Cappella Caeciliana Registered Charity NIC100255 Trustees’ Report: 2022 - 2023
1. Review of the year
The Trustees present their report and independently verified financial statements for Cappella Caeciliana for the year ended 31 March 2023.
Our aims as a charity are:
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(i) The advancement of the arts and culture
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(ii) The advancement of education
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(iii) The advancement of religion
This was the Society’s first full reporting year with Matthew Quinn as Musical Director. Matthew is now well established in this role and has already directed a significant number of highly rated performances with the choir.
The Society had income of £31,584.42 during the year, bolstered by the fee for a prestige concert with Andrea Bocelli in the SSE Arena, Belfast, and by an Arts Council of Northern Ireland grant for a concert taking place on 2[nd] April 2023 (the latter for being held as a “restricted fund”, ie specifically for this purpose). Expenditure of £19,998.57 resulted in a surplus for the year of £11,585.85. However, it should be noted that this surplus is entirely made up of the above grant and advance sales for the associated concert, with nearly all expenditure for that concert being incurred in the next financial year.
The Society continues to operate a two-strand process, with the Musical Director (who is not a Trustee) having full involvement with the Trustees in artistic and event-related planning and decisions, but with governance and financial decisions reserved to the Trustees.
The Society was pleased to welcome a number of new members to the choir during the year, and to maintain good relations with its former members.
In carrying out the charity’s activities, the Trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission for NI Public Benefit Requirement statutory guidance. A broad review of our activities to further our purposes for the public benefit during the year and of our achievements during that period is as follows:
(i) On Sunday 10 April the choir presented a concert to an audience of 230 in Clonard Monastery, Belfast. This very well received concert was the first performance under Matthew Quinn.
(ii) On Sunday 19 June the choir presented a concert to an audience of 160 in Carlisle Memorial Church, Belfast, accompanied by an orchestra of professional players.
(iii) On Sunday 21 August the choir took part in the Opening Concert of the annual Charles Wood Festival, which was held in St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral with an audience of around 200.
(iv) On Thursday 22 September the choir were special guests of Andrea Bocelli in the SSE Arena, Belfast, performing to an audience of around 8,000. The choir was supplemented for the occasion by former members and other friends of the choir.
(v) On Saturday 15 October we presented a concert in Newry Town Hall to an audience of 50 people, part of Newry, Mourne and Down Council’s arts programme.
(vi) On Friday 10 December, we presented a Christmas concert in First Presbyterian Church, Belfast. This was a joint event with Third Carrickfergus Band, to whom we are very grateful.
(vii) On Saturday 28 January we presented a concert in St Malachy’s Church, Belfast to an audience of 260. We performed jointly with New Dublin Voices, and wish to record our thanks to them for taking part in this joint venture covering two concerts.
(viii) On Saturday 25 February we presented the second joint concert with New Dublin Voices, this time in the Chapel of Trinity College, Dublin, to an audience of around 260.
(ix) Smaller groupings of choir members took part in various other events, including “Royal Carols: Together at Christmas” which was broadcast UK-wide on ITV on Christmas Eve, and the charity event “Spirit of Christmas” held at Parliament Buildings, Stormont, in aid of Muscular Dystrophy UK. A group also visited Nazareth House Care Village to give a carol concert and to recognise the care village having been made available to us as a rehearsal venue for 20 years until the onset of Covid-19.
(x) During the year, the choir continued its ‘virtual’ work, particularly aimed at those who cannot attend our events in public. Various video recordings were published, and regular social media postings were made giving access to previous audio and video recordings. The choir’s existing CD recordings also continued to be broadcast regularly on BBC.
REPORT AGREED BY THE TRUSTEES OF THE SOCIETY ON 10 June 2023: Sarah Alcorn, David Macartney, Louise McMahon, Philip O’Rawe, Micaela Reis
TRUSTEE CHANGES IN THE YEAR TO 31 March 2023:
Sheelagh Greer completed her term as Trustee at the Annual General Meeting, which was held on 11 September 2022. Micaela Reis was elected Secretary at that meeting and commenced her term as Trustee at the closure of the meeting.