Stratford upon Avon Choral Society Registered Charity No. 502020 www.stratfordchoral.org.uk
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT 2022-2023
1. Trustees
Tim Moore-Bridger – Chairman Glenda Kershaw – Treasurer Valerie Rayner – Secretary Carol Jackson – Membership Secretary Jean Hutchison – Librarian Fiona Macvie Liz Statham Sheelagh Douglas Iwona Moore-Bridger Philippa Vandome Neil Harrison
2. Structure and Management
The Society is managed by a committee, which comprises five officers and six ordinary committee members. Each officer is elected annually, and ordinary committee members are elected for a period of two years. Officers can be re-elected on up to nine consecutive occasions. Ordinary committee members can be re-elected on up to four consecutive occasions. All officers and ordinary committee members are trustees of the charity.
3. Objects
The objects of the Society are:
To advance, improve, develop and maintain public education in, and appreciation of, the art and science of music in all its aspects by any means the trustees see fit, including through the presentation of public concerts and recitals.
To further such charitable purpose or purposes as the trustees in their absolute discretion shall think fit but in particular through the making of grants and donations.
4.
Secretary’s report
The Society began its 2022-23 season on Monday the 5th of September 2022 during the second Elizabethan age but, following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11, it ended its 187th highly successful season in what is now the New Carolean Era. Apart from short periods during wartime and the Covid pandemic, the Society has performed throughout the reigns of 7 monarchs - Victoria, Edward V11, George V, Edward V111, George V1, Elizabeth 11 and our present King Charles 111. In just another 13 years the society will celebrate its two hundredth anniversary. What an epic achievement by a group of local amateur singers, two hundred sensational years of choral singing - think of that! Perhaps the committee had better start planning the celebrations!
September’s rehearsals began with Haydn’s “Theresienmesse”, a light-hearted setting of the Latin mass and Mendelssohn’s “Lobgesang - Hymn of Praise”. Truth be told, we struggled a bit with the Mendelssohn largely
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because it was sung in German so it was challenging to read the unfamiliar notes and words at one and the same time. But we worked hard to meet Oliver’s high standards and in the event a choir of 65 singers produced a highly successful concert on the 19th of November as part of the Stratford Music Festival.
We were joined by the Regency Sinfonia and four fabulous soloists - soprano Hannah Davey, Mezzo Annie George, Tenor Peter Harris (who stood in at the last minute - though you wouldn’t have known - when tenor Robin Bailey was taken ill with a chest infection). Hugo Herman-Wilson was baritone. Our invited reviewer reported that the choir “sang with joy and warmth” and that the musicians were “particularly commendable throughout for their subtlety in the Haydn and their power in the Mendelssohn in what was an “uplifting and upbeat concert”.
We then had less than 4 weeks rehearsal before 63 singers performed Handel’s masterpiece “Messiah” on the 17th of December. The choral society has sung this many times previously so being comfortable and familiar with the piece allowed us to make the most of Oliver’s brilliant direction. We were accompanied once again by the superb musicians of the Regency Sinfonia. The concert was reviewed by Father Alex Austin. He described soloists soprano Fleur Moore-Bridger; alto Elisabeth Irvine; tenor Matthew Keighley; bass Eugene Dillon-Hooper as a “stunning quartet of soloists” and of the choir “Their magnificent and overwhelming Hallelujah chorus was attacked with spine-tingling zeal. The thunderous ovation which this fine five-star performance produced was thoroughly well-deserved.”
In January work began on music for the Spring concert on 25th of March comprising Parry’s ‘Blest Pair of Sirens” and “I Was Glad”, Elgar’s “Spirit of the Lord” and “Give unto the Lord”, Mendelssohn’s cantata “Hear My Prayer”, A Song of Wisdom” by Charles Stanford Villiers and Rutter’s “Gloria”. 78 singers were accompanied by soprano Heather Wardle, 8 excellent brass players and percussion of the Regency Sinfonia and the sympathetic playing of organist Douglas Keilitz. Reviewer Brian Midgley described Heather’s voice as having “great purity, ideal for the famous “O for the Wings of a Dove”, which was delightful”. He congratulated Oliver and the choir on “A substantial and enjoyable evening”.
It was a wonderful, if eventful, concert but the afternoon rehearsal and evening concert together required huge physical stamina for all the singers who took part and, as we were all distressingly aware, for two of our number, it was too much. Thankfully, we were later informed that both recovered well. How fortunate we were at the time to have several medics in our midst who were very quickly able to take control of the situation and enormous thanks are extended to them for their valuable assistance.
As I write this a summer concert - Songs for a Summer Evening - is planned to take place on the 17th of June at St Andrews Church. It is a new venture for the Society and is in response to the many singers who have said how much they missed singing between the last concert of the season in March and the start of the new season in September. If successful it may well become a firm fixture in the calendar. 59 singers are expected to take part singing a selection of pieces including Elgar’s Sea Pictures, part songs and madrigals by Parry, Dowland and others. We are hugely grateful to Oliver and to Rachel for agreeing to take this on.
As a thank you for the use of the Shakespeare Hospice’s car park on Monday evenings, the Society was pleased to support the hospice at the celebratory lighting of their Christmas tree in December. The enjoyable event took place outdoors on a very cold afternoon and 22 of our singers turned out. Carols were sung despite frozen faces and hands but mince pies and mulled wine helped to keep up the good humour.
Regrettably we say farewell to a few members who have decided to retire and hang up their music. Several retirees have been members for many years, one who joined in 1991 and another who joined in 1990. That is 45 years of singing with the Society between them. To all leavers and retirees, we send many thanks for your valuable contribution and support over the years. You will be missed but we shall hope to see you in the audience still enjoying concerts in the future.
Also, I send every good wish on behalf of the society to those members whose ill health has prevented them from singing recently. We wish you a speedy recovery.
The Society has been left a substantial bequest of £2500 by a former singer and is most grateful for this unexpected and much appreciated gift. The family has been advised that this legacy will be put towards a performance of Bach’s St John Passion which the Society hopes to undertake in the not too distant future. It is a super piece but will be expensive to do so the legacy will be a valuable contribution towards that.
The Society started its season in September in good shape with 87 enthusiastic singers including 15 new singers this year. We are delighted to welcome new members and hope that they enjoy their singing with this long established and supportive community of like-minded people and that they find new, good friends within its midst, as I have been fortunate enough to find.
Turning to committee matters. Five committee meetings have been held under the chairmanship of Tim MooreBridger during the year since the last AGM when Tim took on the role. It has been an excellent first year Tim so many thanks for taking it on and well done! These days most of the meetings are by Zoom but both Iwona and Carol have kindly hosted some and I would like to thank each of them very much for their hospitality. Iwona has been an enthusiastic and successful manager of the society’s social occasions in recent years for which we thank her. But she has not been fit enough to be with us this last year and is reluctantly stepping down from the committee. We wish you well Iwona and hope to see you back amongst us again soon.
I too am stepping down this year as Hon. Sec a job which I have been doing since 2017. During that time I have been closely involved in the running of the society having taken over from the previous secretary who had done the job so admirably for the previous 6 years. I knew that she would be a hard act to follow and was initially most reluctant to take it on but her charming persistence gave me pause for thought. For a number of years I had tremendously enjoyed singing with the choir, especially with my mates in the second sops and enjoyed the challenge of learning new pieces with the thrill of performing them in concert.
Also I was acutely aware that the success of the choral society, indeed its very existence, was not a matter of chance. It happens only as a result of the efforts of many people so I couldn’t just sit back and enjoy myself as I felt it only right that I made a contribution. In doing that I’ve been fortunate enough, as has every one of us, to have had the benefit of the experience, commitment and hard work of those on the committee to whom we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude. So my grateful thanks to Tim and the previous Chairman before him and to all members of the committee. I will remain responsible for all the bookings to do with concerts, the venues, musicians and soloists and look forward to continuing my involvement in that aspect of the committee’s work.
On behalf of the committee, I want to thank everyone who has volunteered their time and energy in support of the society, notably to all those who have helped to set up and break down the staging for concerts; for producing interesting and informative newsletters; for organising the flowers for concert soloists; to front of house at concerts; to those who help with stewarding at concerts, or running the bar afterwards and to everyone who has in some way volunteered their time.
The society also gratefully acknowledges the continuing and generous support of its Patrons and the sponsorship of the Rigby Foundation. A recent new sponsor is Holiday Inspirations Limited and the society wholeheartedly thanks them all.
This year has seen the establishment of a superb new website that presents the society in a highly professional manner to the wider public. This has involved many hours of work. I apologise if I have failed to mention all who have been involved in its production but nevertheless offer grateful thanks to everyone concerned.
How fortunate the society is to benefit from the generous efforts of so many individuals, none of whom are taken for granted. In particular, is our President, once again generously giving his time and energy in support of the Society, as he has done for very many years. We extend our warmest good wishes and thanks to him.
Two vitally important individuals central to the society’s raison d’être are Rachel and Oliver. Rachel has accompanied the choir’s rehearsals to the highest standard since 2008. Whilst we singers grapple with mastering
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new music, trying to hit the right note at the right time, Rachel arrives, seats herself at the piano and without further ado impressively plays complex music with apparent effortlessness. Thank you so much Rachel for your unwavering support and long may it last!
Finally, our heartfelt gratitude and thanks go to Oliver who with skill and great good humour encourages us, introduces us to new repertoire, educates us and helps us to improve our singing skills. He has held our hands as we discovered each new piece and with his beautiful voice demonstrated how it should be sung. With flair and enthusiasm he leads us on a life-enriching journey of musical discovery. Thank you so much Oliver - how fortunate are we and the audiences who share in the fruits of your labours.
And so to our next 2023-24 concert season full of exciting musical experiences. We begin on Monday the 4th of September rehearsing Handel’s dramatic Samson for a “celestial concert” on the 18th of November in Holy Trinity Church, followed by Prelude to Christmas on the 16th of December and on 23rd of March 2024 Mozart’s Requiem, just some of the most beautiful choral music ever written.
5. Treasurer’s Report for the year ended 30th April 2023
This has been a very satisfactory year for the Society financially. We had forecast to break even, a very bullish aspiration in a year when we perform Messiah. Compared to the forecast we returned a surplus of £777, high ticket sales for Messiah being a major contributor. In addition, we received a legacy of £2,500, which has been ring-fenced to support a future concert.
The accounts surplus of £6,127 includes the above, plus £2,205 received in subscriptions for our summer season. Most of the costs will fall into the next financial year. The additional season has proved more popular than had been prudently estimated for financial planning.
Standard running costs continue to rise. Rehearsal room hire rise by 11% this year (a total of 16% over the last two years), so we do need to ensure that our subscription income supports our outgoings.
We start the 23-24 season with a healthy reserve of £29,590, which, in addition to covering costs for our summer concert, will allow us to plan for some larger scale concerts in subsequent seasons.
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the Society’s trustees:
Signature:
Full Name: Tim Moore-Bridger Chairman
Date:
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Charity Name Stratford Choral Society
Receipts and pay
Period start date For the period from 5/1/2022
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds
to the nearest £
to the nearest £
A1 Receipts
| Donations | 3,640 | - | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member subscriptions | 13,000 | - | |
| Patron subscriptions | 1,240 | - | |
| Gift aid | 2,531 | - | |
| Concert ticket sales | 9,456 | - | |
| Programme sales and sponsors | 2,682 | - | |
| Contribution to music hire and folders | 1,440 | - | |
| Interest | 119 | - | |
| Other fund raising | 192 | - | |
| - | - | ||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) | 34,300 | - |
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| table). | |||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| Sub total | - | - | |||||
| **Total receipts ** | 34,300 | - |
A3 Payments
| A3 Payments | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rehearsal room hire | 2,066 | - | |
| Conductor and accompanist | 6,340 | - | |
| Concert musicians | 13,344 | - | |
| Concert venue hire | 1,909 | - | |
| Other concert costs | 755 | - | |
| Programmes and posters | 1,511 | - | |
| Music and folders | 1,446 | - | |
| NFMS subscription and insurance | 299 | - | |
| Web site costs | 290 | - | |
| Print, post and other expenses | 213 | - |
| - | - | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Sub total ** | 28,173 | - | ||||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see | ||||||||
| table) | ||||||||
| - | - | |||||||
| - | - | |||||||
| Sub total | - | - | ||||||
| **Total payments ** | 28,173 | - | ||||||
| **Net of receipts/(payments) ** | 6,127 | - | ||||||
| A5 Transfers between funds | - | - | ||||||
| A6 Cash funds last year end | 23,463 | - | ||||||
| **Cash funds this year end ** | 29,590 | - |
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the
Categories
Details
B1 Cash funds
Bank Building Society Petty cash
Total cash funds
(agree balances with receipts and payments account(s))
Details
B2 Other monetary assets
Details
B3 Investment assets
Details
B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use
Details
B5 Liabilities
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees
Signature
No (if any) 502020 ments accounts CC16a
Period end date To 4/30/2023
Endowment funds Total funds Last year
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
| - | 3,640 | 4,643 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | 13,000 | 8,656 | ||
| - | 1,240 | 1,590 | ||
| - | 2,531 | 2,741 | ||
| - | 9,456 | 7,056 | ||
| - | 2,682 | 1,737 | ||
| - | 1,440 | 626 | ||
| - | 119 | 11 | ||
| - | 192 | 200 | ||
| - | - | - | ||
| - | 34,300 | 27,260 |
| - | - | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | - | ||||||||
| - | 34,300 | 27,260 |
| - | 2,066 | 1,767 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | 6,340 | 5,500 | ||
| - | 13,344 | 8,251 | ||
| - | 1,909 | 1,674 | ||
| - | 755 | 335 | ||
| - | 1,511 | 1,071 | ||
| - | 1,446 | 190 | ||
| - | 299 | 412 | ||
| - | 290 | 112 | ||
| - | 213 | 388 |
| - | - | - | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | 28,173 | 19,700 |
| - | - | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | ||||||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||||
| - | 28,173 | 19,700 | |||||||||
| - | 6,127 | 7,560 | |||||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||||
| - | 23,463 | 15,903 | |||||||||
| - | 29,590 | 23,463 |
e period
| period | ||
|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted funds to nearest £ 20,143 9,307 140 29,590 OK Unrestricted funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which asset belongs |
Restricted funds to nearest £ - - - OK Restricted funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Cost (optional) - - - - - Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| OK | ||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| Current value (optional) |
||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| Current value (optional) |
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| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - |
Fund to which liability Amount due (optional) When due (optional) relates - - - - - Print Name Date of approval T Moore-Bridger
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the tfU5teesl members of vfo Av¢YLJ On accounts for the year ended Charity no (rf anyl 01020 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my eyaminalion of the accounts ofth8 above charity rthe Trusll forthe year ended Responslbllltles and As the charity tru&ees of the TTUSt. you are responsib forthe preparation basis of rnport ofthe accounts accordance with the reqU1MentS of the Charities Act 2011 fthe Art). l pOrt ui respect of my e¥InatiOn of the Trusfs accounts carried out under section 145 of the 11 Act and in carying out my examination. I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under secticm 145(5)(b) of the ACL have ccffnpkled my examination. I confinn that no material matters have come to rny attenticffl (other than that disclosed below ') in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in. any material respect: accounting records were not kept n accordano with section 13Q of the Act or the accounts do not accord wiul the accounting records Independent examiners statement I have no concems and have come across no other matters in Connection wrth the examinatN)n to whtch attent[¢ should be drawn in orderlo enable a pn)per understanding of the accounts to be reached. . Please dele inthe d(ets rflhey do not awy. Slgned: Date: i Name: Relevant professlonal qualification{s) or body (it any): /. 6. J Address: kEry£Ey- //v - AeJL-/rf IER October 2018
Section B Disclosure Onty complete rf the examiner needs to highlight matters of concem (see CC32. Independent eyaminatK)n of charity &counts: diredions and guidance for examiners). Glve he bflef detalls of any items that the examiner sheS to disclose. NIDMe IER October 2018