Fressingfield Sounds CIC has promoted a successful concert in the Parish Church of St Peter & St Paul, Fressingfield, engaging the Marmen String Quartet to play an evening of chamber music on Saturday, 14th September 2024. The concert was attended by a maximum-capacity audience, comprising village residents (45%) as well as residents from neighbouring communities and further afield. The company further engaged artists for the remainder of 2025, as follows: 31 May: Clare Hammond (piano), performing a full programme of music from the French Belle Epoque by both well-known composers such as Debussy, Faure, Ravel, and some less-performed female composers of the period, Bonis and Tailleferre. 13 September: Gemma Rosefield (cello) and Tim Horton (piano), with a varied programme of chamber music for solo cello and cello/piano duo by composers including Bach, Beethoven, Jonathan Harvey, Janacek and Shostakovich. 11 October: The Heath String Quartet performing works by Beethoven, Schumann, Thomas Larcher and Matthew Locke. 1 November: Liturina Baroque Ensemble playing works by Bach, Corelli, Couperin, Handel and Telemann. All concerts took place in Chapel Hall Arts, an intimate 127-seat venue and converted former Baptist Chapel in Fressingfield. All concerts were sold-out or near-capacity, and enthusiastically received. The company engaged artists through agents, promoted the concerts, sold tickets online, printed programmes, hired and set the venue, hired instruments (grand piano, as required), organised volunteers and interval drinks and provided accommodation and food for the musicians. Through the above activities, Fressingfield Sounds serves and benefits the community in the following ways: 1. As we bring nationally and internationally recognised artists to a rural area where access to arts events is traditionally very limited, residents of the Waveney Valley and East Anglia now have increased access to high-quality live classical chamber music 2. Access to high-quality live music enriches the cultural life of the rural area 3. Our concerts help local and neighbouring residents to overcome barriers (cost and long-distance travel to major centres, such as London) that would otherwise prevent them from accessing world-class chamber music 4. Our work strengthens Fressingfield’s community life, as concerts and events act as a social hub, bringing together residents of the village and neighbouring communities, fostering connection and shared cultural experience 5. Our volunteer-run concerts provide a welcoming social environment with a sense of community involvement 6. Concerts of both well-known and lesser-performed works broaden cultural horizons of our audiences, and encourage musical discovery 7. The directors and artists work together to present works of underrepresented voices, promoting cultural diversity and educating audiences 8. The concerts have helped sustain use and relevance of heritage venues in the village, creatively and sensitively using Chapel Hall Arts and the parish church for cultural activities 9. We encourage access to our high-quality concerts for disadvantaged communities by offering low-price tickets: £10 for those in receipt of social benefits) to ensure price is not a barrier to access 10. We aim to encourage a wider audience demographic through the offer of £5 tickets for audience members under the age of 25 11. Our work supports the local economy, with businesses (printers, musical instrument and lighting hire companies, wine merchants, local trades) directly benefitting from purchases and hire agreements by the CIC. Other local businesses (restaurants, B&B owners and local shops) benefit indirectly from the money spent by audiences that come to the village to attend concerts 12. Concerts provide opportunities for volunteering and community participation, and civic pride is strengthened as community members contribute to the success of these events 13. Our work provides opportunities that support professional musicians and their agents. Our performers have noted that it’s encouraging to have a new arts venture starting up in what is perceived to be a difficult time for arts promoters 14. Our aim is also to inspire future engagement with the arts, cultivating curiosity and appreciation for live classical music among local audiences, as we offer programmes with notes that provide cultural and musical context, aid understanding for those unfamiliar with classical music forms, and provide suggestions for further listening.

The company’s stakeholders are residents of Fressingfield, surrounding villages, towns and cities across East Anglia. Over half of our regular audience members come from neighbouring communities, primarily within a 20-mile radius. All directors live in the village, and regularly speak with friends and neighbours. Beyond this informal contact with our stakeholders, the first major consultation with stakeholders has been an electronic survey sent after our concert in May 2025 to all those on the company’s mailing list (including September’s concert attendees). We received 30 individual responses, detailing how individuals had heard about Fressingfield Sounds’ concerts, and their thoughts about all aspects of the concert, from programming to the venue, and running/organisation of the events. A second consultation was made in November 2025 following our Autumn Series of concerts, which elicited 58 individual responses. Again, data on how audience members had heard of the events, how many concerts they might attend in 2026 and general comments were received. Based on the comments received, changes have been made to our pre-concert communications, improvements made to our Patrons’ scheme, seating arrangements and an investment in stage lighting. Directors have also discussed programming, including the choice of artists as well as the repertoire performed. Our hope is to balance familiar ensembles and works with those that will stimulate our audience members, and broaden their experiences.

No remuneration was received

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration