Registered number: NI601681
Charity number: NIC101771
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
For the year ended 31 March 2025
NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Contents
NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Reference and Administrative Details of the NI Opera, its Trustees and Advisers
For the year ended 31 March 2025
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Trustees' Report
For the year ended 31 March 2025
The Trustees present their Annual Report together with the audited financial statements of NI Opera for the year from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. The Annual Report serves the purposes of both a Trustees' Report and a Directors' Report under company law. The Trustees confirm that the Annual Report and financial statements of the Charitable Company comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the Charitable Company's governing document and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102).
Since NI Opera qualifies as small under section 382 of the Companies Act 2006, the Strategic Report required of medium and large companies under the Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Report and Directors' Report Regulations 2013) has been omitted.
Objectives and activities
a. Policies and objectives
We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and in planning our future activities.
The principal objects of the company as per the Articles of Association are to advance the education of the general public through the presentation of opera and other dramatic, musical and performing arts; and to further the development of public appreciation and taste in opera and the said arts.
Founded in 2010, Northern Ireland Opera is Northern Ireland’s award-winning national opera company, widely acclaimed as one of the most exciting operatic start-ups in UK and Irish history. With a philosophy of artistic excellence and risk-taking, underpinned by a bold and imaginative approach to programming and productions, Northern Ireland Opera is committed to the idea of opera as a uniquely enriching ‘total’ art form and one which should be open to everyone. Through a modern but accessible production style, an emphasis on local participation and young people, and inexpensive ticket prices, the Company has broadened the audience for opera in a region where there has been historic under-provision and where the arts are uniquely placed to foster relations between communities. In only thirteen years, the Company’s energy, ideas and high artistic standards have led to both national critical acclaim and an international profile.
Mission - To provide the highest-quality opera to the widest possible audience.
Vision - Northern Ireland Opera aims to promote the best of Northern Irish talent, engaging with local communities and young people, closely collaborating with other Northern Ireland arts organisations and using some of the province’s most iconic spaces for its performances. It is determined to build up an international profile for the company, recognising the unique source of pride an opera company can be to any region and the benefits that are generated in global partnerships.
The principal objects of the company as per the Articles of Association are to advance the education of the general public through the presentation of opera and other dramatic, musical and performing arts; and to further the development of public appreciation and taste in opera and the said arts.
Founded in 2010, Northern Ireland Opera is Northern Ireland’s award-winning national opera company, widely acclaimed as one of the most exciting operatic start-ups in UK and Irish history. With a philosophy of artistic excellence and risk-taking, underpinned by a bold and imaginative approach to programming and productions, Northern Ireland Opera is committed to the idea of opera as a uniquely enriching ‘total’ art form and one which should be open to everyone. Through a modern but accessible production style, an emphasis on local participation and young people, and inexpensive ticket prices, the Company has broadened the audience for opera in a region where there has been historic under-provision and where the arts are uniquely placed to foster relations between communities. In only thirteen years, the Company’s energy, ideas and high artistic standards have led to both national critical acclaim and an international profile.
Mission - To provide the highest-quality opera to the widest possible audience.
Vision - Northern Ireland Opera aims to promote the best of Northern Irish talent, engaging with local communities and young people, closely collaborating with other Northern Ireland arts organisations and using some of the province’s most iconic spaces for its performances. It is determined to build up an international profile for the company, recognising the unique source of pride an opera company can be to any region and the benefits that are generated in global partnerships.
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Objectives and activities (continued)
b. Strategies for achieving objectives
AIM 1 (ARTISTIC) REPERTOIRE & PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Maintain and develop our unique production aesthetic and identity whilst expanding our product range across scale and repertoire.
AIM 2 (ARTISTIC) TALENT DEVELOPMENT
Continue to promote and develop young and Irish talent whilst integrating this function into wider business objectives.
AIM 3 (ARTISTIC and ORGANISATIONAL) AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
Identify and nurture core supporters, and build awareness, loyalty and engagement amongst a broader network of supporters.
AIM 4 (ORGANISATIONAL) RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Develop and expand current and future revenue streams with a particular emphasis on fundraising and box office revenues.
AIM 5 (ORGANISATIONAL) SUSTAINABILITY AND GOVERNANCE
Strengthen and stabilise the company’s structures, policies and practices to deliver a more secure and sustainable financial and operational model.
c. Activities for achieving objectives
d. Main activities undertaken to further the charity's purposes for the public benefit
Achievements and performance
a. Review of activities
Northern Ireland Opera has had another busy year and we are delighted to have once again engaged so many
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Achievements and performance (continued)
freelance musicians and crew to make it a successful year.
In April 2024 NI Opera started off the year with an exciting week of outreach and education for Senior Music Students to participate in an exciting week of learning. Including sessions to explore acting, singing, staging, directing and linguistics unveiling the multifaceted world of opera. Expert-led workshops were held in the Grand Opera House Studio space where a performance showcase was held at the end of the week for parents and school teachers.
The highly successful Salon Series began a run at the MAC Belfast on 13 April 2024. This is a six part series where audiences were able to immerse themselves in the world of song, opera and music through storytelling. Starting off with the salon performance of Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered starring Ruth McGinley and Wendy Ferguson. Other Salon pieces were performed from April onwards throughout 2024. Including La Voix Humaine by Poulenc starring soloist Mary McCabe and David Quigley, Sea Wrack with Frasier Hickland, Jenny Bourke and Susie Gibbons. Sea Wrack also saw a collaboration on costume with NI Artist Sarah O’Neill.
The Salon Series was then appearing in Derry/Londonderry at The Playhouse Derry for a weekend of Musical Melodies. The Lost Boy starring Conor Quinn and Greg Arrowsmith on piano was performed along with Ruth McGinley and Wendy Ferguson performing Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered. Alongside these two performances over the weekend NI Opera ran a series of free workshops in creative and skills development along with pre-show talks with director Cameron Menzies on the Salon Series and in particular the two shows that were being performed.
In May Northern Ireland Opera with their Chorus Development Programme singers performed at the Ulster Hall. The singers performed works by Wagner, Purcell, Puccini Verdi and Tchaikovsky including works by John Adams. This concert was prepared and conducted by the esteemed James Gross Smith and accompanied on piano by Tristan Rusccher. This concert also included a section for our NI Opera Artist in Development Conductor Margaret Bridge to conduct sections of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen. This concert gave Margaret a performance credit and a real opportunity to conduct on the professional concert platform. Soloist Mary McCabe performed her aria from Eugene Onegin as part of this concert and to promote the mainstage opera work for 2024.
Our very popular Morning Melodies series continued in 2024. This 11am Wednesday morning concert series is an opportunity for our singers to work on new and developing repertoire and to present a varied array of musical genre to an intimate audience. Each Morning Melodies has sold out and we mostly hold these concerts in the Studio Space at the Grand Opera house. They are always at 11am and contain 50 minutes of varied music from Opera, Song to Music Theatre. They are proving very popular with audiences who do not like to travel at night.
We released our main stage opera for 2024 which was the Tchaikovsky masterpiece Eugene Onegin to be performed at the Grand Opera House on Sept 14, 17, 19 and 21. We were very happy to announce that the cast consisted of an all female cast from the island of Ireland, a first for the company. Mary McCabe made her principal role debut at the lead soprano Tatyana, Sarah Richmond played the role of Olga, Caroline Dobbin the role of Madame Larina and Jenny Bourke also making her principal role debut as Filipevna. European opera conductor Dominic Limburg was engaged to lead the premiere of the Orchestra of Northern Ireland Opera to great acclaim. The Chorus singers, all working throughout the year on skills and a huge amount of language hours to sing in Russian (the majority of them for the first time), appeared in the production to great acclaim.
NI Opera were engaged to perform at the Belfast City Hall to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Belfast Exposed, Northern Ireland’s leading centre for photography. Soloists Mary McCabe and Jenny Bourke appeared with the full forces of the NI Opera Chorus.
Our schools outreach programme commenced in May and throughout the year, led by India Chapman-Webb, has been travelling across NI to help support or to introduce music into school classrooms. India has provided 12 months of outreach to a mix of schools across NI.
In April 2024 NI Opera started off the year with an exciting week of outreach and education for Senior Music Students to participate in an exciting week of learning. Including sessions to explore acting, singing, staging, directing and linguistics unveiling the multifaceted world of opera. Expert-led workshops were held in the Grand Opera House Studio space where a performance showcase was held at the end of the week for parents and school teachers.
The highly successful Salon Series began a run at the MAC Belfast on 13 April 2024. This is a six part series where audiences were able to immerse themselves in the world of song, opera and music through storytelling. Starting off with the salon performance of Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered starring Ruth McGinley and Wendy Ferguson. Other Salon pieces were performed from April onwards throughout 2024. Including La Voix Humaine by Poulenc starring soloist Mary McCabe and David Quigley, Sea Wrack with Frasier Hickland, Jenny Bourke and Susie Gibbons. Sea Wrack also saw a collaboration on costume with NI Artist Sarah O’Neill.
The Salon Series was then appearing in Derry/Londonderry at The Playhouse Derry for a weekend of Musical Melodies. The Lost Boy starring Conor Quinn and Greg Arrowsmith on piano was performed along with Ruth McGinley and Wendy Ferguson performing Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered. Alongside these two performances over the weekend NI Opera ran a series of free workshops in creative and skills development along with pre-show talks with director Cameron Menzies on the Salon Series and in particular the two shows that were being performed.
In May Northern Ireland Opera with their Chorus Development Programme singers performed at the Ulster Hall. The singers performed works by Wagner, Purcell, Puccini Verdi and Tchaikovsky including works by John Adams. This concert was prepared and conducted by the esteemed James Gross Smith and accompanied on piano by Tristan Rusccher. This concert also included a section for our NI Opera Artist in Development Conductor Margaret Bridge to conduct sections of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen. This concert gave Margaret a performance credit and a real opportunity to conduct on the professional concert platform. Soloist Mary McCabe performed her aria from Eugene Onegin as part of this concert and to promote the mainstage opera work for 2024.
Our very popular Morning Melodies series continued in 2024. This 11am Wednesday morning concert series is an opportunity for our singers to work on new and developing repertoire and to present a varied array of musical genre to an intimate audience. Each Morning Melodies has sold out and we mostly hold these concerts in the Studio Space at the Grand Opera house. They are always at 11am and contain 50 minutes of varied music from Opera, Song to Music Theatre. They are proving very popular with audiences who do not like to travel at night.
We released our main stage opera for 2024 which was the Tchaikovsky masterpiece Eugene Onegin to be performed at the Grand Opera House on Sept 14, 17, 19 and 21. We were very happy to announce that the cast consisted of an all female cast from the island of Ireland, a first for the company. Mary McCabe made her principal role debut at the lead soprano Tatyana, Sarah Richmond played the role of Olga, Caroline Dobbin the role of Madame Larina and Jenny Bourke also making her principal role debut as Filipevna. European opera conductor Dominic Limburg was engaged to lead the premiere of the Orchestra of Northern Ireland Opera to great acclaim. The Chorus singers, all working throughout the year on skills and a huge amount of language hours to sing in Russian (the majority of them for the first time), appeared in the production to great acclaim.
NI Opera were engaged to perform at the Belfast City Hall to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Belfast Exposed, Northern Ireland’s leading centre for photography. Soloists Mary McCabe and Jenny Bourke appeared with the full forces of the NI Opera Chorus.
Our schools outreach programme commenced in May and throughout the year, led by India Chapman-Webb, has been travelling across NI to help support or to introduce music into school classrooms. India has provided 12 months of outreach to a mix of schools across NI.
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Achievements and performance (continued)
2024 saw us launch a new initiative to see how we might help support local artists and art sector workers. We were delighted to be able to provide a very limited number of complimentary tickets to anyone in these sectors. This programme was launched as part of the Chorus performance at the Ulster Hall and was also a way of getting people who may not usually attend such events to give it a try and see what they thought. All we asked for in return was some feedback about what they had seen. This programme has worked well to engage with new audiences for NI Opera.
NI Opera performed in Armagh at The Palace Chamber, Palace Demesne a programme of Georgian delights called The Stars, The Moon and the Georgian Sky. Soloists Anna Gregg and Mary McCabe performed two concerts with pianist Bryan Evans to two sold out performances.
Again, NI Opera provided a full summer series programme of free events across NI, performances were held at Warrenpoint, Armagh, Flowerfields, Bangor, Derry/Londonderry, Bankmore Square and Maritime Mile. These performances across NI enable us to reach new audiences and to consolidate our loyal following.
The 14th Glenarm Festival of Voice was held from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 August in Glenarm Co. Antrim. The annual Festival of Voice returned at the end of August to the village of Glenarm once again. This included
the masterclasses and finale for five singers and also three BBC Radio 3 recitals.
August 2024 saw rehearsals ramp up towards Eugene Onegin taking to the Grand Opera House stage.
Alongside the main opera, we held our outreach week at the Grand Opera House with a varied programme of song, dance, recitals and a very popular Come and Sing. We opened our dress rehearsal up to around 600 audience members made up of community groups, schools and youth music organisations.
As part of our outreach work we held a week long series at the Grand Opera House working with students from a variety of secondary schools including St Genevieve’s, Rathmore Grammar, Hunterhouse college, The Royal Belfast Academical Institution, Bangor Grammar and Dominican College where these students took part in expert-led sessions in Music and Creative Skills with an open performance at the end of the week for invited family and guests.
NI Opera Chorus performed as part of a charity event at the Ulster Hall for Solás which is a special needs charity which supports children and young people with a broad range of needs including Autism.
NI Opera performed across the festive holiday season in December at The Merchant Hotel, we hosted our Christmas – Sing a Long with a packed audience all there to hear Christmas music and then to join in a big sing along together with the NI Opera Chorus.
We saw another two sold out events for the start of 2025 with a showcase of local and young talent at Opera for Tea at the Blackbox as part of the Cathedral Arts Festival in January.
b. Factors relevant to achieve objectives
NI Opera have a small dedicated team and a committed Board of Trustees who are passionate about the art form of opera.
Financial review
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
a. Going concern
b. Reserves policy
c. Principal risks and uncertainties
Structure, governance and management
a. Constitution
The company is registered as a charitable company limited by guarantee and was set up by a Memorandum of Association on 17 December 2009.
The company is a registered charity number NIC101771.
The Trustees are responsible for the strategic management of the company.
Trustees are not paid and generally do not receive out of pocket expenses.
The company is a registered charity number NIC101771.
The Trustees are responsible for the strategic management of the company.
Trustees are not paid and generally do not receive out of pocket expenses.
b. Methods of appointment or election of Trustees
c. Risk management
Plans for future periods
Seven Last Words of Christ
In April we showcased the Northern Ireland Opera Chorus and four soloists Mary McCabe, Jenny Bourke, Euan McDonald and Seamus Brady to perform Haydn’s The Seven Last Words of Christ in with the Ulster Orchestra at the Ulster Hall for the Music for Good Friday programme.
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Plans for future periods (continued)
April 21 to 25 NI Opera hosted and created creative skills and education week events for children. This is a free holiday scheme for children to be held at St John the Evangelist on the Falls Road. We provide a unique tailored week of sessions all themed around Easter for children aged from 9-11 where they experience different creative skills used to bring an opera to life and onto a stage, including singing, choreography, costume, props and acting all led by our expert facilitators.
La Voix Humaine – The Everyman Theatre, Cork
Our production of Poulenc’s one woman opera La Voix Humaine was produced with the Everyman Theatre in Cork. This is the company’s first time since before covid being invited to perform in the republic. The piece starred Mary McCabe and pianist David Quigley.
Feline Intimate – Meow Meow
International Singing Sensation Meow Meow returned to Belfast for one night only with NI Opera direct from her triumph at the Soho Theatre in London. NI Opera’s Artistic Director directs this one night only concert of repertoire from Kurt Weill, Spoliansky and originals by Meow Meow at the Deers Head in Belfast.
The 15th Glenarm Festival of Voice, August 2025
NI Opera presented the 15th Festival of voice from 22 to 24 August. This included three free BBC Radio 3 recitals to experience, recorded live for national broadcast in September, an afternoon recital held at Glenarm Castle and the weekend culminated in a vocal competition featuring four young singers from the island of Ireland. Our competition Finale, which was hosted by our Patron, Sean Rafferty. The singers compete to win the Deborah Voigt Opera Prize and become the NI Opera Young Opera Voice of 2024. There was also a Song Prize award and the Kathryn Harries Audience Prize, voted for by the audience during a short interval on the night.
Follies - Grand Opera House Belfast, Sept 2025
For the mainstage season, we present a Sondheim Musical – Follies. This piece will be performed in the Grand Opera House Belfast. The cast of 38 performers in a mix of West End leading artists, local stars and young local artists making their professional theatre debuts with the company. Follies sees the return of the Orchestra of Northern Ireland Opera now in its second year. The orchestra draws its players from the island of Ireland. We launched the orchestra in 2024 on the production of Eugene Onegin to great acclaim. West End Music director Greg Arrowsmith joined as the Music Director and Conductor of Follies. This production was a very important piece for the company to present as we have not presented a musical since 2022 with the award-winning production of Into the Woods. The company remains set up to produce opera, operetta and music theatre and to explore the art of storytelling through music.
Pop Up Events and regional events 25/26
The next year will see the company remain open and flexible to being able to respond to the sector and to continue working with partners and sectoral partners such as Big Telly Theatre Co. Derry PlayHouse and looking to collaborate with new partners such as Diva Opera to provide more touring capabilities. We will continue to create and produce pop up events and free summer concert series events at stunning and unexpected venues across Northern Ireland such as the Palace Demesne in Armagh, The Merchant Hotel, Glenarm Castle in Co. Antrim, The Harrison Chambers of Distinction, The First Church Belfast and Bangor Court House. We will also be creating pop up events for the Maritime Mile to the Botanic Gardens.
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Statement of Trustees' responsibilities
Disclosure of information to auditors
Each of the persons who are Trustees at the time when this Trustees' Report is approved has confirmed that:
∙so far as that Trustee is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the charity's auditors are unaware, and
∙that Trustee has taken all the steps that ought to have been taken as a Trustee in order to be aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charity's auditors are aware of that information.
Auditors
The auditors, Sumer AuditCo NI Ltd, have indicated their willingness to continue in office. The designated Trustees will propose a motion reappointing the auditors at a meeting of the Trustees.
Approved by order of the members of the board of Trustees and signed on their behalf by:
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Independent Auditors' Report to the Members of NI Opera
We have audited the financial statements of NI Opera for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Statement of Cash Flows and the related notes, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditors' responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the United Kingdom, including the Financial Reporting Council's Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Independent Auditors' Report to the Members of NI Opera (continued)
The other information comprises the information included in the Annual Report other than the financial statements and our Auditors' Report thereon. The Trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the Annual Report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
∙the information given in the Trustees' Report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and.
∙the Trustees' Report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
In the light of our knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Trustees' Report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
∙adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
∙the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
∙certain disclosures of Trustees' remuneration specified by law are not made; or
∙we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
∙the Trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies' exemptions in preparing the Trustees' Report and from the requirement to prepare a Strategic Report.
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Independent Auditors' Report to the Members of NI Opera (continued)
As explained more fully in the Trustees' Responsibilities Statement, the Trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an Auditors' Report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:
We considered the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the organisation for fraud and identified the greatest potential for fraud in the following areas: timing of recognition of income; and posting of unusual journals along with complex transactions. We discussed these risks with client management, designed audit procedures to test the timing of income, tested a sample of journals to confirm they were appropriate and reviewed areas of judgement for indicators of management bias to address these risks.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council's website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our Auditors' Report.
This report is made solely to the charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an Auditors' Report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and its members, as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Independent Auditors' Report to the Members of NI Opera (continued)
for and on behalf of
Statutory Auditors
4th Floor
Glendinning House
6 Murray Street
Belfast
BT 1 6DN
4th Floor
Glendinning House
6 Murray Street
Belfast
BT 1 6DN
Sumer AuditCo NI Ltd are eligible to act as auditors in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Statement of financial activities (incorporating income and expenditure account)
For the year ended 31 March 2025
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Registered number: NI601681
Balance Sheet
As at 31 March 2025
The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Registered number: NI601681
Balance Sheet (continued)
As at 31 March 2025
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Statement of Cash Flows
For the year ended 31 March 2025
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Notes to the Financial Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2025
1.Accounting policies
The trustees of NI Opera have reviewed the appropriateness of the going concern assumption in light of the financial position at the year end.
Due to the continued grant support of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Trusts, plus further Theatre Tax Relief credits, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for a period of at least 12 months from the date when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Accordingly, the trustees believe that it is appropriate to continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.
Due to the continued grant support of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Trusts, plus further Theatre Tax Relief credits, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for a period of at least 12 months from the date when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Accordingly, the trustees believe that it is appropriate to continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.
All income is recognised once NI Opera has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.
Grants are included in the Statement of Financial Activities on a receivable basis. The balance of income received for specific purposes but not expended during the period is shown in the relevant funds on the Balance Sheet. Where income is received in advance of entitlement of receipt, its recognition is deferred and included in creditors as deferred income. Where entitlement occurs before income is received, the income is accrued.
Other income is recognised in the period in which it is receivable and to the extent the goods have been provided or on completion of the service.
Expenditure is analysed between restricted and unrestricted expenditure.
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Notes to the Financial Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2025
1.Accounting policies (continued)
Tangible fixed assets are capitalised and recognised when future economic benefits are probable and the cost or value of the asset can be measured reliably.
Depreciation is provided on the following bases:
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Notes to the Financial Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2025
1.Accounting policies (continued)
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Notes to the Financial Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2025
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Notes to the Financial Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2025
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Notes to the Financial Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2025
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Notes to the Financial Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2025
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Notes to the Financial Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2025
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Notes to the Financial Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2025
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Notes to the Financial Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2025
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NI Opera
(A Company Limited by Guarantee)
Notes to the Financial Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2025
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