Luton Music Club 31[st] December 2025
CHARITY COMMISSION REFERENCE NUMBER 264659
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
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TRUSTEES' REPORT
The Trustees present their Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] December 2025
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 3[rd] March 2025. 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 3[rd] March 2025
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 79th season, 2025
The 2025 season of concerts under the banner Music on Mondays ran from 17[th] March to 8[th] December. The twenty fortnightly events provided an opportunity for people in Luton and the surrounding towns and villages to experience musical excellence from artists, many of whom enjoy international reputations. As usual an inter-seasonal break took place during the winter months.
All 20 concerts this year took place at Luton’s Grade 1 Listed Church of St Mary. This venue is attractive and comfortable and can accommodate a very large audience. Most of the concerts feature small ensembles but St Mary’s can also provide for a larger group such as a choir when necessary. In addition, it is reasonably convenient for car parks and public transport.
The theme that drew the 20 concerts together this year was Anniversaries and New Beginnings allowing the choice of programme content to reflect the anniversaries of such composers as Shostakovich, Ravel, Bliss and Coleridge-Taylor. The idea of New Beginnings was expressed in new compositions, and also by musicians at the early stages of their careers such as guitarist Jack Hancher and cellist Hugo Svedberg.
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Although the majority of concerts featured piano recitals, trios and quartets, some included larger ensembles, one example being the English Chamber Choir conducted by Rufus Frowde. A very different example was a concert featuring the folk ensemble Moonrakers Celtic Music with the Oxus String Quartet. As usual the popular annual Opera Gala in August showcased the talents of young singers and instrumentalists from Bedfordshire. The musicianship demonstrated at each of the twenty concerts is of the highest calibre and much appreciated by our audiences. Some artists are very popular and are asked to return every year – pianist Simon Callaghan is a good example of this. Others are totally new to Luton Music but generally give an impressive performance.
The overall standard across each year is consistently good but certain concerts stand out in the minds of individual members. The five members of the Kaleidoscope Band playing baroque and classical violin, viola d’amore, recorders, viola da gamba, theorbo and baroque guitar were a very good example. Another was the song cycle by leading mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston accompanied by collaborative pianist Sholto Kynoch. A third example was the final concert on 8[th] December featuring the Dominic Alldis Trio who performed improvisations of well-known classical pieces.
Membership of Luton Music stands at a total of 65 (Full subscription 44, Friends 21). Students under 18 years and in full time education are admitted free of charge. Attendance figures were generally in the 50s and 60s but for Margaret Fingerhut’s recital on 4[th] August and for the final concert the audiences rose to over 70.
Our members show loyalty and are very supportive towards our programmes. There have been some generous donations this season with several members sponsoring the interval refreshments and others sponsoring whole concerts. There are individual members who are no longer able to attend through age or infirmity but still take out membership to support the Club. There is a friendly atmosphere at all concerts and several members seek out new faces in the audience in order to make them feel welcome.
Many of our members are elderly and so sadly there are always deaths to report. One of our longstanding members, Lillian Fountain died in June in her eighties after a period of declining health and Hilary Wilkinson who was 94 died in September.
Comments, both written and spoken, from members of the audience have been positive about the 2025 season and have indicated that they are looking forward warmly to the next season in March 2026.
BY ORDER OF THE TRUSTEES
Joan Drage - Honorary Secretary
January 2026
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Education Report for Music on Mondays 2025
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 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 our local music hub.
In preparation for our 80[th] Anniversary in 2026 our specific theme for this 2025 series has been Anniversaries & New Beginnings . This influenced the choice of artists and their repertoire, alongside our ongoing efforts to include 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 attending events for the first time.
Richard Sisson (Chair of Luton Music)
The following 6 concerts were of particular educational significance:
CONCERTS
Monday 17[th] March 2025
Piatti String Quartet & Thomas Luke
Outstanding young British pianist, Thomas Luke, returned to Luton in a collaboration with the Piatti String Quartet. He had previously featured in one of our ‘Stars of the Future’ initiatives. This was now an opportunity for him to play Shostakovich with one of the finest quartets in the country. These regular ‘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. We had first come across Thomas as the winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year and then as a scholarship student at the Royal College of Music where he is currently studying.
Monday 31[st] March 2025
Moonrakers Celtic Music & OXUS String Quartet
The Music A level course taught in Luton involves study of the folk elements in the works of Ralph Vaughan Williams. This programme focussed on that aspect of the composer’s output and was therefore of especially direct relevance to their studies. Students on the dance course at Luton Sixth Form College also choreographed a piece to one of the traditional folk songs that featured, which
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they then performed live with the musicians in this concert. 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 event, which was held in the beautiful local church of St Mary’s, was widely supported by family members and fellow students.
Monday 21[st] July 2025
Greenwich Trio & Boris Bizjak
This was a programme featuring female composers and in particular Fanny Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio; it was therefore of special interest to our Music A level students who study the piano trio of her contemporary Clara Schumann.
Monday 18[th] August 2025
Bedfordshire Youth Opera Gala
This Fundraising Benefit Concert is presented in collaboration with the annual summer course run by the Bedfordshire 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 Kitty Whately and Simon Bailey, who performed in ensemble alongside the young singers. This was an inspirational occasion, attracting an audience of nearly 200 supporters and it raised over £1850 for the BYO organisation. It featured the remarkable playing of the young Bedford-based pianist Leo Little, whom we have been mentoring since his first appearance for us in a ‘Stars of the Future’ programme three years ago. An extract from a new opera, written by a member of the BYO chorus who studies at the Purcell School, also featured in the concert. The gala has become a favourite evening for regular members of Luton Music , and is now established as a significant show case for some 40 talented young local musicians.
Monday 1[st] September 2025
Soirée I
This programme featured two exceptional young performers. Cellist Hugo Svedberg was a finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year 2024 and played on this occasion accompanied by his father Jesper. Guitarist Jack Hancher also performed, the various contributions interspersed with poetry readings by Geraldine Clarkson. This unusual feature attracted an audience with an appetite for the spoken word; their feed back suggested that they were deeply impressed with the quality of these fine young artists.
Monday 13[th] October 2025
Soirée II
This was a second programme particularly featuring young performers at the beginning of their careers. Tom Winpenny played the magnificent organ in St Mary’s Church; locally based saxophonist and composer Alistair Penman chose repertoire which included his own impressive works, and tenor Robert Folkes, who recently graduated from London’s Royal Academy of Music, completed the lineup. The younger profile of these artists encouraged students from Luton to attend and they were clearly inspired by the achievements of these highly talented musicians.
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The Accounts Reserves Policy Statement – 2025
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 2025
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| Accounts for Concert Season 2025 | Accounts for Concert Season 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| INCOME | ||
| Subscriptions & Tickets | £16,211 | |
| Grants | £4,000 | |
| Donations inc GA | £12,299 | |
| Interest | £241 | |
| Total | £32,751 | |
| EXPENDITURE | ||
| Artists & Agents | £24,928 | |
| Venues | £5,985 | |
| Instruments Hire & Tune | £1,190 | |
| New Commissions | £500 | |
| Publicity | £573 | |
| General operational expenses | £216 | |
| Total Concert Expenditure | £33,392 | |
| Admin Expenditure | £937 | |
| Total Operational Expenditure | £34,329 |
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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 2025 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 31/12/2025.
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:
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the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
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the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
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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: 23/01/2026 Name: Paul O’Brien Relevant professional ICPA qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: 34 King James Close Fordham, Ely CB7 5ZH
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