware, there is no relevant audit information (information needed by the company’s auditors in connection with preparing their report) of which the company’s auditors are unaware, and each Trustee has taken all the steps that he ought to have taken as a Trustee in order to make himself aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the company’s auditors are aware of that information.

Auditors

A Resolution will be placed before the Members at the Annual General Meeting to approve the reappointment of MGR Weston Kay LLP as Auditors of the Company in accordance with the Companies Act 2006.

This Report, relating to the reporting period ended 30 September 2020, was approved by the Council of Trustees on 20 April 2021 and signed on their behalf by:

P Zisman Chair of the Trustees

A Burke Chief Executive

26

Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

Independent Auditors’ Report to the Members of Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

Opinion

We have audited the accounts of Sinfonietta Productions Limited for the year ended 30 September 2020 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Statement of Cash Flows and the notes to the accounts, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the accounts:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of accounts section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the accounts in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the ISAs (UK) require us to report to you where:

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the accounts and our auditor’s report thereon. The Trustees are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the accounts does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the accounts, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the accounts or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the accounts or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report the fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit:

27

Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a Company limited by guarantee) the Chaiman's And Trustees. Report has been prepared in accordan￿ with applicable legal requirements. Matters on which we aro requlred to report by oxcgptlon In the light ol the knowledge and understanding ol the Trustees and ils environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Chairman's And Trustees Report. We have nothing lo report in respect of the following mallers in relallon lo which the Companies Act 2006 requires us lo report lo you il, in our opinion.. adequate accounting records have not been kept or relums adequate forour audit have not been received trom branches not visited by us. the accounts are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns.. certain disclosures ol Iruslees, remuneration specified by law are not made., or we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit. Responslbllltles of Trustees As explained more lully In the Statement ol Chairman's And Trustees, Responsibilities. the Chairman and Trustees are responsible for the preparation ol the accounts and lor being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and lor such internal control as the directors determine is necessary lo enable the preparation of accounts that are free from malgrial misslalemenl, whether due lo fraud or error. In preparing the ac¢Dunls, the Trustees aff responsible lor assessing the charitable company's ability lo continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related lo going concern and using the going concern basis ol accounting unless the Trustees either intend lo liquidate the company orto cease operations, or have no realistic allernalive bul lo do so. Audltor's responsibilities for the audit of the linancial statements Our objectives are lo oblaln reasonable assurance about whether the accounts as a whole are Ifee from material misslalemenl, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue and auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level ol assurance, bul is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAS IUKI will always d&lecl a material misslalemenl when il exists. Misslalements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, Individually or in the aggregate. they could reasonably be expected lo influence the economic decisions ol users taken on the basis of these accounts. A further description ol our responsibilities lor the audit of the accounts Is located on the Financial Fleporting Council's website al.. h www.lrc.or .uklaudi or ibililies. This description forms part ot our auditors rewrt. This report is made solely lo the eharitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part le of the Companles Act 2006 and regulations made under that Act. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might slate lo the charitable company's members those mallers we are required lo slate lo them in an auditors, report and lor no other purpose. To the lullesl exlenl permilled by law, we do not aceepi or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and ils members as a body, lor our audit work, for this report. or lor the opinions we have formed. Nlgel Walflsz for and on behalf of MGR Weston Kay LLP Chartered accounlants Stalutory audllors 55 Loudoun Road Sl John's Wood LorKJon NW8 ODL 5 wi(Jx 2021 28

Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

Statement of Financial Activities (incorporating the Income and Expenditure Account) for the year ended 30 September 2020

Notes
Income
Donations
3
Income from charitable
activities
4
Other income
5
Investment income
7
Total income
Expenditure
Costs of raising funds
8
Expenditure on
Charitable activities
8, 9
& 10
Total expenditure
Net income/
(expenditure) before
transfers
Gross transfers between
funds
Net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds
Funds brought forward
Funds carried forward
18		 Unrestricted Funds
General
Designated
£
£
699,024
-
278,832
-
106,382
-
261
-
1,084,499
-
108,789
-
952,109
-
1,060,898
-
23,601
-
(23,000)
23,000
601
23,000
97,860
61,156
98,461
84,156		 Restricted
Funds
£
117,392
23,312
-
-
140,704
-
162,097
162,097
(21,393)
-
(21,393)
161,389
139,996		 Total Funds
2020
£
816,416
302,144
106,382
261
1,225,203
108,789
1,114,206
1,222,995
2,208
-
2,208
320,405
322,613		 Total
2019
£
905,204
529,929
62,280
418
1,497,831
110,724
1,261,197
1,371,921
125,910
-
125,910
194,495
320,405

This Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure is derived from continuing activities.

The Notes on pages 32 to 40 form part of these accounts.

29

Sinfonietta Productions Limited

(a company limited by guarantee)

Balance Sheet at 30 September 2020

Notes
Fixed assets
Tangible assets
13
Current assets
Debtors
14
Short term deposits
15
Cash at bank and in hand
Total
Creditors:Amounts falling due
within one year
16
Net current assets
Net assets
The Funds of the Charity
Restricted Income Funds
Unrestricted Income Funds
Designated Funds
Contingency Reserve
Revenue Reserve
Total Charity Funds
17		 2020
£
£
3,793
99,344
2,945
395,755
498,044
(179,224)
318,820
322,613
139,996
84,156
95,000
3,461
322,613		 2019
£
£
5,284
307,849
67,728
206,361
581,938
(266,817)
315,121
320,405
161,389
61,156
95,000
2,860
320,405		 2019
£
£
5,284
307,849
67,728
206,361
581,938
(266,817)
315,121
320,405
161,389
61,156
95,000
2,860
320,405
320,405
161,389
61,156
95,000
2,860
320,405

The accounts were approved by the Council of Trustees on 20 April 2021 and signed on its behalf by:

P Zisman

Chair of the Trustees

A Burke Chief Executive

Company registration No: 00926551 Registered Charity No: 255095

The Notes on pages 32 to 40 form part of these accounts.

30

Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

Statement of Cashflows For the year ended 30 September 2020

Cash flows from operating activities
Surplus for year ended
Interest received
Depreciation
Decrease/(Increase) in debtors
(Decrease)/increase in creditors
Net cash provided by operating activities
Cash flows from investing activities
Interest from bank deposits
Fixed asset additions
Net cash from investing activities
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the
year
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year
Cash and cash equivalents
Short term deposits
Cash at bank and at hand
Cash and cash equivalents at 30 September		 2020
£
£
2,208
(261)
1,491
208,505
(87,593)
124,350
261
-
261
124,611
274,089
398,700
2,945
395,755
398,700		 2020
£
£
2,208
(261)
1,491
208,505
(87,593)
124,350
261
-
261
124,611
274,089
398,700
2,945
395,755
398,700		 2019
£
£
125,910
(418)
748
(87,601)
485
39,124
418
(4,743)
(4,325)
34,799
239,290
274,089
67,728
206,361
274,089		 2019
£
£
125,910
(418)
748
(87,601)
485
39,124
418
(4,743)
(4,325)
34,799
239,290
274,089
67,728
206,361
274,089
261
-		 418
(4,743)
124,611
274,089		 34,799
239,290
398,700 274,089
2,945
395,755		 67,728
206,361
398,700 274,089

The Notes on pages 32 to 40 form part of these accounts.

31

Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 30 September 2020

1.

Accounting policies

The financial statements are prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice for Charities (October 2019 SORP), which became effective for all periods commencing on 1 January 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

Sinfonietta Productions Ltd meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are recognised initially at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy notes.

The principal accounting policies adopted in the preparation of these financial statements are as follows:

(a) Going concern

The Trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties regarding the Charity’s ability to continue as a going concern and have prepared these financial statements on this basis.

(b) Income Income from donations, as well as other sundry income, is accounted for on a receivable basis. Income from charitable activities is shown gross with the associated costs included in direct charitable costs. Income from engagements and promotions is stated net of value added tax. Income that relates to projects and fees of a future period is deferred until that period.

(c) Expenditure

Costs and expenses have been apportioned between the cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities according to the nature of the work performed and the time taken.

All expenditure is accounted for under the accruals concept.

(d) Operating leases

Rentals payable under operating leases are charged against income on a straight line basis over the lease term.

(e) Foreign currency translation

Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into sterling at the rates of exchange ruling at the balance sheet date. Transactions in foreign currencies are recorded at the rate ruling at the date of the transaction. All differences are taken to the Statement of Financial Activities.

(f) Pension costs

The Charity operates individual defined contribution pension schemes. The assets of the schemes are held separately from those of the Charity in independently administered funds.

(g) Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less depreciation. They are depreciated on a straight line basis over their estimated useful economic lives, as follows:

Years
Office and stage equipment 5
Computer equipment 5

(h) Investments Investments are shown at market value and all changes in value in the year, whether or not realised, are reported in the Statement of Financial Activities.

32

Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 30 September 2020

(i) Financial instruments

The Charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments, including trade and other debtors and creditors, are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.

(j) Taxation

The Company is a registered Charity, and accordingly is not subject to Corporation Tax on its charitable activities. The tax credit for the year is the payable tax credit claimed under the Orchestra and Theatre Tax Relief schemes.

(k) Fund accounting

Funds held by the Charity are categorised as follows:

Restricted Funds : funds which are earmarked for a specific purpose by the donors.

Unrestricted Funds : funds which can be used in accordance with the charitable objects at the discretion of the Trustees. Unrestricted funds include:

Designated Funds : unrestricted funds which have been earmarked for specific purposes by the Trustees.

(l) Intangible income and gifts in kind

Donations in kind are valued and included in income to the extent that they represent goods or services which would otherwise be purchased. The valuation is based on what a third party would pay for the good or service. An equivalent amount is charged as expenditure. Income and the corresponding expense are recognised in the year that the goods or service are received/used.

The main donation in kind included in these accounts is in relation to the use of office space at Kings Place on a peppercorn rent basis.

In accordance with Charities SORP (FRS 102), the value of the amount of time given by volunteers has not been quantified in the accounts.

(m) Legal status and share capital

Sinfonietta Productions Limited is a registered charitable company limited by guarantee. The Memorandum of Association restricts the liability of members on winding up to £1 unless their liability becomes unlimited through contravention of the Memorandum. In the case of winding up none of the accumulated funds are distributable to the members but shall be given or transferred to some other charitable institution having similar objectives.

(n) Creditors

Creditors are recognised 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 measured or estimated reliably. Creditors are normally recognised at their settlement amount.

(o) Government Grants

Government grants in these accounts are recognised on an accrual model and classified as grants relating to revenue. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme grant is therefore recognised as income in the period in which it becomes receivable, against expenses already incurred.

33

Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 30 September 2020

2. Critical accounting judgements and estimates

In preparing these financial statements, management has made judgements, estimates and assumptions that affect the application of the Charity’s accounting policies and the reported assets, liabilities, income and expenditure and the disclosures made in the financial statements. Estimates and judgements are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances.

3. Donations

Unrestricted
2020
£
Arts Council England
504,161
Trusts and Foundations
53,658
Corporate Support
-
Donations and Individual Giving
42,095
Donations in Kind
99,110
Total
699,024
4.
Income from charitable activities
Own/co-promotions (UK)
Engagements (UK)
Overseas Engagements
Participation and Learning
Composer Commissions and New Work
Digital projects
Total
5.
Other income
Other Income
Total		 Restricted
2020
£
-
91,571
5,000
20,821
-		 Total
2020
£
504,161
145,229
5,000
62,916
99,110
816,416
Total
2020
£
109,804
75,698
84,014
23,312
7,500
1,816
302,144
Total
2020
£
106,382
106,382		 Total
2019
£
499,565
248,521
10,000
52,964
94,154
905,204
Total
2019
£
204,717
261,035
34,000
30,177
-
-
117,392
529,929
Total
2019
£
62,280
62,280

Other Income includes funds received as a result of Orchestra and Theatre Tax Relief claims.

6. Geographical analysis of foreign touring income

Geographical analysis of foreign touring income
European Union / EEA
Rest of world
Total		 Total
2020
£
51,250
32,764
84,014		 Total
2019
£
34,000
-
34,000

7. Investment income

All investment income arises from interest bearing deposit accounts. Short-term deposits shown on the Balance Sheet are unlisted investments held in a COIF Charities Deposit Fund and available at short notice.

34

Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 30 September 2020

8.
Analysis of expenditure
Cost of raising funds
Own/co-promotions(UK)
Other engagements (UK)
Overseas engagements
Participation & Learning
Composer commissions
and new work
Digital projects
Advertising and publicity
Future Project Funds
disbursed
Total		 Staff
Costs
2020
£
56,734
153,332
71,690
56,113
19,077
25,954
12,212
50,547
-
388,925
445,659		 Direct
Costs
2020
£
3,861
195,525
91,418
71,554
24,327
33,096
15,572
44,421
70,710
546,623
550,484		 Support
Costs
2020
£
48,194
69,300
32,401
25,361
8,622
11,730
5,519
25,725
-
178,658
226,852		 Total
2020
£
108,789
418,157
195,509
153,028
52,026
70,780
33,303
120,693
70,710
1,114,206
1,222,995		 Total
2019
£
110,724
539,767
337,612
49,418
98,656
80,068
4,558
124,675
26,443
1,261,197
1,371,921

Staff Costs and Support Costs are allocated to activities either on an actual basis (where possible) or based on the percentage of total Direct Costs that the activity accounts for in the year.

Support Costs above includes an exchange loss of £856 (2019: exchange loss of £1,195).

9.
Staff costs and employees
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Pension costs
Other staff related costs
Total		 Total
2020
£
396,316
30,761
12,337
439,414
6,245
445,659		 Total
2019
£
372,454
31,180
11,813
415,447
4,564
420,011

The average number of employees during the year was 13 (2019: 13), which included ten full-time and three part-time employees. The key management personnel for the year were considered to be the Chief Executive & Artistic Director, the General Manager, the Head of Finance, the Head of Concerts & Production and the Head of Participation & Learning. The total remuneration and pension contributions paid to key management personnel of the Charity were £200,665 (2019: £197,251).

No employee except Andrew Burke, Chief Executive & Artistic Director (see below) received emoluments in excess of £60,000 in the year.

The pension cost charge represents contributions payable by the Charity to the funds and amounted to £12,337. Contributions totalling £2,094 were payable to the funds at the year end and are included in Creditors.

35

Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 30 September 2020

10. Support costs

Rent and equipment leases
Other establishment costs
General office expenses
IT costs and software licenses
Depreciation
Auditors remuneration
Total		 Total
2020
£
101,297
52,569
38,811
25,814
1,491
6,870
226,852		 Total
2019
£
101,297
51,345
39,317
22,958
748
6,000
221,665

Governance Costs of £34,962 (2019: £34,101) are included in Staff costs and Support costs which include audit fees as shown above. Governance Costs are calculated based on an estimation of staff time and resources required to support the governance function.

11. Auditors Remuneration

Fees payable to the company’s auditors and associates:

For audit services:
Audit of the company’s financial statements
For other services:
Taxation services		 Total
Total
2020
2019
£
£
6,870
6,000
1,950
1,950

12. Transactions with Trustees and Related Parties

Trustees received no remuneration during the period, except as authorised by the Company’s Memorandum & Articles of Association. The Chief Executive & Artistic Director and player members were paid as follows:

Andrew Burke
Timothy Gill
Jonathan Morton
Paul Silverthorne
Total		 Salary
£
71,750
-
-
-
71,750		 Pension
£
3,588
-
-
-
3,588		 Payments as
members of
the orchestra
£
-
14,534
4,607
7,882
27,023		 Total
2020
£
75,338
14,534
4,607
7,882
102,361

The payments made to members of the orchestra represent amounts paid during the year and while they were registered as Trustees of the Charity.

Reimbursements to other Trustees for expenses during the year amounted to £0 (2019: £0).

36

Sinfonietta Productions Limited

(a company limited by guarantee)

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 30 September 2020

The Chief Executive and Trustee, Andrew Burke, had an interest-free loan from Sinfonietta Productions Limited for a travel season ticket brought forward from the previous year. At the year end the loan had been fully paid off and the amount owed was nil (2019: £1,149).

During the year £6,501 of donations were received from the Trustees (2019: £8,599). The number of Trustees to whom retirement benefits are accruing is 1 (2019: 1). There were no other related party transactions.

13. Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets
Cost
At 30 September 2019
Disposals
At 30 September 2020
Depreciation
At 30 September 2019
Depreciation on disposals
Charge for the period
At 30 September 2020
Net book value
At 30 September 2020
At 30 September 2019		 Computer
equipment
Electronic stage
equipment
£
£
2,905
25,619
-
(4,156)
2,905
21,463
841
22,399
-
(4,156)
532
959
1,373
19,202
1,532
2,261
2,064
3,220
Office
equipment
£
80,920
(80,920)
-
80,920
(80,920)
-
-
-
-		 Total
£
109,444
(85,076)
24,368
104,160
(85,076)
1,491
20,575
3,793
5,284

14. Debtors

Trade debtors
VAT
Other debtors
Prepayments
Accrued income
Tax recoverable
Total		 Total
2020
Total
2019
£
£
4,750
49,340
1,132
4,854
-
6,162
18,457
54,465
21,530
14,117
53,475
178,911
99,344
307,849

15. Short-term deposits

Short-term deposits are unlisted investments held in a COIF Charities Deposit Fund and available at short notice.

37

Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 30 September 2020

16. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year

Trade creditors
Taxation and Social Security
Other creditors
Accruals
Deferred income (received in advance)
Total
Movements in deferred income in the year were as follows:
Balance brought forward
Amounts released in the year
Amounts deferred in the year
Balance carried forward		 Total
2020
£
26,817
9,481
9,538
58,493
74,895
179,224
Total
2020
£
130,611
(120,811)
65,095
74,895		 Total
2019
£
86,002
9,504
10,580
30,120
130,611
266,817
Total
2019
£
152,556
(142,756)
120,811
130,611

Any amounts deferred in year are related to expenditure on concerts and projects taking place in a future financial year for which cash was received in the year ended 30 September 2020 or a prior year.

17. Analysis of Charitable Funds

Restricted Funds
Future Projects Fund
Unrestricted Funds
Designated Funds
Contingency Reserve
Revenue Reserve
Total*		 Balance at
1 October
2019
£
161,389
61,156
95,000
2,860
320,405		 Net
movement
£
(21,393)
-
-
23,601
2,208		 Transfers
between
Funds
£
-
23,000
-
(23,000)
-		 Balance at
30 September
2020
139,996
84,156
95,000
3,461
322,613

A transfer of £23,000 was made at the year end from General Unrestricted Income to Designated Funds. This allows the organisation to invest in activity postponed in 2019-20 which will now take place in 2020-21 and beyond.

*Designated Fundscomprise:
Balance at 1 October 2019
Transfer between funds
Funds disbursed in period
Balance at 30 September 2020		 Strategic
Projects
Fund
£
47,633
18,000
-
65,633		 Digital
Production
Fund
£
13,523
5,000
-
18,523		 Total
Designated
Funds
£
61,156
23,000
-
84,156

38

Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 30 September 2020

Restricted Funds:

Future Projects Fund

The Future Projects Fund relates to funds already raised for projects, such as Commissions, continuing into or commencing during 2020-21 and beyond. The Charity has committed to fund these projects. A deficit on Restricted Funds for the year indicates that funds raised in a prior year have been used for the projects for which they were intended, and have not yet been replaced by funds for future projects.

Unrestricted Funds:

Designated Funds

The Digital Production Fund relates to funds set aside to support digital production, including CD releases and other digital projects.

The Strategic Projects Fund relates to funds set aside to support strategic projects in future financial periods.

Contingency Reserve

The Contingency Reserve represents funds held to provide for unforeseen liabilities that may arise.

Revenue Reserve

The Revenue Reserve represents the balance carried forward on the Statement of Financial Activities and consists of funds available for use by the organisation to contribute towards its ongoing future artistic activity.

18. Analysis of Net Assets between Funds

As at 30 September 2020

Tangible fixed assets
Debtors
Short term deposits
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors falling due within one year
Total Net Assets		 Unrestricted Funds
General
Designated
£
£
3,793
-
61,994
23,000
-
-
163,314
61,156
(130,640)
-
98,461
84,156		 Restricted
Funds
£
-
14,350
2,945
171,285
(48,584)
139,996		 Total
2020
£
3,793
99,344
2,945
395,755
(179,224)
322,613

As at 30 September 2019

Tangible fixed assets
Debtors
Short term deposits
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors falling due within one year
Total Net Assets		 Unrestricted Funds
General
Designated
£
£
5,284
-
146,006
18,000
24,341
6,268
116,607
29,633
(187,123)
-
105,115
53,901		 Restricted
Funds
£
-
143,843
37,119
60,121
(79,694)
161,389		 Total
2019
£
5,284
307,849
67,728
206,361
(266,817)
320,405

39

Sinfonietta Productions Limited (a company limited by guarantee)

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 30 September 2020

19. Operating lease commitments

At the reporting end date the Company had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows:

Within one year
Between two and five years
Total		 2020
£
2,130
724
2,854		 2019
£
2,130
2,854
4,984

Lease payments of £2,187 (2019: £2,187) have been recognised as an expense in the year ended 30 September 2020.

20. Government Grants

Income from government grants comprises regular core funding from Arts Council England of £504,161 (see Note 3) as a National Portfolio Organisation. This is to support the organisation and its artistic work across all areas. During the period the organisation also received grant receipts under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme totalling £39,677.

21. Company Information

Sinfonietta Productions Limited is a company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office and principle place of business is Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9AG.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the company. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest pound.

40