The Belfast Ensemble Limited
Company Limited by Guarantee
Trustees. Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report)
Year ended 31 March 2024
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purposes of company law. present their report and the
unaudited financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024.
Reference and administrative details
Reglstered charity name
The Belfast Ensemble Limited
Charity registration number
NIC108409
Company registratlon number N1640393
Principal office and registered CreS￿nt Arts Centre
office
Universty Road
Belfast
Northem Ireland
BT7 1NH
The trustees
R Brown
T Mctighe
K Taroff
L Harris
G Neill
JRae
(Resigned 4 April 2024)
(Resigned 11 December 2023)
(Appointed 11 October 2024)
Independent examiner
Finegan Gibson
Causeway Tower
9 James Street South
Belfast
BT2 8DN
Structure. governance and management
The Belfast Ensemble was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee on 2410812016 {No:
N1640393). It is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association and is also a registered
charity since 1911012022 (No.. 108409). Artistic direction and management are undertaken by an
Artistic Director and Executive Consultant, while the administration is carried out by a Company
Manager, with support from a book-keeper. all of whom are part-time.
Trustees were sought at incorporation and since with a view to covering several areas of relevant
expertise. As at 31 March 2024 there were four trustees none of whom have any financial Siability in
the event of the charity winding up. The Board meets quarterly ah)ngside a Finance & Operations
sub-committee, each of whom has their own Terms of Reference.

The Belfast Ensemble Limited
Company Limited by Guarantee
Trustees. Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) {¢ontlnu8d)
Year ended 31 March 2024
Objectives and activities
The Ensemble's charitable objective is:
i. To advance the education of the public in the arts and in particular to present. promote. organise,
manage and produce musical works of cultural and educational work including music dramas, operas,
operettas, film, television and digital broadcasts, dance productions and cultural events and
exhibitions for the public benefit.
Our constitution states "The Belfast Ensemble is a non-profit 'new music, organisation making its work
in the city of Belfast. The Company's mission is to establish a performance ensemble that produces a
season-by-season programme of music-theatre activities. These activits'es will engage. through touring
and residencies. with the wider worfd."
Achievements and performance
The Ensemble created, performed and recorded several original and live works during this period in
Belfast, London and Brighton. We toured our award winning production - Abomination - A DUP opera
to the QEH at the Southbank Centre and Theatre Royal as part of the Brighton Festival, supported
generously by Culture Ireland. Marc Almond performed with the Ensemble at the Grand Opera House
as part of Belfast International Arts Festival and a new ambitious commission, The Headless Soldier,
at The Lyric Theatre as part of and generously supported by Outburst Queer Arts Festival. The year
also saw our Artistic Director. Conor Mitchell begin to compose a new work for the Ulster Orchestra to
be performed at The Ulster Hall in May 2024. In July we embarked on our first international tour to
Festival de Marseille with a revised version of our first show, the Doppler Effect in partnership with
Festival de Créations Queer Contemporaines TRANSFORM! And Outburst Arts at the Festival de
Marseille as part of the British Council's UKIFrance Spotlight on Culture in association with Culture
Ireland and to local audiences at The MAC in September. Conor was also made one of six Southbank
Centre Associate Artists {2024 - 2027) with the offer of of collaborating and experimenting with their 6
resident orchestras and other arbsts.

The Belfast Ensemble Limited
Company Limited by Guarantee
Trustees. Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (contlnued)
Year ended 31 March 2024
Financial review
Revenues increased 348% to £430,929 {2023= £95,974) with a profit of £150,121 {2022= deficit of
£4,851) recorded for the year. Amunt of £280.808 was spent on direct Charitsble activÈties. The
Ensemble remains a going concem in a healthy financial state.
Public Benefit
All of the charitable activities are undertaken for the benefit of the public. The trustees confirm that
they have complied with the requirements of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 to have due
regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Chanty Commission for Northem Ireland.
Policy on Reserves
The Belfast Ensemble aims to maintsin resenies at a level that will enable the organisation to provide
fr)r contingencies, withstsnd periods of poor trading conditions or. in extreme circumstances, to
manage a fundamental restructure, or orderly wind-down, of its activities. The trustees have
established the level of reseNes (that is those funds that are freely available) that the charity should
ideally have. The current level determined, devised to cover core costs for a period of three months is
is £35,000.
The Belfast Ensemble aims to make a small surplus through its engagements. It is intended that any
such surplus will be used to ensure that the reserves policy is achieved and maintained. Additionally, it
is intended that any such surplus will be used as a contingency fund in order to effectively manage
any deviations in budget expectations. including bad debts- or to assist in maintaining a positive cash
flow balance if required.
Risk Management
The Finance Committee has conducted a review of the major risks to which the charity is exposed. A
risk register has been established and is updated quarterly and shared with the Board for discussion
and ratification. Where appropriate, systems or procedures have been established to mitigate the risks
the charity faces. Significant external nsks to funding have led to the development of a strategic plan
which will allow for the diversification of funding and activities. Internal control risks are minimised by
the implementation of procedures for authorisation of all transactions and projects. pro￿dureS are in
place to ensure compliance with health and safety of stsff. volunteers, clients and visitors in our work
and practice. All procedures are periodicalty reviewed to ensure that they continue to meet the needs
of the charity.
Related Parties
Neither the board nor the individual trustees are involved in any artistic decisions as to programming
or casting. All trustees give their time freely and no trustee received remuneration in the period
2023124, beyond the covering of essential expenses.
Plans for future periods
We will host a one-off gala concert of an existing musical in late spring 2025 and are thrilled to have
been awarded a grant from the Arts Council of Ireland Opera Projects and Production Award to
develop a new concert work for the Republic of Ireland and Belfast in Autumn 2025 which will see us
create stronger partnerships across the island and the UK and enable us to connect with international
delegations as potents'al commissioners for future work. We will develop and present a full production
of the gala concert in Spring 2026 in partnership with The Lyric, Belfast. Our commitment to
generating. profiling and supporbng creattve talent in Belfast remains critical to our mission and plans
for residencies and masterclasses will continue with a two week intensive in Summer 2025. Work will
also begin on a new ambitious opera for 202718.

The Belfast Ensemble Limited
Company Limited by Guarantee
Trustees, Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (¢ontinued)
Year ended 31 March 2024
Small company provisions
This report has b&n prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies entitled to
the small companies exemption.
The trustees. annual report was approved on 10 December 2024 and signed on behalf of the board of
trustees by..
R Brown
Trustee