## The Studio Symphony Orchestra Company No. NI 046714 Charity No. NIC103028
**Annual Report and Statement of Accounts** For the year to 31[st] March 2024
## **Annual Report for the year ended 31[st] March 2024**
The trustees of the Studio Symphony Orchestra are pleased to submit their report and accounts for the period April 1[st] 2023 to March 31[st] 2024.
## **Summary of Events**
**Four** public concerts:
Summer Concert – St. Comgall’s Parish Hall, Bangor – 3[rd] June 2023
Conductor: Philip Walton
Leader: Zuzanna Edmonds
Violin Soloist: Ioana Petcu-Colan
Rachmaninov - Vocalise Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending Mendelssohn – Symphony No 3 (Scottish)
Autumn concert – St. Comgall’s Parish Hall, Bangor 14[th] October 2023
Conductor: Tanya Houghton
Leader: Zuzanna Edmonds
Soloist: Rosalie Curlett
Tchaikovsky - Waltz & Polonaise from Eugene Onegin Op.24 Sibelius - Valse Triste Op. 44 Saint-Saëns - Cello Concerto No 1 in A Minor Brahms - Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op.90
Christmas Concert - Island Arts Centre, Lisburn – 25[th] November 2023
Conductor: Philip Walton
Leader: Zuzanna Edmonds
Coleridge-Taylor – Christmas Overture Rimsky-Korsakov – Polonaise from Christmas Eve Suite Delius – Sleigh Ride Audience carol - O Come All Ye Faithful Prokofiev – Troika from Lieutenant Kije Tchaikovsky – Christmas Waltz Vivaldi – Winter Leroy Anderson – Sleigh Ride Leopold Mozart – Sleigh Ride (with audience participation) Rimsky-Korsakov – Dance of the Tumblers Mussorgsky – Introduction and Gopak from Sorochintsy Fair
Irving Berlin - White Christmas Audience Carol – Hark the Herald Angels Leroy Anderson – A Christmas Festival Martin and Blane - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Orchestral Masterpieces concert – Elmwood Hall, Belfast – 9[th] March 2024
Conductor: Tanya Houghton
Leader: Zuzanna Edmonds
Bassoon: Greg Topping
Sibelius – Karelia Suite Weber – Bassoon Concerto Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 4
32 full orchestra rehearsals.
## **Accounts**
Please see our accounts attached to this submission.
It will be noted that there was a surplus of £1,789 for the year leaving a retained reserve of £20,399.
## **Analysis of Concert costs for the 2023/24 reporting period:**
|Concert|Payments|Receipts|Surplus/(Loss)|
|---|---|---|---|
|Summer Concert – St. Comgall’s,
Bangor|£1,253.51|£1,620.80|£367.29|
|Autumn concert – St. Comgall’s,Bangor|£1,096.70|£1,658.00|£561.30|
|Christmas Concert - Island Arts Centre,
Lisburn|£683.59|£1,884.70|£1,201.11|
|Orchestral Masterpieces concert –
Elmwood Hall,Belfast|£2,107.33|£2,645.00|£537.67|
## **Analysis of Costs**
Costs can be seen in the accompanying accounts. The biggest cost is for the services of our Conductor and Leader (£6,230). These are for our main professional musical direction and cannot be avoided if we are to realise our objectives as a charity. The amount for Hall Hire (£5,932) includes for rehearsals as well as concert venues.
## **Income 2023/24**
|**Income 2023/24**||
|---|---|
|Subscriptions|£7,368.00|
|Friends of the SSO|£675.00|
|Tickets andprogramme sales|£7,808.00|
|Gift Aid Claim|£1,044.00|
|Retirement Dinner|£25.00|
|Donations & Grants|£1,300.00|
|Fundraisingactivities|£1,117.00|
|Tea & Coffee|£365.00|
|Fundraising& Catering|£490.00|
|**Total**|**£20,192.00**|
## **Governing Process and Constitution**
The Studio Symphony Orchestra is constituted as a Northern Ireland Company, limited by guarantee. We are therefore governed by Memorandum and Articles of Association, which have been submitted to the Charity Commission. We are obliged to lodge accounts with Companies House annually and also with HMRC if required. The AGM for the 2022-2023 season was held on 6[th] June 2023 (i.e., during the reporting period for this Trustees Report).
## **Charity Trustees**
Board members become eligible to be appointed as Charity Trustees.
The following were Trustees on 31[st] March 2024:
Mrs Gillian Acheson Mrs Alison Bell Ms Bernagh Brims Dr Paula Gibson Mr Alan Greenlee Mrs Paula Klein Mr Paddy McAree Mr Eoghan O’Reilly Mr Philip Stanley
## **Demonstration of Public Benefit of The Studio Symphony Orchestra in the year ended 31[st] March 2024**
The purpose of The Studio Symphony Orchestra is twofold:
## **1. To provide education and training in orchestral music playing to the public in Northern Ireland through orchestral general and sectional (string, wind and percussion) rehearsals of a range of music given by trained orchestral musicians.**
The activity includes working with choirs to perform a wide range of choral works.
The benefit flowing from this is that the participants can have a greater understanding of and skill in playing a wide range of orchestral music.
Success of this can be demonstrated through member surveys, participation levels and quality of performances (gauged through feedback from newspaper critics and tutors).
There is no perceived harm in this purpose.
The intended beneficiaries are members of the public over 18 years old who have trained to a standard in music which will enable them to participate. The Studio Symphony Orchestra does not audition potential members. People who wish to join are invited to participate in rehearsals so that they can themselves judge whether they can benefit from membership. The orchestra has reduced membership costs for senior citizens, students and those who are unwaged.
There is a private benefit to members who are teachers in that their musical abilities and knowledge in pursuit of teaching will be enhanced, but this incidental and a necessary part of the activity.
## Demonstration of this purpose during year ended 31[st] March 2024
Rehearsals for the 2023-24 season commenced in August 2023 and continued for the entire season, up to May 2024.
## **2. To promote the art and appreciation of orchestral music to the general public in Northern Ireland by the presentation of public concerts, performances and lectures.**
The benefit from this is a greater understanding of the works performed and a provision of performances of works which would be unlikely for the Ulster Orchestra to perform (for example Richard Strauss’s Alpine Symphony which requires an orchestra of 120+ musicians and therefore very expensive to put on).
Success in this can be judged by audience surveys and audience numbers.
There is no perceived harm in this activity.
The beneficiaries of this are the general public in Northern Ireland and the members of the orchestra who are performing.
As in the first purpose, members of the orchestra who are music teachers can derive a private benefit from performances and lectures but this is incidental and a necessary part of the activity.
## Demonstration of this purpose during year ended 31[st] March 2024
Performance of four public concerts to over 750 audience members, in Belfast, Bangor and Lisburn.
Provision of detailed programme notes for every concert to allow audience members to fully appreciate the music being performed. These are original notes, written by members. They are also published on our website to maximise accessibility.
Explanation by our conductors of the works being performed helps to give audiences a greater understanding of the music being played. This is an expert commentary by a professional musician.
Provision of information to members and public through our website and other social media.
This statement was approved by the Trustees on 17 January 2025.
## **Eoghan O’Reilly**
Trustee