cheltenham bach choir
Annual Report for year ending 30th April 2024
The committee presents tts report for the year ended April 2024
The cFKJir. which is a registered charity No. 261961. was formed in October 1946. The ol¥'ectives of the choir, as set
out in the constttution . are to educate the public in the arts and sciences. and in particular the art and science of
music, by the presentation of concerts and other activtties.
The member5 of the Committee during the year were:
Gill Douglas (Chairl Ruth Rookel Wice Chair}, Val Fagan (Wice Chair) Shirley Elliott l Hon. Secretary). Alan Winwood {
Hon Treasurer), Emma Reed. Andrew Gummer. Janet Upton. Nicola Bryant, Louise Salter
Review of the yearfs activities:
The concert In June 2023 was something cornpletely different to the usual repertoire of the choir. The rhythms of
south America and jazz for our summer concert. Will Todd's"Mass in Blue" and Ariel Ramirez, "Misa Criolla" were
hallenging and great fun to sin& The choir gave an exuberant concert of music with Hannah Davey. Michael Gibson
and the Dom Franks Jazz (luintet.
The autumn programme began in October wtth a thank-you cOn￿rt for Sarah Walker who stepped down after
36 years as our President. About 40 singers, David and Ftona Brown travelled by coach to Rackenford in
Devon and gave a concert of the Fauré Requiem and English anthems.
This was followed by the autumn concert in cIren￿ster Parish Church where Missa, a setting of the Latin
Mass by Peteris Va5ks which draws on the choral traditions of his native Latvia and expresses a desire for
beauty and hope in our troubled world, was perfornied. This wa5 followed by Five Mysticol Songs by
Vaughan Williams to settings of poem5 by George Herbert. The soloist was Timothy Nelson. The concert
closed with the Fauré Requiem accompanied by the strings of the Regency Sinfonia and with soloists
rimothy Nelson and Miriam Allen.
The first CBC tour to Spain took place in November and was a great success. Forty-eight singers, family and
friends, accompanied by Claire Alsop, travelled by train and plane to Segovia for five days. The cholr gave
concerts in the wonderful cathedrals of Segovia Avila and Salamanca, 311 beautiful mediaeval walled clties.
The Spanish audiences were very appreciative of our programme of English anthems and the Fauré
Requiem.
During the Christmas period, the thoir reached out to the community by performing Christmas Carols on
two occasions in the John Lewis Sto￿ in the centre of Cheltenham. These were well received and
generated not only some donations but also audience for our Christmas concert in Cheltenham Town Hall.
It is hoped that the choir will maintain their relationship with John Lewis over the coming years.
For the Christmas con￿rt, the choir decided on a different format in response to discussions at the AGM; a
family friendly concert in the afternoon and a slightly longer toncert in the evening. We were jolned by

Blackweir Brass in two Gabrieli Christmas motets and they added a veryjoyful sound to Gordon LangFord's
"Christmas Fantas¢'. Soprano Hannah Davey brought vocal and visual sparkle with her performance of
e Snowman" and "O Holy Night"
For the evening performance we werejoined again bythe Blackweir Brass and the Beauregard Youth Choir
with. for the first time, the BoyRegards, who gave a wonderful performance of °African Noel-. As ever the
Beauregard choir gave very polished and hugely enjoyable performances, finishing with the theme from
°Eif. The wonderful Claire Alsop accompanied the concert.
In the sprin& the choir gave their long-aWaFted performance of the Rachmaninov We5pers" which had
been cancelled in 2020. There was a full audsence in St Philip and Stjames Church. Having worked hard on
Church Slavonic and developing the sonorities needed for this music. it was a heartfeFt and emotional
performance, the more so as the choir also sang three Ukrainian anthems. The concert was dedicated to
Jonathan Cardale, a much-loved member of the choir. who died just two weeks earller.
The choir goes from strength to strength under David's leadership. He has challenged us with different
pieces, different languages, encouraged us to sing out and. above all. to find and enjoy the music in
ourselves and in the pieces. We have not always been in our comfort zones. especially with more
ontemporary comp05ers, but we have risen to the challenge and are sounding better than ever.
Finances:
The attached financial ststements Show the current state of the choirfs finances. The choir achieved a surplus of
general income over general expenditure of alr￿St £93,(KKI. Much of this was due to the choir re￿iving a generous
legacy of £65.000 from Diana Walkleyl a previous member of the choir. Subscriptions were a150 raised considerablv
over the period to adjust for ever increasing costs. The cOn￿rt programme showed a loss of £8,000, a reduction of
over half of the previous yearfs loss. Efforts had been made in the concert programming in the previous year to
reduce expenses.
Overall, the choir made a profit of 85,(￿. The choirfs total available assets on 30 April 2024 were £88,376 In the
unrestricted General Fund. £14,262 in Caroline's Fund and £32.748 in the Cedric Virgin Fund.
Gill Douglas {Chair}
8 October 2024

Cheltenham Bach Cholr
Incomel Expendllure for Financialyear 01105123 to30104124
General
Car¢YJnrfs Cerfrfc￿n
Fund
Fund
Total
Total
2023124
2022123
General Income
Members, substrtptyons
Benefactors
Don*ionslGrarrts
LegaGyI Diana Walkley)
Interest Receivable
IncomeTax recoverable
Increase in investment un
Hire of music
Social and ￿n11T21s[n£￿tlmttes
Otherl inc coffee money.and addlllfmaldress
deposits I
27536
1987
1123
65CKJ5
2516
1123
S￿)
1014
1520
9792
9792
1&30
1392
1330
310
950
IW2
415
29701
TOTAL
113529
115031
General Expendlture
Rehearsal Fees: Conducrors
Rehearsal Fees: Accompanists
Travel costs
Rehearsal room hlre
Cost of music
Subscrlptlons I Insurance
Admln and Gen. Publicity
Social and Fundraising costs
WebsTte cosls
Other costs
7520
3295
2355
7520
3295
2355
8292
3560
1922
4106
229
970
970
705
705
1671
1493
756
219
219
1370
1370
259
22065
TOTAL
22065
22693
NETGENERAL INCOME IIDEFicin
7￿8
Con¢ert Income
ricketand programmesales
spon50rshipldonalionslgrants
Fund raising i eg raffle or fefteshmentsl
400
12B5
852
852
17W8
TOTAL
29764
Concert Expendiwre
Professi0oallee5
Printing and PUb￿c1W
Hlre of venue
Other costsl eg PRS.charges on iicket
sales.and sociaL
If4J37
16037
33351
2610
2610
4342
8357
3077
26065
4322
48377
TOTAL
26065
CONCERTINCOMEI{DEFICIT)
NETINCOME (ExPEND￿uRED FOR THE YEAR
-11605
Accumulated fevenue Ivnds tKOu￿trOl￿ard
5070
13618
31
50578
62
kcumuiated revenue fvnds carried forward
88376 14262
32748
135386
50578

CUAAENtASSErs
Charities Official Investment Fund
General Fund- Depossts
Caroifne's Fund- Deposits
Fixed Interest
- Investment Fund
Cedrfc Wir¥n Fund- Depolts
- Fixed Irrteiest
- Invesknent Fund
2023
2678
3560
4204
2000
8000
1890
15212
2748
1733
2000
23000
Cash at Bank
Cash in hand
Deblors
8798
8631
5265
TOTAL
142542
57228
CURRENTLIABILMES
Credrtors
.7157
650
NEtASSETS
50578
REPRESENTED BY
Accumulated Incorne FUr￿S
Carollne's Fundl see note 31
CedrcWir¥n Fund I see note41
Unrestdcie(l Fund5=
General Fund
14Y2
32748
1%18
31890
5070
TOTAL
50578
difference
Apwoved bythecommlttee and signed on rls behaifby
GILL DOUGLAS
c?
Alanwnwood

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