## **Huntingdonshire Philharmonic (Registered charity: 280451) Report to the Charity Commissioners for the Period 1 August 2019 to 31 July 2020** ## **Charitable objectives:** To educate the public in the arts and sciences, and in particular the arts and science of music, by the presentation of concerts and other activities. ## **Organisational structure:** The Charity, Huntingdonshire Philharmonic (also referred as “Hunts Phil”), is governed by its Constitution document and is managed by a committee (the Committee). The Charity also employs a Musical Director, a Chorus Master and an Orchestral Leader, on the basis of a fixed term agreement which pays their rehearsal fees, concert fees and out of pocket expenses (if any) on a sessional basis. The weekly rehearsals provide educational opportunities for all members to learn about the musical pieces and to practice the singing and playing techniques required for the performances. Where, - soloists are required for certain choral or orchestral repertoire; and - additional specialist orchestral players are needed to enhance particular items in a repertoire, they are employed on the basis of one-off pre-agreed payments. The **Committee** for 2019/20 is comprised of 7 Charity Trustees including: Dr Katrina Coope Peter Downes Karen Mason (Honorary Treasurer) Bronwen Rayner Jenny Robertshaw (Chairman) Bernadette Wong (Honorary Secretary, from 13 October 2020) Nicholas Sarkies (co-opted from 4 March 2020) Hunts Phil members are elected to join the Committee at the Annual General Meeting. The appointments are governed by the Constitution document. The division of workload is spread throughout the Committee, with those with specific interests in for example, publicity, taking the lead on those projects. We are also grateful to non-Committee members who volunteer on a regular or ad-hoc basis to assist in the smooth running of the Charity. The work of the Committee is fed back to the members at rehearsals and via emails and the member specific pages of the website. The website (https://www.huntsphil.org.uk) has been updated to improve the ease of communication between members. The Annual General Meeting was held on 13 October 2020 via video conference due to the Covid−19 pandemic. Attendance was fair, and in line with the constitution, a new Committee for 2020/21 was elected. ## **Review of the year to 31 July 2020** The Committee decided to continue delivering six concerts over the year, including two choral concerts (with a chamber orchestra drawn from orchestral members as far as possible), two orchestral concerts and two joint choral/orchestral concerts. This would continue to provide opportunities for both the choir and the orchestra to broaden their repertoires. The 2019/20 season programme has been performed at St Mary’s Church, Godmanchester for the Choral only concerts and at the Performing Arts Centre, Hinchingbrooke School, Huntingdon, for the remaining concerts. Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic and national lockdown from 16 March 2020, our planned concerts and all our face-to-face rehearsals were cancelled for the remainder of the season. Our planned repertoire including works by Beethoven, Brahms, Grieg, Purcell, and Schumann were put on hold. However, the choir were able to meet virtually to sing online during the summer term. |**Date**|**Concert**
**type**|**Programme**| |---|---|---| |**2 November 2019**
**Choral**
**Choral concert by candlelight**
Our first choral concert started the season with the “Choral concert by candlelight” theme.
The programme begins with French composer Gabriel Fauré's_Requiem_. Alongside this
masterpiece, the choir sang Marcel Dupré's setting of Psalm 130,_De Profundis_("Out of the deep
have I called unto Thee, O Lord: Lord, hear my voice"). Both works were composed in memory of
death. For Fauré, it was the death of his father; and for Dupré, in memory of the many dead of
the First World War.
The soloists for the evening were Jessica Smith, (soprano), Joseph Doody (tenor), and Jonathan
Midgley (bass).
The net proceeds of this concert, amounting to £500, was donated to St Mary’s Church
Godmanchester (choral concert venue) to help with their renovation project.||| |**23 November 2019**
**Orchestral**
**Khachaturian: Spartacus Suite no. 2**
**Mahler: Symphony No. 5**
This was our first orchestral only concert which was conducted by our Musical Director, Bjorn
Bantock. It was an ambitious programme requiring a large orchestra and was designed to appeal
to orchestral players from a wider catchment area and attract them to come and join the Hunts Phil
for this performance. The concert opened with the Khachaturian_Spartacus Suite no.2_which was
followed by the headline event being Mahler’s_Symphony No.5_. Overall the concert was a success
both in terms of audience numbers and satisfaction amongst orchestral members.||| |**14 December 2019**
**(Christmas**
**concert)**
**Choral and**
**Orchestral**
**Poulenc: The Story of Babar, the little Elephant**
**Poulenc: Gloria**
**Anderson: A Christmas Festival**
**Trad., arr Rutter: Esta noche**
**and a number of traditional carols**
Our choir member, Richard Walmsley, was the narrator in Poulenc’s_The Story of Babar the little_
_Elephant_. The soloist was Eve McGrath (soprano) for Poulenc’s Gloria.
At Christmas we presented our popular Family Concert and a wide variety of traditional and
contemporary carols with our Musical Director Bjorn Bantock (our conductor) and Katie Crozier
(conductor for HCYO). It has now become something of a tradition to feature community
involvement by members of the Huntingdonshire Community Youth Orchestra (HCYO). They
performed their own pieces (including_Dr Who; Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas_; and_Winter_
_Wonderland_) and were also able to join the full orchestra for some items.
We welcomed the return of the Ramsey Junior School Choir for the second year. They performed
their pieces (including_Away in a Manger_; and_The Rhythm of Life_) and also joined us in performing
Rutter’s_Esta noche_.||| |**Spring term**
**Orchestra**
**Choir**
**Brahms: Symphony No.4 in E minor Op 98**
**Schumann: Missa Sacra**||| |The orchestra spent the spring term rehearsing Brahms Symphony No.4. Although the final concert
had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 outbreak in March 2020, the orchestra enjoyed the
experience of rehearsing this work and reaching performance standard under the baton of their||| **Date Concert Programme type** Musical Director, Bjorn Bantock. The choir spent the spring term rehearsing Schumann Missa Sacra. This was the first time the choir tackled Schumann’s choral repertoire and the choir thoroughly enjoyed rehearsing this piece of work under the guidance of their Chorus Master, Lee Dunleavy. Unfortunately, this was cancelled around two weeks before the concert date due to national lockdown. **Summer term Choral The Choral Songs of Herbert Howells** The Chorus Master was able to carry out virtual rehearsals with the choir, with the following Herbert Howells’ works including: _A Golden Lullaby; A Maid Peerless; A New Year Carol; Delicates so dainty; Pink Almond; Piping down the valley’s wild; Sweet content; The Saylor’s Song; The Tinker’s Song; The Winds Whistle Cold; Tune Thy music; Weep you no more, sad fountains_ . Musically, the 2019/20 season proved to be rewarding, but also challenging, in particular with new repertoire to learn. Unfortunately, this came to a halt due to the global pandemic. The Trustees are grateful to all choir and orchestral members who have given tremendous support throughout the year. ## **Financial matters** The Committee regularly reviews the Charity’s finances. Until activities were suspended in March 2020 we continued to energetically promote our concerts (mainly by local publicity and by word of mouth) together with our social and fund-raising events to make our financial position more solid and to increase the sense of community (in particular the younger generation) within the society. From March 2020 the focus has been on protecting our members and closely monitoring the impact of the pandemic on the Charity’s financial position. Total spending during the twelve months to 31 July 2020 of £24,107 (2019: £31,781) was exceeded by total income of £30,191 (2019: £34,646), giving a surplus to add to reserves of £6,084 (2019: £2,865). Our reserves have increased from £16,945 (2019) to £23,029 (2020). This is mainly due to savings from concert related expenses due to the cancellation of concerts. It is pleasing to generate a surplus which will provide us with additional buffer in our reserves, in particular with the uncertainty from the pandemic. The Charity currently holds a healthy level of reserves which will help us financially in the forthcoming season due to the uncertainty as to when we could safely hold physical concerts. The Charity has a cash reserves policy and aims to hold a minimum of £16,000, which will be kept under review by the Committee. The Charity holds a bank account with Barclays Bank UK PLC (Market Hill Branch, Huntingdon, PE29 3AE) for the day-to-day running of the Charity. The Charity also invests in two funds with CCLA Fund Managers Limited (Registered Address: Senator Hours, 85 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V 4ET): - COIF Charities Deposit Fund (£9,030 as at 31 July 2020), which aims to provide a high level of capital security and a competitive rate of interest, whilst retaining reasonable access for reserves purposes. - COIF Charities Investment Fund (£3,195 as at 31 July 2020), which aims to provide a longterm total return comprising growth in capital and income distributions. In addition to our musical performances, we are pleased to continue our support for the Huntingdonshire Children’s Charity “Dreamdrops” (http://dreamdropschildrenscharity.org/). This is a local charity which raises funds for the provision of services and equipment (not covered by NHS public funds) for sick children and their families. We continue to support this charity by encouraging attendance from Dreamdrops members at concerts with the purpose of making a ‘bucket collection’ at the end of the concerts, publishing and selling items and also helping the Hunts Phil by selling programmes prior to the national lockdown. When considering subscription rates for the 2020/21 season, the Committee took into account the uncertainty as to how many concerts and live rehearsals would be permitted for the 2020/21 season, and the fact that, whilst virtual rehearsal have been possible for some choir members, we have not been able to offer alternative opportunities to other choir members or to any orchestra members. The Committee therefore proposed a reduction in annual full membership subscription from £140 to £80 (Choir members) and £50 (Orchestra members). As always, members’ personal circumstances would be taken into account if necessary. We would like to express our gratitude to our Chorus Master, Lee Dunleavy, and our Musical Director, Bjorn Bantock for this challenging season. We sadly had to say farewell to Bjorn who resigned at the end of the season and his presence will be sorely missed. Bernadette Bo Yee Wong Secretary to the Charity Trustees 29 May 2021 Huntingdonshire Philharmonic Society Registered charity: 280451 Independent Examinerfs Report Indopondont Examlnerfs Roport to tho Trustees of Huntingdonshlre Philha￿onIC Soclety I report on the ￿lunt$ of the charrty for the year ended 31 Juty 2020 whiGh are set out on pages 2 10 4. R68P•CtSve re8ponsibllttle8 of trustees and oxaminer The charity's trustees are responsbi le for the preparation of the accounts. The charfty's trustees consider that an audit is not required for thK8 year under section 144{21 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It 1$ my responsibility to.. examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Actr, follow the procedu￿$ tahl down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 14515}(b) of the 2011 Art and State whether particular Matte￿ have come to my attentb)n. Ba818 of Independ•nt examin*s report My examination was carried out in accordan￿ with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination indudes a review of the accounting records kept by the charlty and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the ac¢ounls, and seeking explanab.ons from you as trustees conceming any such matters. The procedure8 ndertakenkn not provide all the that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as lo whether the accounts present a Irue and fair view" and the report is IHnfted to those matters set out in the statement below. Independ•nt •xamln&V8 Statsment In o)nnection wfth my examination, no matter has come to my attention: 1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe thac in any material respect. the requirements.. to keep 8cwunting records in ￿rdance with s¥tion130 of the 2011 Art and to prepaTr xcounts which accord with the accounting records and c¢)mply with the x¢ounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been mrt or 2. to which, in my opinion. attention shoukl be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the a¢¢ounts to be reached. Br￿￿ Gentles 37 High Street Brampton PE28 4TG 30 SQpiCrThW 2020 Huntingdonshire Philharmonic Society Registered charity: 280451 ststement of Receipts and Payments For the Year Ended 31 July 2020 Y￿r endgd 31 July Y￿r ended 31 July 2019 Recelpts Voluntary Incom? $ouree8 Members. Sub￿rIptiOnS Donations Gfft aid FundraisirvJ income 13.645 775 2,748 13,465 1,282 2,904 17,531 18,111 Investment income Rec8ipts from charitable Iradlng Concert income Sales to patrons1 season tbckets Sundry income 10.579 1.391 15.194 495 16,387 12,518 Total re¢olpts 30.191 Dlrect charltable expendltu Concert expenses Hire of rehearsai room Rehearsai fees Covid-19 cancellation fees Aaking Music subscriplion and insurance Purchases 11,394 17,711 1,963 10,293 8220 1.790 670 1.036 3.535 587 31.199 Other expendrture PL￿liCty Administration 70 512 582 495 572 Total paymonts Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end 16,945 ¥J,029 14,080 Huntingdonshire Philharmonic Society Registered charity: 280451 Statement of Assets and Llabililies As at 31 July 2020 Unrestricted At 31 July Al 31 July 2019 Cash fund8 DeFL)sil account Bank account 9,030 13,999 8.888 8.057 Totsl cash lurnls 945 Invfrstment assots COIF Investment fuThJ Assets retalnod for Ug• Timpani ectronic keytM)ard Amount due from Tid(etscwrce Llabllltlo9 Printing Piano tuning Tot 200 Approved by the committee on 30 September 2020 and signed on their behalf by Karen Mason. Honorary Treasurer Jenny Robertshaw. Chair Huntingdonshire Philharmonic Society Registered charity: 280451 Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 July 2020 1. Bas18 ol preparatlon These ￿Unts have boon prepared ￿1r￿j the recew)ts and payments convenlion as p8miittwJ under S&lion 133 of the 2011 Act. Quoted investments have t*en stated at bhj mark81 vdue at 31 July 2020. 2. Cash lund8 Cash hjnds are unrestricted lunds whKh are av￿Iat4e use at the discretion of the trustees In the lurtherance of the general oty'ectives of the charity and which have r￿)1 been designated lor other purwses. & A888ts relalned lor owm use Additional information relating to assets rthned for ¢ywn use is set out beh)w. Cur￿￿ vdualions are not Doscrlptlon of assel Y#r of purcha8e Timpani Electronic keytrf)ard 1987 3,660 2,694 Relaled p8rty Iran8actlons There have been no rdated paty transac￿)n$ the peri(Kl that require disclosure12019.' £NIII.