Sestina Music Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year Ended 31 December 2025 The Directors are pleased to present their annual report together with the financial statements of the Charity for the year ended 31 December 2025 which are also prepared to meet the requirements for a Directors report and accounts for Companies Act purposes. The financial statements comply with the the Charities Act (NI) 2022, Companies Act 2006, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic Of Ireland (FRS102) (effective 1 January 2019.) The company is governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 14 November 2013. The company number is NI 621437 and the registered office is The Acorn Centre, Culmore Road, Derry BT48 8JB. The company is a registered Northern Ireland Charity - reference NIC 100067. ## Directors The directors of the charitable company (the Charity) are the trustees for the purpose of Charity Law. The trustees during the year and at 31 December 2025 were as follows: David Black (Chair) Irene Kingston James Kelley Maurice Kelly Rachel Ferguson (Appointed 21 August 2025) Stefan McLees (Appointed 21 August 2025) Karenanne Coughlan-Pierse (Resigned 31 May 2025) ## Trustees’ Report The 2025-2026 season thus far has been a highly successful and inspiring period for Sestina Music. Through our commitment to early music, we have continued to share exceptional performances, support singers and musicians, and engage audiences of all ages across a variety of performances. Our activities have strengthened the appreciation for this rich musical heritage and have reaffirmed Sestina Music's role as a vibrant and valued contributor to the cultural landscape in Northern Ireland and beyond. The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has continued to support Sestina Music with the extraordinary granting of our application, a testament to the success and achievements of the Charity. The Next Generation work with young people has been actively supported by the Continuo Foundation and the Board continues to meet regularly to set the direction of Sestina Music and provide necessary support to our staff. We are very grateful to the support provided to the Board by Karenanne Couglan-Pierse who resigned in May 2025, and are hugely excited to welcome Rachel Ferguson and Stefan McLees to the Board as of August 2025 and we look forward to the contributions and strengths they will bring to the governance of the organisation. Page 1 Sestina Music Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year Ended 31 December 2025 ## Our purposes and activities The purposes of the Charity are to promote the performance and study of music, in particular early music and contemporary repertoire in, though not exclusively in, Ireland and in doing so, to actively seek and develop the skills of young artists while supporting and encouraging the development of interest in music, particularly early European and contemporary music. In shaping our objectives for the year and planning our activities, the directors have considered the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit requirement (PBR1). We endeavour to encourage a wide range of young people and children to take advantage of our expertise and promote all within our community to take part in our activities and to attend our performances. We have put these strategies into action through various performances and courses as outlined in the Trustee's Report and in our programme for the coming season. This programme of activities focuses very much on bringing classical music to the community and in fostering the development of those who will be among the foremost artists of the future. ## Achievements and performance Our final concert for the 2024-2025 Season ‘Concert Spirituel' was held in Fisherwick Presbyterian, Belfast, St Iberius Church, Wexford and Thomastown Concert Hall, Kilkenny in April 2025 with great success. This renowned French baroque concert series was brought to life with a 12-piece period instrument ensemble and our talented vocalists including emerging artists from the New Generation Mentoring Scheme, this was the final concert held under the direction of Mark Chambers. Our 2025-2026 Season began with huge success and a new team comprised of founding Sestina Music members, Malachy Frame, Aaron O'Hare and Charlotte O'Hare with 'Singet dem Herrn' held in Fisherwick Presbyterian, Belfast, and Christ Church, Derry in September 2025. This was followed by the renowned cellist Jonathan Byers entrancing our audiences with Bach Cello Suites in November 2025, and finally the hugely successful 'Carols at Christmas - the Old and the New’. Our carol concert featured a rich display of Irish traditional carols alongside vibrant works and arrangements from leading contemporary composers across the island. We were also hugely honoured to support the inaugural ‘Allport Award for New Music' and the presentation of that award to George Parris together with the premier of his winning carol entry. In September 2025, we held auditions for our Next Generation Artists (NGA) programme, following which ten young artists were offered places, seven of whom are from Ireland. The cohort met for the first time on 22 November for a successful inaugural session. The morning session, led by Artistic Director Malachy Frame, focused on ensemble singing and preparation for Sestina's performance of Bach's Easter Oratorio in April. In the afternoon, the NGAs participated in a public masterclass with cellist Jonathan Byers and conductor and pianist Frederick Brown, during which they presented solo works and received detailed performance Over the course of the season, the NGAs will continue to receive one-to-one coaching with Malachy Frame and Charlotte O'Hare. They will also perform alongside Sestina's professional singers and instrumentalists in the Easter Oratorio with one day of rehearsals focused solely on the NGAs. This year's programme culminates with the Next Generation Artists Showcase in June, featuring solo, ensemble, and choral repertoire. This will mark the first occasion on which Sestina presents the Next Generation Artists in a concert of their own. Suffice to say, the remainder of the 2025-2026 Season is eagerly awaited and we hope to continue to build on our success, and record-breaking audience numbers as we continue through the year. Page 2 Sestina Music for the Year Ended 31 December 2025 ## Trustees’ Annual Report ## Financial review During the year the Charity received grants of £71,818, donations of £4,372, box office receipts of £15,844 and bank interest of £252, resulting in total income of £92,286. Artist and production costs were £85,180 and administration overheads were £21,900. This resulted in a deficit for the year of £14,794. This defict was funded from opening reserves of £30,697 to leave reserves of £15,903 at the year end. The Directors were pleased with the results for the year. At the year end unrestricted reserves were £31,139 and restricted reserves were £-15,236 as tranches two and three of grants will be released during the remainder of season 2025-26 (ends July 31st) following mid-season reports. ## Reserves policy The officers have reviewed the reserves of the organisation. This review encompassed the nature of the income and expenditure streams, the need to match variable income with fixed commitments and the balance and nature of the reserves themselves. Reserves are needed to bridge the gap between the spending and receiving of income and to cover unplanned emergency costs. Due to the nature of the activities of the Charity no material unplanned costs are expected. The only major costs are artist fees, production costs, venue hire and publicity for events but the directors would not undertake a major event unless reserves were already in place or funding was secured to cover the costs of the event. The Directors in consultation with Arts Council NI consider that a satisfactory level of reserves is three months unrestricted administration costs which would currently be in the region of £10,000. At the year end the Charity has £31,139 of free reserves. ## Risk management The officers have examined the major strategic, business and operational risks which the Charity faces and confirm that systems are in place to ensure necessary steps can be taken to lessen these risks. ## Volunteers The Charity continues to be very involved in the community, relying on substantial voluntary help to assist its excellent professional staff. As part of our new "Next Generation" audition and involvement programme, we continue to encourage the successful youngsters to be involved in front-of-house and concert management operations of our performances. ## Plans for future periods Plans are well-developed for remainder of this season with upcoming events including ‘Out of Darkness - Musical Reflections at Passiontide’, our Easter concert featuring the magnificent Easter Oratorio by JS Bach, and our Next Generation Artists Showcase to round out the season in June 2026. Page 3 Sestina Music ## Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year Ended 31 December 2025 ## Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities The Charity Trustees (who are also the directors of the Sestina Music for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing a Trustees' Annual Report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom.Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the profit or loss of the company for that year. In preparing these the Trustees are required to: - select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently; - observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP: - make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; - State whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; - prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the organisation will continue in business. The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the organisation. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the organisation and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions for small companies under part 15 of the Companies Act 2006. This report was approved by the Board on 11 February 2026 and signed on its behalf by nn? \ James Kelley Director Page 4