The trustees present their report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) 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 (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)".
The objects for which the Company is established are the advancement of the arts by promoting the public appreciation of the arts in general and classical and contemporary music in particular, promoting the understanding and practice of classical and contemporary music in the ensemble form and promoting classical and contemporary music in the community and in education. In furtherance of its objects the Company will undertake the following activities: promote and present concerts, performances and other events for the public; commission and develop new works of classical and contemporary music; develop, manage and run education and community projects involving the development and performance of classical and contemporary music; collaborate with others to undertake such activities where appropriate; and any other activities that support the objects of the Company.
This report covers the twelve months from April 2023 to March 2024.
On 3 May 2023 we delivered a collaborative workshop with Drake Music Scotland (DMS), an innovative organisation that champions disabled composers and performers. Curated by Ben Lunn, our Trainee Artistic Director (who is himself disabled), we collaborated on pieces by Ewan MacKay, Joe Stollery, Kat Stephenson, and Martin Gaughan. Acting as workshop leader was composer Huw Watkins. The workshop was a key facet of our Hebrides Horizons strand, which focuses on our Learning & Engagement work.
Presented as part of the Hebrides Ensemble’s current partnership with the RSNO Centre, our Reimagined project this year conceived of a programme that reached across the centuries for inspiration. It was very well received across both performances in Glasgow and Perth (Concert Hall) by audiences and critics alike:
“The programme centred on reimaging music from earlier times had itself, to be reimagined, but not to the point of losing the thematic thread, nor indeed the quirky fascination at the core of this performance by the Hebrides Ensemble.”
**** Ken Walton, The Scotsman (May 2023)
In June 2023 we returned to the esteemed St Magnus Festival for a triple bill of works celebrating the composer Ravel, as reorchestrated by the Artistic Director and composer Alisdair Nicolson. The second programme celebrated the Summer Solstice and included works by Michael Kimber, Benjamin Britten, Judith Weir and Toru Takemitsu.
Continuing a summer of appearances at prominent festivals, on 20 August 2023 we returned to the Edinburgh International Festival for a prestigious operatic work at Edinburgh’s Church Hill Theatre. The programme was a collaboration with the renowned opera company Theatre of Sound. It involved a new chamber orchestration conducted by Stephen Higgins, and directed by Daisy Evans, exploring the impact of dementia. The production was awarded the Opera and Music Theatre Award at the 2023 Philharmonic Society Awards.
In December 2023 we presented our conducting project with the RCS, led by Martyn Brabbins. This activity champions student development and the the work do the conducting faculty.
Another ‘first’ took place on 14 December 2023 as Hebrides Ensemble made its debut at the Through the Night Festival, a groundbreaking new music festival in Glasgow curated by Matthew Whiteside. After repeated attempts that were impacted throughout the Covid period, it was a delight to perform at this recently established festival that is ideally suited to the Ensemble, with its focus on contemporary chamber music.
In January 2024 Hebrides Ensemble performed in Nordic Music Journeys, a precursory celebration of Nordic Music Days (the world’s oldest contemporary music festival which for the first time is being held in Scotland this Autumn). January’s concert included works by Aileen Sweeney, Jane Stanley, Gemma McGregor, Fergus Hall, Rylan Gleave and Oliver Searle at Glasgow’s New Auditorium.
In February 2024 we were delighted to finally record the sixth instalment of our Scotland’s Composers series with Delphian Records celebrating the chamber music of Helen Grime. This recording series continues to emphasise Hebrides Ensemble’s role as a champion of new music by Scotland’s composers. Directly supported by the Vaughan Williams Foundation as well as Creative Scotland, this project is a key component of our Hebrides Digital strand.
During this year we continued to be gratefully supported by Creative Scotland, in receipt of Creative Scotland Open Project funding, supporting the development and delivery of our artistic projects. This was fundamental in sustaining the organisation, as well as in the undertaking of activities delivered in 2023-2024.
Financial position
The charity is mainly funded by public sector funding (Creative Scotland). For the period under review, there were grants of £26,491 and £4,600 from Creative Scotland and £2,000 from Vaughan Williams Foundation. Sales within the charitable activities of the company (concert performances, etc) were £38,411. In addition, there was £208 of investment income. The total expenditure for the period was £111,108. This resulted in a deficit for the period of £39,349, which deducted from the reserves at the start of the period of £47,621, left a balance of reserves at 31 March 2024 of £8,272.
Reserves Policy
It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three- and six-months’ expenditure. Whilst the trustees realise that the level of reserves at 31 March 2024 was lower than this intended level, they were aware that a large tranche of funding from Creative Scotland was to be received very shortly after the year end.
Future Plans
Our plans for the 2024-2025 season include own-promotion concerts as well as invitations to perform at key festival debuts including Spitalfields Festival, and key promoters including King’s Place, London and Cumnock Tryst. We continue our commitment to emerging artists with a series of activities at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. We will undertake the next recording in our Scotland’s Composers series for Delphian Records featuring the music of Dave Fennessey, and further projects will depend on the outcome of the Multiple Year Funding application with Creative Scotland.
The governing document of the Company is the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Hebrides Ensemble, as revised in March 2014"
The charity is incorporated under the Companies Act 1985 and is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association.
The charity is a recognised charity in Scotland, number SC017923. The company's registered number is SC132543. The company is limited by guarantee and has no share capital.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
The Charity’s trustees meet approximately 4 times each year. New trustees are appointed from time to time by the existing Board and are formally inducted to the board through a process of meeting. A director shall be entitled to hold office for 3 years and shall then be eligible for re-election for a further period of 3 years. The maximum period a director shall serve is 6 years unless agreed otherwise by the directors.
The Board: Roles and Responsibilities
The main objective of the Board is to ensure that the work of the organisation fulfils the objectives of its constitution.
Organisational Structure
The Company has assembled a small, dedicated team made up of experienced freelance arts professionals from diverse fields.
Risk Assessment
The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report on the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024, which are set out on pages 5 to 12.
The charity's trustees (who are also directors of the company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the terms of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006, and they consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10(1)(a) to (c) of the Accounts Regulations does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the accounts as required under section 44(1)(c) of the Act and to state whether particular matters have come to our attention.
My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the financial statements presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements, and seeks explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the financial statements.
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
to keep accounting records in accordance with section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations; and
to prepare financial statements which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 8 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations;
to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
Donations and grants
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Hebrides Ensemble is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in Scotland. The registered office is Box 55, 12 South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1DD.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's Articles of Association, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) 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 (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)". The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities applying FRS 102 Update Bulletin 1 not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, modified to include the revaluation of freehold properties and to include investment properties and certain financial instruments at fair value. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Where possible expenditure has been charged direct to the charitable activities and governance costs. Where this is not possible the allocation is done on an equitable basis.
Stocks are stated at the lower of cost and estimated selling price less costs to complete and sell. Cost comprises direct materials and, where applicable, direct labour costs and those overheads that have been incurred in bringing the stocks to their present location and condition. Items held for distribution at no or nominal consideration are measured the lower of replacement cost and cost.
Net realisable value is the estimated selling price less all estimated costs of completion and costs to be incurred in marketing, selling and distribution.
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
Donations and grants
Grant receivable for core activities
Performers' fees and expenses
Venue hire
Hire of instruments
Music
Other fees and expenses
Production costs
Printing and publicity
Website costs
Rent
Insurance
Repairs and maintenance
Postage and stationery
Bookkeeping
Travelling expenses
Consultancy fees
Sundry expenses
Subscriptions
Bank charges
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received remuneration during the year for services as a trustee, and none were reimbursed travelling expenses (2023- two reimbursed £384).
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2023 - none).