2024-08-31-accounts

EALING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Trustees’ report for the year 2023-24

e orchestra met its aims by promoting five public concerts in its home borough, as well as a further public concert in Hull Minster.

ere was also a small-scale Christmas concert in Ealing Green Church, where the orchestra rehearses; the proceeds of this were shared between the orchestra, which covered its costs and so did not use charitable funds, and the church, which runs a winter night shelter for the homeless.

Members of the orchestra and its Voice Section presented the annual chamber music concert for the Friends of St Mary’s Perivale.

e Voice Section – a small choir which meets before the orchestra’s ursday evening rehearsals under experienced vocal coach (and ESO violinist) Melanie Crompton – is separately funded. is non-orchestral activity does much to further members’ enjoyment and musicianship.

One Saturday aernoon rehearsal on a concert day was opened without charge to families, to allow children to experience the sound of a full orchestra without having to sit – and keep quiet – through a full concert. is was much appreciated by those who came.

e relationship with the competitive Ealing Festival of Music, Dance, Speech and Drama continued with the award of a performance with orchestra to the overall winner of its concerto classes, and the 2024 winner, Hedi Triki, will perform with the ESO in October 2025.

e orchestra’s cohesiveness is supported by social activities for which a separate, non-charitable fund is maintained. e August 2024 bank holiday weekend (at the very end of the 2023-24 ESO year) brought a weekend ‘Jaunt’ to Shepperton, by the generous invitation of a member’s father and his neighbours to their properties by the ames.

As usual, the orchestra programmed music which needs to be heard but tends to be played rarely by professional orchestras. In particular, the ESO’s complete cycle of George Lloyd’s symphonies reached No. 4 (the second time it has played it), with a very impressive performance of this cathartic work. Other examples included Kalinnikov’s First Symphony, Scriabin’s ird Symphony (at a concert which also featured a new arrangement by ESO member Martin Jones of the Jamaican folk song Chi Chi Bud Oh ), and Morfydd Llywn Owen’s lovely Nocturne . Two evenings were spent in pre-publication part-checking of William Alwyn’s film scores. Doreen Carwithen’s Bishop Rock Overture, William Alwyn’s Ship’s Waltz and Rumba from e Castaways , and Ukrainian composer Igor Shamo’s Accordion Concerto were given in Hull.

Further generous support from a private donor was received towards the Lloyd symphony. e need for such music to be played in public is part of the justification for the orchestra’s charitable status.

Naturally, many better-known works, many of them challenging for a voluntary orchestra, were played alongside the rarities. Some highlights were Ravel’s La Valse, Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini with the 2022 Ealing Festival winner Reuben Moisey making a return visit, Janáček’s Sinfonietta with ten trumpets strung out along the organ lo, Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G with the 2023 Ealing Festival winner Firoze Madon, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade . But the most memorable concert of the year was certainly a performance of Mahler’s vast ird Symphony, with the children’s chorus drawn from local schools; it sold out weeks in advance, was therefore live-streamed for those who could not be accommodated, and introduced many parents and children to the thrill of a live orchestra. e full programme can be found on the ESO website.

During this year the decision was taken to go ahead with the commission, originally intended for the orchestra’s centenary but interrupted by covid, of a new work for children’s choir and orchestra from children’s author Michael Rosen and composer and ESO member Laura Rossi. is is to be premiered in the Royal Albert Hall in June 2025, and will make good use of a large part of the funds built up over recent years.

e orchestra owes much to its leader, Peter Nall, and especially to the personal commitment of its conductor John Gibbons, who goes well beyond the call of duty. e orchestra is known for its sociability, and the pub is well-patronised aer rehearsals, but good players want to combine enjoyment with giving the best they can, and the orchestra surely deserves its fine reputation.

			Unrestricted funds	Unrestricted funds	Restricted funds	Endowment funds		Totalfunds		Last year
			tothe	noarpstt	to the nearestE	to theneareat€		to the nearestf	to	the nearest f,
A
PlayersSuhcriptions				11.901				t1,g)t		11,305
Member Tour Payments				r0,:t:,0				't0,330		6,170
Non ESO Concerts				46s'				4,650		1.911
Concert Proceeds				12,251				12,251		't2,961
Grants				,{,flt0				't1.000		1,000
CDsales, adverts				2,6M				2,N4		3,267
DividendsIlnterest				t,605				1,605		448
Friends, Donations,	Fundraising			5,r07				5,107		6,676
Tax Refunds				3,979				3,979		2,699
Miscellanecus				665				665		813
	$r&flre	ot
		AR}		64,092				64,092		47,250
@ l(seetable).			I
	rotatreceipoE::::@l				I-]	l-l	I	sr,oszl	l-47F1
fourCo6ts				9,662				9,662	-	7,580
Conductor, Leader,	Principals			10,986				10,986		10,182
lrusicianFees, lnstrumefit Hire			----	t3,2{6				13,216		10,422
Rehearsat Hatl Hire				2,179				2,479		1,840
Music Hire				974				974		3,318
Publicrty,Postage, Pnnting				2,568				2,568		2,175
3oncert Hall hire				12,248				12,26		3,363
NonESO Concerts				5{r0				5m		510
Sommissionino Fees				3,6U'				3,600
Vliscellaneous				3,24				3}4		2,330
		Subtotal		59,479				59,479		41,719
					r-----r--.rr---1=
	Totalpaymen*		l-Eili?tl		l-,.'-l	t-,-1	f------rr,1?rl		f-4tii!'l
Netofrcceipd{payments) A5Transfersbetweenfunds			t-tttt-l
A6Cashfundslastyearend Cashfundsthisyearend			iE^o+-ii		i-j	i-ji		5s,64il	i-6ril

SectionBStatement	ofa	ssets	andliabi	litiesat	the end oft	heperiod
					Unrestricted	Restricted	Endowment
UOLSL	f;)etails				funds	funds	funds
					to nearest €	torEarestf	tonearest €
BlCaEhfunds	Cunent Account (Barclays)				947
	Business SaverAccrunt(Barclays)				15,221
	Oneyearaccount (Hampshire			Trust)	16,194
	40	day notice	account (Charity	Bank)	26,079
	Petty Cash				200
			Tafa,lc€s,tftrnds		58,Mr
		(qrcebahncesx,trlrecei$s		dnlprynents
				@rrq8D
					Unrcstricted	Restricted	Endowment
					funds	funds	funds
		eilc			to nearest €	to near€st€	to nearestf
82Other monetaryasseb
	e				Fund towhich	Cet{optional)
83lnvestmentasseb	Loan to ESO		ProductionsLtd.			17,000
	Deta				Fundtowhich	Cost {oBtional)	Current value
B4AsseFretainedfor the
charity's ownuse
					Fund towhich	Amount due	When due
85 Liabilities
Signedbyone ortwotrusteeson behalfof all thetrustees			Signature		Print	Name
					DFil.{C>
					L+#A$(ixZrltt)Qs