## **2024 (6/4/24 - 31/12/24) EoY Accounts** |**_INCOME_**
**_Trading Surplus/Deficit(-)_**
**_Overall Surplus/Deficit(-)_**|**_INCOME_**
**_Trading Surplus/Deficit(-)_**
**_Overall Surplus/Deficit(-)_**|**-£5,560**
**-£2,249**| |---|---|---| |**_Revenue_**|**Numbers**|| |Subscriptions
Tickets - door|43 Full + 28 Friends|£8,818
£5,908| |**Total Concert Generated Income**||**£14,726**| |**_Grants_**||| |Steel Charitable Trust
Wixamtree Trust
Dodgson Charitable Trust||£7,500
£4,000
£928| |Total||**£12,428**| |**Total Trading Income**
**_Reserve Account Income - Non-Trading_**|**Total Trading Income**
**_Reserve Account Income - Non-Trading_**|**£27,154**| |---|---|---| |Donations
Programme Donation
Gift Aid (Cash & Programme Donations)
Interest Received||£1,952
£407
£745
£207| |**Total**||**£3,311**| ## _**EXPENDITURE**_ |**_EXPENDITURE_**|| |---|---| ||**Full Season**
**Cost**| |Artists & Agents
Instruments Hire & Tune
Venues
Publicity & Programme Printing
**Total Concert Expenditure**|£24,309
£1,652
£5,510
£490
**£31,961**| |**_Other Expenditure_**|| |Insurance
Independent Examiner
MM Membership& Card Charges|£155
£240
£358| |**Total**|**£753**| ## _**Total Trading Expenditure**_ **£32,714** ## **Cash and Assets at EoY** Petty £150 Current Acc £2,258 Deposit Acc £5,717 Investment Acc £15,000 Selling value £23882 **Total £23,125** Debtors £937 (Gift aid + overpay at St. Mary's) Creditors £240 (Independent Examiner.) **Net Assets £23,822** 1 of 9 ## **The Accounts Reserves Policy Statement – 2024** 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 December 2024 2 of 9 ## **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** 31 December 2024 **Charity no** 264659 **ended (if any) Set out on pages** 3 (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 31/12/2024. **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:** 30/01/2024 **Name:** Paul O’Brien **Relevant professional** ICPA **qualification(s) or body (if any): Address:** 34 King James Close Fordham, Ely CB7 5ZH 3 of 9 ## **Luton Music Club 31[st] December 2024** ## **Information** ## **Trustees** R. Sisson (Chairman) J. Drage (Secretary) M. Atkinson (Treasurer) W. Butler (Membership Secretary) 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** 4 of 9 ## **TRUSTEES' REPORT** The Trustees present their Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] December 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. The elected Trustees were appointed as Committee Members of the Club at the AGM on the 20[th] May 2024. 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 20th May 2024 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 78th season 2024** December 9th 2024 marked the end of the 78th season of concerts providing opportunity for audiences in Luton and the surrounding towns and villages to enjoy performances from artists many of whom have international reputations. Luton Music continues to provide a season of 20 concerts, a number that far exceeds that offered by other local music societies. Concerts were at fortnightly intervals from March 25th until 9th December allowing an interseasonal break to take place during the darkest and coldest months of the year. Apart from the advantages to our own members the provision of concerts throughout the summer months gives an opportunity for members of other societies to join our audience during their concert break. This year all but one of the 20 concerts were held at the same venue, the Grade 1 Listed Church of St Mary in the centre of Luton. This is an attractive, spacious and comfortable medieval building and is convenient for car parks, trains and buses. The concert on 24th 5 of 9 June featuring eight members of the Berkeley Ensemble and guitarist Laura Snowden was held at St Augustine's Church, another venue where we are always made welcome. The theme that echoed through the 20 concerts was _The Relationship between Literature, Art and Music_ and this was demonstrated in several concerts and especially highlighted on 5th August when artist Dr Elizabeth Haines talked about how her paintings are inspired by music. Another notable evening involved actress Joanna David reading the short story _Bliss_ by Katherine Mansfield before a performance of Richard Sisson's commissioned ballet score based on the same story and performed by an ensemble of piano, clarinet, violin, viola, cello and double bass. Although the majority of concerts featured piano recitals, trios and quartets, several included larger ensembles, examples being a concert by horn player Ben Goldscheider accompanied by the Heath String Quartet, and the Magnard Ensemble, a quintet of wind instruments. The annual Opera Gala in August showcased the talents of young singers and instrumentalists from Bedfordshire and was compèred by BBC Radio 3 presenter (and President of Luton Music), Petroc Trelawny. Membership of Luton Music stands at a total of 71 (Full subscription 43, Friends 28). Students under 18 years and in full time education are admitted free of charge. Our members show loyalty and are very supportive towards our programmes. There have been some generous donations in recent years and there are individual members who are unable to attend but still take out membership in order to support the Club. There is a friendly atmosphere at concerts and several members look out for new faces in the audience in order to make them feel welcome. Individual members take the opportunity to distribute our brochures whenever they visit other local concerts in order to encourage others to attend. We have had some sad deaths during 2024. Norman Fox was one of the founders of Luton Music in 1946 and an enthusiastic member until ill health required him to move nearer his family. Several members attended his funeral in October. Donald Robertson was a long standing and regular audience member until a few months before his death in April at the age of 89. Tom Cole who died in July at the age of 79 was for many years an active member of the Luton Music Committee and attended concerts until declining health made this difficult. Comments, both written and spoken, from members of the audience have been positive about the 2024 season and many were sad at the final concert in December. Several have indicated that they are looking forward warmly to the next season in March 2025. BY ORDER OF THE TRUSTEES Joan Drage - Honorary Secretary January 2025 6 of 9 ## **Education Report for** _**Music on Mondays**_ **2024** Once again we were able to offer a season of 20 professional chamber music concerts in Luton. Attendance has remained steady and we have found the means to engage players of the highest calibre, ensuring that the quality of the concerts continues to be remarkable. It has been a particular pleasure over the year to welcome a range of new faces to the club. As usual we offered 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 developed and we have been nurturing our connections with the Royal Academy of Music, Trinity Laban in Greenwich and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. We continue to promote our concerts through MIX, our local music hub. Our specific theme for this series has been _The Relationship between Literature, Art & Music_ and this influenced the choice of artists and their repertoire. This has presented an opportunity to promote the series with two local poetry societies and various local painting groups. The specific content of many of our programmes also relates to the music studied in A level courses throughout the country. Our efforts to promote the series on social media have resulted in a significant number of audience members who are attending events for the first time. ## **Richard Sisson** (Chair of Luton Music) The following 11 concerts were of particular educational significance: ## **CONCERTS** Monday 25[th] March 2024 ## **Fidelio Trio** This was the first of two substantial outreach projects for our 2024 season. In the autumn of 2023 London’s Conway Hall ran an international competition for young composers. The prize was a workshop and subsequent performance for the six best entries of a new piece for Piano Trio. We invited those six young composers to Luton for a further performance of their works and our members then voted for their favourite pieces offering an ‘audience prize’. It was a great success with music students from Luton able to meet successful semiprofessional composers and learn from their experiences. Monday 22[nd] April 2024 ## **Engegård Quartet** The Music A level course taught in Luton has a special module focussing on female composers. This programme featured pieces by Maja Ratkje and Fanny Mendelssohn and was of particular relevance therefore to their studies. 7 of 9 Monday 13[th] May 2024 ## **Symphonia Academica & Kwanyee Chan** This was an opportunity to offer a concert to a young graduate from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She played the Chopin Piano Concerto No.2. The concert was sponsored by two music club members who this year have donated £1000 specifically to develop opportunities for young players. (This was the second of three years of this generous gift to _Music on Mondays_ .) Under this same arrangement we were also able to offer a concert to a double bass graduate from Guildhall. Monday 10[th] June 2024 ## **Tom Hicks** Tom Hicks returned to Luton for a full recital. He had previously featured in one of our ‘Stars of the Future’ initiatives. This was an opportunity for him to play an entire programme for our audience. These ‘Stars of the Future’ programmes help us to identify young artists at the start of their careers and then to help them develop further performance skills. Monday 8[th] July 2024 ## **Kitty Whately & Simon Lepper** This was another programme particularly featuring female composers and therefore of special interest to our Music A level students. Monday 5[th] August 2024 ## **The Relationship between Literature, Art & Music** This was the second of our substantial outreach projects for 2025. Pursuing our season’s theme of _The Relationship between Literature, Art & Music_ , Dr Elizabeth Haines ran a three hour Painting/Drawing workshop in the afternoon. This was attended by art students from Luton and by members of local painting clubs. The work they created was then displayed for the audience at the later concert. The evening began with an interview with Dr Haines and a graduate student composer from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama; this was followed by an extended concert given by young performers from London colleges. Much of the music for the programme had been used earlier in the day at the workshop. The event attracted many new faces and integrated our season with other aesthetic enterprises within our community. Monday 19[th] August 2024 ## **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 celebrated opera stars Andrew Slater and 8 of 9 Rachel Nicholls, who performed alongside the young singers. This was an inspirational occasion, attracting an audience of nearly 200 supporters and it raised over £1700 for the BYO organisation. It has become a favourite evening for regular members of _Luton Music_ , and is now established as a significant showcase for some 40 talented young local musicians. Monday 16[th] September 2024 ## **Delphine Trio** In this concert three recent alumni of the Royal College of Music were enabled to gain concert experience and an opportunity to showcase their remarkable talents. The pianist Roelof Temmingh is another young artist who first came to perform for us whilst still a student at the Royal College of Music. Monday 30[th] September 2024 ## **Ben Goldscheider & Heath String Quartet** Now the French horn player of his generation, Ben Goldscheider, returned to Luton for this his fourth concert for us. He played for us originally in a ‘Brass Stars of the Future’ event; this was shortly before he won the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition in 2016. Every one of his concerts for _Music on Mondays_ has proved inspirational and highly memorable. Monday 14[th] October 2024 ## _**Bliss**_ **with Joanna David** The unusual element of an extended reading in this programme allowed us to reach out to different groups in promoting this event – poetry groups and amateur dramatic societies. This was also another concert offering a mentoring opportunity for a young player – the double bass player from earlier in the season returned for a further performance. Monday 11[th] November 2024 ## **Solem String Quartet** This was the third of our programmes particularly featuring female composers (Lili and Nadia Boulanger) and therefore of special interest to our Music A level students. 9 of 9