## **Luton Music Club 5[th] April 2024** ## **Information** ## **Trustees** R. Sisson (Chairman) J. Drage (Secretary) M. Atkinson (Treasurer) J. Savage – Retired May 2023 W. Butler - Co-opted June 2023 M. Sugars J. Wilson P. Cott ## **Principal Address** 19, St. Bartholomew's Court Riverside Cambridge CB5 8JB ## **Independent Examiner** Paul O’Brien 34 King James Close Fordham, Ely CB7 5ZH ## **Primary Bankers** The Co-Operative Bank P.O. Box 250 Delf House Southway Skelmersdale WN8 6WT ## **CHARITY COMMISSION REFERENCE NUMBER 264659** Page **1** of **10** ## **TRUSTEES' REPORT** The Trustees present their Report and Accounts for the year ended 5th April 2024. ## **OBJECTS** The charity is established to promote, improve, develop and maintain public education in the appreciation of the art and science of music in all its aspects by the presentation of public concerts and recitals. ## **TRUSTEES AND THEIR INTERESTS** The Trustees are set out on page 1. With the exception of J. Savage and W. Butler, the elected Trustees were appointed as Committee Members of the Club at the AGM on the 15[th] May 2023. They are responsible for the arrangements for concerts and other events and the control of finance and safeguarding the assets of the Club. The Trustees had no interests in the contracts of the Charity. ## **PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENTS** The following were elected at the AGM on the 15th May 2023 President: Petroc Trelawny Vice Presidents: Michael Berkeley CSE (Lord Berkeley of Knighton), Steven Beaven, Christine Bunning, Kelvin Hopkins, Monica McCabe, Sid Rutstein, and Cllr. Hazel Simmonds. ## **Review of the 77th season 2023** December 4th 2023 marked the end of another enjoyable season of 20 concerts, each of which demonstrated the top quality performances that Luton Music audiences have come to expect and value. Our members continue to approve of our post pandemic change to holding concerts at fortnightly intervals from March to December with a slightly earlier start time of 7.30pm. A side advantage of this is that _Music on Mondays_ offers concerts over the summer months when other local music societies are inbetween their season so there is the opportunity to attract new audience members. The venue chosen for all but two of the concerts was the attractive Grade 2 listed St Mary's Church with car parks, rail and bus services located nearby. For the remaining two concerts we received a warm welcome at St Augustine's Church in the Limbury area of Luton. . The theme for the 2023 season was _The Ties between Pupil and Teacher_ and this was demonstrated clearly at the first concert on 20th March by pianist John Lenehan whose pedagogical lineage can be traced back through Yonty Solomon to Charles Rosen to Moriz Rosenthal to Franz Liszt to Carl Czerny and finally to Ludwig van Beethoven himself! Another example later on in September was pianist Margaret Fingerhut who can also trace her teachers back to Beethoven via Leon Fleisher, Artur Schnabel,Theodor Leschetizky and Carl Czerny. Page **2** of **10** Much of the programming during the season delivered performances by traditional quartets and trios such the Piatti Quartet and the Eblana String Trio, and also return visits by pianists Leon Mccawley and Simon Callaghan. There were also some unusual concerts and one in particular featured the Berkeley Ensembly who gave a performance of _Façade_ by the eccentric Edith Sitwell and composer William Walton. It has to be acknowledged that this event was not to everyone's taste! Other less usual performances were by James Gilchrist and the Linarol Consort of Viols, the Mēla Guitar Quartet and accordionist Miloš Milivojević. A particular treat was the Bedfordshire Youth Opera Gala in which young singers from Bedfordshire performed highlights from a variety of operas. We were delighted that baritone Roderick Williams took a prominent part in the evening. It was also an opportunity for the President of Luton Music, Petroc Trelawny, to attend and introduce the performances throughout the evening. Towards the end of the season a further evening highlighting the talent of young musicians took place on 27th November when teenage violinists Edward Walton and Madeline Grambow performed demanding music by Bartók, Szymanowski, Saint-Saëns and Bach. An extra treat for the audience was welcoming Edward and Madeline's teacher, Tasmin Little, to introduce the recital. The final concert on 4th December provided a delightful climax to the season with appearances by a young saxophone quartet, Opus Sax, cellist Caroline Ridout, pianist Lucy Parham and actor Robert Glenister. The average attendance of Full and Friends attending in 2023 was 59 which was a slight increase on the season before. Full subscribers in 2023 totalled 41 whilst those taking out Friend's membership added up to 20. Marketing channels continued as before involving the use of printed brochures, notices in the local press and with regular use made of social media. The email mailing lists to members and non members have continued to be well received and those few members who do not have access to email receive paper communications about important matters such as the date of the AGM. The exchange of concert information between local music societies continues to be promoted by the Secretary, and some Members helpfully take a bundle of Luton Music brochures to distribute when attending other concerts. Nine new regular members of the audience have been noticed throughout the season. Members were sorry to hear of the deaths of three members during 2023. Marjorie Williams and Gillian Robertson who were both loyal, lively and regular members of the audience died early in the year then David Foster died in November. David was a longstanding and supportive member whose contribution to the Club over the years included 'meeting and greeting' the artists and making them welcome. Not long after the 2023 Season ended came the sad news that another very supportive and longstanding member had died. This was Ken Boyes who had been a founder member of Luton Music Club and a regular member of the audience until poor health made this difficult. Despite the sadness of these deaths, the 2023 Season has been a rewarding one with musical excellence demonstrated at each one of the 20 concerts. We look forward as always to the delights of the next season. BY ORDER OF THE TRUSTEES Joan Drage - Honorary Secretary March 2024 Page **3** of **10** ## **Education Report for** _**Music on Mondays**_ **2023** Once again we were able to offer a full season of 20 professional chamber music concerts in Luton. Attendance has improved by almost 20% and we have found the means to engage players of the highest calibre ensuring that the quality of the concerts continues to be remarkable. We are also attracting a wider range of audience members. As usual we were able to offer free admission to all students under 18 in full-time education. We continue our association with the Luton Sixth Form College and the students on their A Level music and dance courses. Our synergy with London’s Royal College of Music has also continued and we have also developed new connections with the Royal Academy of Music, Trinity Laban in Greenwich and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. It is also perhaps worth noting that the content of many of our programmes relates to the music studied in A level courses throughout the country. Our specific theme for this series has been _The Ties between Pupil &Teacher_ and this has clearly influenced the choice of artists and their repertoire. As a direct result this has led to a considerable increase in the number of youngsters attending the concerts, both as performers and audience members. Our increased efforts to promote the series in new ways have resulted in steady growth in the number of audience members attending events for the first time. **Richard Sisson** (Chair of Luton Music) The following eleven concerts were of particular educational significance: ## **CONCERTS** ## Monday 3[rd] April 2023 ## **Stars of the Future** ## **Leo Little; Etty Ashton; Polina Sosnina; Thomas Luke** These four young instrumentalists represent some of the most promising artists in the country. Prize-winners in a variety of local and national music competitions (including BBC Young Musician of the Year), their performances were inspirational to those in our own town hoping to emulate such achievements. Etty was only 14 and Leo 16 years old; Polina and Thomas are both students at London’s Royal College of Music. It was an evening of truly remarkable achievements. ## Monday 22[nd] May 2023 ## **Delphine Trio** Roelof Temmingh is a student of mine from the Royal College of Music. His trio is formed with two colleagues, all three of them prestigiously having been awarded Junior Fellowships. The concert provided a platform for them to develop some repertoire before going into the studio to record it. They will also return next season as we support them in building up a portfolio of performance opportunities. ## Monday 3[rd] July 2023 ## **Edward Picton-Turbevill** with **Theano Papadaki, Rosa Herwig, Jonathan Hyde & Michael Lafferty** Edward attended a masterclass that I gave at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. As a consequence of this collaboration, he then put together a programme showcasing four young singer colleagues; this was also an opportunity for him to programme his own remarkable compositions. Page **4** of **10** ## Monday 31[st] July 2023 ## **Off The Wall Ensemble** This group is led by viola player Josh Law. He was joined by five other young virtuoso players from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. The audience for this concert contained many of the student singers from the Bedfordshire Youth Opera course, as Josh had played in the orchestra for their 2022 production. ## Monday 21[st] August 2023 ## **Bedfordshire Youth Opera** This Fundraising Benefit Concert is presented in collaboration with the annual summer course run by the Hertfordshire Music Trust. Young singers and instrumentalists work for three weeks in August to present a fully staged operatic production in Bedford, the rehearsals for which take place in Luton. As part of this highly feted course, the participants now also have this opportunity to perform a concert gala of operatic repertoire. Their professional guests for the event included the internationally celebrated opera stars Roderick Williams and Rachel Nicholls. This was an inspirational occasion, attracting an audience of nearly 200 supporters and it raised over £1800 for the BYO organisation. It is fast becoming a favourite evening for regular members of _Luton Music_ , and it has established itself as a significant show case for some 40 talented young local musicians. ## Monday 18[th] September 2023 ## **Serenades for Winds** In this concert five experienced professional wind players invited the young student bassoonist, Bruce Parris, to join them on stage. This mentoring process has been sponsored by two club members, who are donating £3000 over three seasons to help develop opportunities specifically for young artists. ## Monday 16[th] October 2023 ## **Piatti String Quartet** This was another concert offering mentoring opportunities for young players. (See above.) This time it featured the Asaka Quartet, Performance Fellows studying at London’s Royal Academy of Music. Mendelssohn’s Octet for Strings received a passionate and very memorable performance. ## Monday 30[th] October 2023 ## **Gildas String Quartet** Once again this was another concert offering mentoring opportunities for a young player. (See above.) Young viola player, Erin Vinter, currently studying at the Birmingham Conservatoire, joined the quartet for a performance of Mozart’s G minor Quintet. It was a truly thrilling occasion for this young player and her family. ## Monday 13[th] November 2023 ## **Milos Milivojevic & Simon Callaghan** Students on the dance course at Luton Sixth Form College choreographed a piece to the music of Piazzolla’s _Libertango_ , which they then performed live with the musicians. For most of the pupils this was their first opportunity to dance to live music. The performance was assessed and recorded as part of their A Level course work. The concert, which was held in the beautiful local church of St Mary’s, was widely supported by family members and fellow students. Page **5** of **10** ## Monday 27[th] November 2023 **Edward Walton, Madeline Grambow & John Lenehan** This was the final concert being supported by the grant to encourage young musicians particularly. The celebrated violinist, Tasmin Little, came to Luton to present two of her most accomplished young students in concert. Audience members were perhaps already familiar with the playing of Edward Walton, having seen him as a finalist in the recent BBC Young Musician of the Year competition. Both of these exceptional players benefited hugely from the guidance of John Lenehan at the piano and their performances served as an inspiration to young Luton based instrumentalists. ## Monday 4[th] December 2023 ## **Christmas Concert** This final concert was one last exploration of our series’ theme of _The Ties between Pupil &Teacher_ . A young saxophone quartet from Trinity Laban featured, led by Amadea Topalli, a former student of Luton Sixth Form College. Caroline Ridout, an exceptional cello teacher from Luton, also played and there was a fine contribution from one of our Vice-presidents, Christine Bunning, another remarkable teacher here in the Beds/Herts area. The success of this event has led to a new initiative to programme a yearly concert presented entirely by young musicians from Luton. Page **6** of **10** ## **The Accounts Reserves Policy Statement – 2023/24** The Committee of the Club plan concert programmes up to two years in advance. Artists are engaged, and programmes legally contracted, typically six months or more before a season starts. Membership of the Club varies from year to year although, after several years of slow decline, has stabilised somewhat this year. However, audience figures have shown a slight decline this year. Grants and financial support from all sources are variable year on year. The Club is vulnerable to these changes, over which it has no control. Our approach to these circumstances is as follows. We typically budget for 20 concerts per season at an average artist cost of £1200, and if all other costs were typical of the recent past, our commitments would sum to approximately £33,000. If all normal income halved, and no exceptional donations or bequests were received, the income would be approximately £14,000. The resulting deficit would amount to approximately 58% of budgeted costs. **We therefore consider a Reserves level of at least 60% of the budgeted expense to be a prudent policy.** We could survive two consecutive years of these exceptional circumstances, which is in line with the lead time we operate to for concert planning. Whilst the committee will make its best endeavours to maintain the Reserves at this level, it retains a right to employ them as it sees fit for the benefit of the club's members to maintain programme quality, extent, audience numbers and the general good running of the club. Mike Atkinson -Treasurer April 2024 Page **7** of **10** Si ## **Simplified Version** |**Simplified**|**Simplified**|**Version**||| |---|---|---|---|---| |**2024 EoY Accounts**||||| |||||| |||||| ||**_INCOME_**|**_Trading Surplus/Deficit(-)_**||**-£3,555**| |||**_Overall Surplus/Deficit(-)_**||**£2,754**| ||**_Revenue_**|**Numbers**||| ||Subscriptions|41 Full+20 Friends||£7,927| ||Tickets-door|||£6,456| |||||| |||||| ||**Total Concert Generated Income**|||**£14,383**| |||||| ||**_Grants_**|||| ||Steel Charitable Trust|||£7,500| ||Wixamtree Trust|||£4,000| ||Dodgson Charitable Trust|||£500| |||||| |||||| |||||| ||||Total|**£12,000**| |||||| ||**Total Trading Income**|||**£26,383**| |||||| ||**_Reserve Account Income - Non-Trading_**|||| ||Donations (Inc Gift Aid)|||£5,447| ||Programme Donation (Inc Gift Aid)|||£599| ||Interest Received|||£262| |||||| ||**Total**|||**£6,309**| |||||| ||**_EXPENDITURE_**|||| |||||| |||**Full Season**||| |||**Cost**||| ||Artists & Agents|£21,910||| ||Instruments Hire & Tune|£880||| ||Venues|£5,315||| ||Publicity & Programme Printing|£732||| ||**Total Concert Expenditure**|**£28,837**||| |||||| ||**_Other Expenditure_**|||| ||Insurance|£151||| ||Independent Examiner|£240||| ||Miscellaneous|£709||| ||**Total**|**£1,100**||| |||||| |**_Total Trading Expenditure_**||**£29,937**||| |||||| ||**Cash at EoY**|||| ||Petty|£150||| ||Current Acc|£13,982||| ||Deposit Acc|£5,532||| ||Investment Acc|£15,000|Selling value £22,796|| ||**Total**|**£34,664**|So if sold, total assets= **£42,460**|| ## **2024 EoY Accounts** Page **10** of **10** ## **Independent examiner's report on the accounts** **Section A Independent Examiner’s Report** **Report to the trustees** Charity Name Luton Music Club **On accounts for the year** 05 April 2024 **Charity no** 264659 **ended (if any) Set out on pages** (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets) I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 05/04/2023. **Responsibilities and** As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the **basis of report** accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). I report in respect of my examination of the Charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. **Independent** I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have **examiner's statement** come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: - the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or - the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or - the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. **Signed: Date:** 18/04/2024 **Name:** Paul O’Brien **Relevant professional** ICPA **qualification(s) or body (if any): Address:** 34 King James Close Fordham, Ely CB7 5ZH **Oct 2018** 1 **IER** ## **Section B Disclosure** Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners). **Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose** . **Oct 2018** 2 **IER**