Sound Festival - Charities report

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: SC394992 (Scotland)

REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: SC037310

Report of the Trustees and

Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2026

for

Sound Festival

(A Company Limited by Guarantee)

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Reference and Administrative Details

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Report of the Trustees

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12

Independent Examiner's Report

13

Statement of Financial Activities

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Statement of Financial Position

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Notes to the Financial Statements

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24

TRUSTEES

Prof P J Stollery

A H M Eladany

Ms P A Black (resigned 16/9/25)

Ms C M Singer (resigned 16/9/25)

C W Farquhar

S Allori (resigned 12/8/26)

C Docherty (resigned 31/7/26)

M Rooke (resigned 22/9/25)

Dr J De Simone

Ms N Misra (resigned 11/5/26)

Ms C Christie (appointed 26/2/26)

REGISTERED OFFICE

Woodend Barn

Banchory

Aberdeenshire

AB31 5QA

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER

SC394992 (Scotland)

REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER

SC037310

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

The Grant Considine Partnership

Chartered Accountants

46 High Street

Banchory

Aberdeenshire

AB31 5SR

The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2026. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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).

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Objectives and aims

The aim of Sound Festival is to advance the education of the public in the art of new or contemporary music by the presentation of public performances, workshops and other related activities. In furtherance of the above aim the Society seeks to:

a) promote live musical performances and workshops which incorporate new or contemporary music in North East Scotland for the education and enjoyment of all people, and

b) promote concerts and other musical events and liaise with local schools and institutions to link workshops, talks or discussions with the concerts and events.

c) to carry on any other activities which further either of the above aims.

Sound Festival has evolved since its creation in 2005, when its principal activity was to run a contemporary music festival, into a broader organisation that now also supports composers, runs learning programmes for young people and engages in community and education work. The festival is still a major part of its activity and takes place annually in late October/ early November.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Charitable activities

1. sound 2025-2026 At a glance

Audience numbers 10,724

Workshop participants 1,189

Professional musicians involved 100

Other art form practioners 4

Of which local musicians & composers 19

Performances 47

Exhibitions/installations/films 6

Talks/workshops/masterclasses 130

Mentoring meetings 334

Partner organisations 27

World premières 28

UK premières 11

sound commissions/co-commissions 28

(of which 15 by female & other gender minority, 6 by disabled/neurodivergent composers, 4 low-income background composers and 1 global majority poet collaborator).

sound 2025-2026 commissions and co-commissions:

Dave Maric Silent Architects*

Electra Perivolaris Isola*

Karen Power Polar Soundings*

Georgina MacDonnell Finlayson Clyak*

Amy Simpkin Populus Tremula**

Ronnie McNiven Of Bronze - and Blaze**

Naomi McGillivray Glen Muick**

James Weeks Blue Hours***

Robert Baird To a Flame**

Riley MacKenzie Lathyrus**

Tyler Zwink A Passing Glimpse**

Tansy Davies Lost Science***

Laura Bowler Ping****

Laura Heneghan Undercurrent****

Paul Scully The Significance of Plot Without Conflict****

Monika Dalach-Sayers Plastiglomerate****

John Aulich Atrones****

Anne Castex Backlash****

Vincent Portes Les sons maigres****

Oliva McLean Sea-Churn**

Finn O'Hare Modes of Lessness**

David Ford Route 75**

Alison Beattie The Lost Children**

Ewa Adamiec Charukeshi Duet**

Tim Cooper This Tangle is the Texture of the World*****

Asta Hyvärinen She, Miracle*****

Luke Styles Synonyms for Divergence*

Joe Stollery Apparitions from the Land Beyond the Mountains***

*Commissions

**Development project commissions

***co-comissioned by sound

**** Co-commissioned as part of the LEGATO project

***** Co-commissioned as part of Northern Connections collaboration

2. soundcreators

Our nurturing talent strand benefitted creators and composers by giving them much needed development opportunities. Between 2025-2026 we reached 210 individual composers through our soundcreators programme, which included:

* 7 online 1-2h opensound workshops exploring particular elements of composition and other topics: Composing for prepared piano (Siwan Rhys); Geology and Music (Robert Mackay); Composer for Tuba (John de Simone); Composer for Amateurs (in association with CoMA); Navigating the online digital world (Ian Cole); Composing for violin (Darragh Morgan); Composing for viola (Garth Knox). (174 attendees)

* 19 informal fortnightly composer online meets with a total of 123 attendees. These sessions enable composers of all generations to exchange in an informal setting and to support each other.

* 31 Composers' Helpline sessions (each session divided into three 20 minute slots) were offered for composers looking for general advice, compositional support, help with funding or budgets, project ideas and/or confidential wellbeing support. Mentors included Fiona Robertson, Pete Stollery, Emily Doolittle and Lisa Robertson. (62 attendees)

* Our 3 composer development opportunities with Red Note Ensemble, Any Enemy and Con Anima took place between July-October, benefiting 11 early-career composers. They included a joint online introductory session, 1-to-1 mentoring sessions and live workshops which took place in September. Each opportunity led to a performance at the soundfestival (see under festival for details).

* We initiated an opportunity called soundcurators to support early career composers/performers to curate late night sessions during the festival (see under festival for details).

* In partnership with France's Festival Ensemble(s) and Contemporary Music Centre Ireland, our collaborative project Legato gave 6 early-career composers from UK, Ireland and France the opportunity to develop work with 5 French musicians from Festival Ensemble(s) under the guidance of composers Laura Bowler and Jérôme Combier. They had a 3-day development residency in Dublin in April with a sharing at the end, their works were then premiered in Bagnolet (Paris region) at the end of September. The pieces were performed at soundfestival in October (see under festival for details).

* Our Annual Composers' Day took place on 1st November during the soundfestival and explored performative composition with internationally-renowned experts: including a masterclass with Danish accordionist Andreas Borregaard and sessions with composer Laura Bowler and dramaturg/director Sam Redway. 7 composers took part.

*In partnership with Citymoves Dance Agency, we ran Something Different, a practical workshop for composers, sound artists, dancers and choreographers during the soundfestival. The workshop, led by choreographer Penny Chivas and composer Bill Thompson, took place 25th-27th October in The Anatomy Rooms. 3 dancers/choreographer and 5 composers/sound artists collaborated over three days, culminating with a public sharing session.

3. Get Creative

Get Creative is a year-round programme of creative contemporary music-making workshops for young people, both instrumentalists and composers. Activity in 2025-2026 included:

* Get Creative Orchestra: Led by Naomi McGillivray, Erin Thomson and Amy Simpkin, 7 creative music workshops for 8-11 year olds took place between April 2025 and March 2026 with total attendance of 62 children. They also recorded soundscapes for pictures by young artists attending GHAT Art Room sessions at the Royal Aberdeen Children's hospital which were shown in the Music Hall during Light the Blue Festival (3-15th June) and took part in the Contemporary Music for All Festival day in March.

* Get Creative Ensemble - 6 sessions for secondary school pupils took place between April 2025 and March 2026 with a total attendance of 39 young people, led by composer Rachel Groves. They worked on Terry Riley's In C, and on co-creating a work with Rachel. They also performed a new work written for them by Finn McLean at the Light the Blue Festival in June and took part in the Contemporary Music for All Festival Day in March.

*Go Compose - our annual three-day composition course for young people - took place in October 2025 and was led by composers Electra Perivolaris and James Wilson, with musicians from Red Note Ensemble. The works created by the eight young composers were performed in a sharing session at The Phoenix Centre in Newton Dee Village.

* Across the year we ran 15 primary school creative music-making workshops in 8 Aberdeen primary schools (Cornhill, Kingsford, Westpark, Gilcomstoun, Bramble Brae, Kingsford, Kittybrewster and Ferryhill. The sessions which were led by composers Amy Simpkin and Emily Rae, with instrumentalists Rebekah Woodier and Essa Flett, reached 324 children.

* In September 2025, composer Electra Perivolaris and soprano Héloise Bernard ran 6 composition workshops for 103 secondary school young people at Aberdeen Grammar School, and Lochside, Banchory and Northfield Academies.

*Composer and educator Naomi McGillivray also a taster session for Big Noise Torry during the summer holidays, which had 26 attendees between 5 and 17.

4. soundfestival

Our 21st soundfestival took place from the 22nd October to the 2nd November 2025.

As planned, we had a first long weekend aimed at our local community with workshops, performances by local ensembles, family concerts, rural touring and installations. The second long weekend was more concert-focussed, with numerous world premieres.

The festival included:

i) Commission performances:

* Karen Power Polar soundings: an 8-channel installation and performative work by Irish composer Karen Power in association with Scottish viola player Katherine Wren, exploring the changing visual and aural environments of the Arctic and Antarctic. Installation at the kooperator.space on 24th and 25th October with 3 performances per day.

* Dave Maric Silent Architects: a multi-media installation and associated performative work exploring how wild beavers construct their dams positively affecting many aspects of local habitat, with significant implications for tackling climate change and biodiversity loss.

Installation at Woodend Barn from 21st - 30th October with the performance for piano and percussion by the GBSR duo on the 26th October.

* Laura Bowler's POWER play for Danish accordionist Andreas Borregaard (co-commission with MINU, Andreas Borregaard, sound & New Music Dublin).

Performance by Andreas Borregaard on 31st October at The Anatomy Rooms.

* Tansy Davies' Lost Science (co-commissioned with Red Note, Crash Ensemble, sound and Ensemble Offspring). Performance by Red Note Ensemble on 30th October at King's Pavilion, University of Aberdeen. The piece was recorded by the BBC and broadcast on the BBC Radio 3 New Music Show on 3rd January 2026.

*Electra Perivolaris' song-cycle Isola: based on, and including performances within, a photographic exhibition by her father photographer John Perivolaris which reflected the idea of the island as an existential condition with images from opposite ends of Europe - in the Western Isles of Scotland where John now lives and the islands of the Northern Aegean where his family is from.

Performances by soprano Heloise Bernard. Premiere at Cowdray Hall on 23rd October, and 2 performances per day on the 31st October and 1st November within the exhibition at Seabury House beside St Andrew's Cathedral.

* Composer Luke and poet Jacob Sam-La-Rose's Admixing Divergences.

Performed by the Solis Ensemble at the Cowdray Hall on the 2nd November (in partnership with local literary festival WayWORD).

* Finnish composer Asta Hyvärinen's She, Miracle: a performative work for female voice and electronics for by Finnish composer (a collaboration between organisations in Finland, Norway and Scotland).

Performed by Scottish-based soprano Stephanie Lamprea on 1st November at the Anatomy Rooms.

* Georgina MacDonell Finlayson Clyak commissioned for Stephanie Lamprea (soprano) and Jessica Kerr (cello) commemorating the author Lewis Grassic Gibbon, with words taken from his book Sunset Song. Premiered at Arbuthnott Church on the 24th October with a second performance at Portsoy Salmon Bothy on the 25th October.

* James Weeks' Blue Hours, a 3-hour meditative work for piano, percussion and sine tones.

Performed by GBSR Duo at Phoenix Hall (Newton Dee) on 26th October (6-9am) against the background of the dawning light.

ii) Performances supporting emerging talent:

* 6 new works by emerging composers from the UK, France and Ireland were performed as part of our Legato project (see soundcreators paragraph above for details):

Anne Castex (FR) Backlash

John Aulich (UK) Atranones

Laura Heneghan (IR) Undercurrent

Monika Dalach Sayers (UK) Plastiglomerate

Paul Scully (IR) The Significance of Plot Without Conflict

Vincent Portes (FR) Les sons maigres

* Local ensemble Any Enemy performed Amy Simpkin Populus Tremula , Ronnie McNiven Of Bronze - and Blaze and Naomi McGillivray Glen Muick at St Andrew's Cathedral.

* Local chamber choir Con Anima performed Robert Baird To a Flame, Riley MacKenzie Lathyrus and Tyler Zwink A Passing Glimpse at the Aberdeen Art Gallery.

* A duo from Red Note Ensemble - Katherine Bryer (oboe) and Cerys Ambrose-Evans (bassoon) - performed Olivia McLean Sea-Churn, Finn O'Hare Modes of Lessness, David Ford Route 75, Alison Beattie The Lost Children and Ewa Adamiec Charukeshi Duet as part of the St Andrew's Cathedral Saturday lunchtime concert series.

iii) Other festival events included:

* Performances by Zubin Kanga, Stone Drawn Circles, Sonic Bothy, Ross Whyte, Drake Music Scotland, Yoga Fanzine, Cindy Islam and elseFly and works by Lara Agar, Rylan Gleave, Ben Nobuto, Neil Luck, Cat Hope, Nicole Lizée, Una Monaghan, Brian Irvine, John de Simone, Zoe Martlew, Philip Venables, Blasio Kavuma, Ruth Morley, Alistair MacDonald, Jérôme Combier, Simone Seales, Kate Sagovsky, Angela Slater, Ruta Vitkauskaite, Sonia Allori, Clare Johnson, Emily Doolittle, Oliver Searle, Lliam Paterson and more.

* A 2-day collaborative residency during the festival allowing two of the festival performers (pianist Zubin Kanga and accordionist Andreas Borregaard) to explore a collaboration with audio-visual artist Kathy Hinde which took place at Newton Dee Village, and finished with a public sharing.

* The Totally Made Up Orchestra day where participants between 5-64 years old were guided by composer and conductor Brian Irvine in creating a new piece of work that they performed in the Cowdray Hall.

* Our popular family-friendly promenade concert which took place at the Maritime Museum with performances by George Barton (percussion), Siwan Rhys (piano) and Katherine Wren (viola).

* Roarie Bumlers, a family friendly show for ages 0-8 on lost Scots words for nature which had two performances in the Cowdray Hall.

* Two workshops at the Science Centre for children and young people on making electronic music using everyday objects in partnership with Delia Derbyshire Day. This complemented an installation that ran through the school holidays on the creation of the iconic Doctor Who theme and how to make electronic music using household everyday objects. The Science Centre also hosted the film 'Sisters with Transistors' in partnership with the Belmont Cinema.

* A workshop for adults on the interplay between musical composition, visuals/photographs and words/poems led by composer Electra Perivolaris and photographer/writer John Perivolaris.

* Inclusive ensemble, Sonic Bothy, led two workshops for Newton Dee residents and also gave a concert exploring innovation in accessibility.

* Two late night soundsessions were curated by early-career musicians chosen from an open call: one for local composers/ performers and one wider Scottish one. The former was awarded to local composer Kristain Rasmussen who showcased local composers and performers, and the latter to Void Nomadic Gallery who programmed a deep listening / electroacoustic evening showcasing 3 sound artists.

Highlights from the 2025 festival: https://youtu.be/HbNpkKRqek0

soundfestival 2025 brochure: https://www.flipsnack.com/soundfestival/soundfestival-2025-brochure/full-view.html

5. Other activities

* We ran an interactive stall and soundwalk at NESCAN Envirolution in September at Seaton Park interacting with approximately 80 people.

* We co-commissioned composer Joe Stollery with Aberdeen City Orchestra who performed his new piece Apparitions from the Land Beyond the Mountains in February 2026.

* We took part in the Contemporary Music for All (CoMA) Festival and ran a free afternoon rehearsal and sharing of accessible and fun contemporary pieces on 15th March 2026. 19 participants took part, with 27 people at the sharing.

* Violist Fiona Winning ran a composition workshop for adults as part of WayWord festival.

6. Examples of participant and audience feedback

soundcreators

* 'I was supported every step of the way. Being able to work with specialists from Red Note Ensemble really helped my understanding of composing for these instruments and will benefit future compositions'.

* 'Getting such in-depth work with professional performers was the most useful aspect; it's really rare to have access to these kinds of talented musicians, and getting to learn from the other composers on the scheme'.

* 'Having multiple sessions over a period of time worked really well and allowed me to develop my piece and skills as a composer'.

Get Creative

* 'Creative Orchestra has given my children new ways to explore music, along with music making opportunities, in a fun and supportive environment' (parent);

* 'I really loved Go Compose and am so delighted with the result. I was almost certainly come back next year' (participant);

* 'It was so much fun' (participant, primary school workshop).

* 'I enjoyed creating a new piece'; 'I enjoyed working with others'; 'I enjoyed the energy and creativity' (participants Get Creative Ensemble)

Festival

'Very excited to see/hear more experimental work in Aberdeen'

'The sounds were evocative, drew attention to the climate crisis'

'Imaginative programming, rich timbre'

'Beautiful and uplifting'

'More of this please, really different and wonderful'

'Great to see composers who are still emerging given such performances'.

'Thank you for giving me a new experience'

'Great spatial sounds', 'Quite amazing concept'

'Good to be exposed to such unusual music'

'Fantastic variety of music, beautifully played'

7. Partnerships

A number of events are run in collaboration with local, national and international groups and in 2025-2026 these included: Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums, Aberdeen City Orchestra, Aberdeen Performing Arts, Aberdeen Science Centre, Any Enemy, The Barn, Belmont Cinema, Citymoves, Con Anima Chamber Choir, CoMA, Contemporary Music Centre Ireland, Drake Music Scotland, Festival Ensemble(s), Friends of Forgue Church, Friends of Grassic Gibbon, Illuminate Women's Music, Jazz at the Blue Lamp, New Music Dublin, Newton Dee Community, Northern Connection, Outer Spaces, Peacock Visual Arts, Red Note Ensemble, Sonic Bothy, St Andrew's Cathedral at Noon series, University of Aberdeen Music Department, and WayWORD Festival.

8. Equity, diversity and inclusion and Environmental commitments

As an organisation, we are committed to i) widening the reach of our activity & diversifying our programme in order to reach a broader range of participants & audiences ; and ii) implementing ways of mitigating & adapting to climate change, through both reducing air travel and waste and recycling, but also by programming festival events aimed to increase awareness of issues relating to climate change.

i) EDI

Both Get Creative, with a high level of ethnic diversity, and soundcreators, where we have successfully broken-down barriers for composers with protected characteristics, are already achieving this aim: 91% of composers selected for our composer development opportunities were from underrepresented groups (Female/gender diverse: 55%; Disabled: 27%; Low income background: 27%) and 50% of our out-of-school Get Creative participants are global majority.

This year we also started to focus on audience diversity, not only targeting groups with protected characteristics, but also programming a broader range of creators within the festival and engaging more artistic leaders from underrepresented groups:

* 60% of the works performed at soundfestival 2025 were from female and/or gender minority composers; 16% of works were from disabled composers; 6% of works were from global majority composers and 9% of works were from low income background composers.

* 55% of the artists and workshop leaders involved were female and/or gender diverse.

* Sonic Bothy, an inclusive ensemble from Glasgow, ran 2 workshops and gave a performance for the residents at Newton Dee, a local Steiner community for adults with learning disabilitites.

* For Get Creative, we: i) prioritised regeneration area schools for our school workshops; ii) our out-of-school sessions were run entirely by women composers; iii) Of the two Go Compose composer leads, one was a woman and the other global majority. The Red Note development opportunity was mentored by a woman composer.

* From our festival audience feedback form data: 30% were attending a new music event for the first time (important in our aim to attract new audiences); 56% were woman and 2% non-binary; 6% were global majority; 21% were disabled.

ii) Climate Change

Flying is the mode of travel with the highest environmental impact. This year we significantly reduced the carbon emissions from flying: 2024-2025 emissions: 12,178.3 kg Co2; 2025-2026 emissions: 2,286.3 k Co2 (an 81% reduction).

The following festival events covered climate changes issues:

* Ruth Morley's Reef, performed by Red Note Ensemble, explored the sound of coral reefs: Scientists have confirmed that damaged coral reef systems will regenerate faster when recordings of healthy coral reef systems are played in the area. The piece was recorded by the BBC and broadcast on their Radio 3 New Music Show.

* Monika Dalach Sayers' Plastigomerate about part-plastic rocks, was performed by Festivals Ensemble as part of the international composer development opportunity, LEGATO.

* Karen Power's polarsoundings installation and performances explored the changing environments in Arctic and Antarctic.

* Dave Maric's Silent Architects installation and performance on how wild beavers construct their dams positively affecting many aspects of local habitat, with significant implications for tackling climate change and biodiversity loss.

9. Visibility and press

Press coverage in 2025-2026 included news articles and interviews in local and national print and online media publications. These included Classical Music Magazine, The Herald and West Coast Today.

BBC Radio 3 returned to the festival for the 9th year in a row, recording concerts for broadcast on the New Music Show. The BBC also featured Dave Maric's Silent Architects on Out of Doors BBC Radio 'Tractors, Tattie Howking and an Inner City Nature Reserve'.

During the festival Karen Power 's installation 'Polar Soundings' by was featured on STV News and SHMU FM featured us on "Our Earth Week", which is a UK initiative so the clips from soundfestival were broadcasted across the country in local community radio stations.

Internationally, Music Finland featured Asta Hyvärinen and the piece she was commissioned to write for soundfestival 2025, and jointly commissioned works were performed and credited in France at Festival Ensemble(s) in September 2025.

10. Marketing

soundfestival 2025 was promoted through a comprehensive and strategic marketing approach, incorporating a blend of print and digital promotional materials, regular newsletters, social media engagement, targeted advertising, and web-based content designed to attract both new and existing audiences.

i) Print and Distribution

In alignment with our environmental policy, we minimised printed materials to a concise 24-page A5 brochure, which was distributed via post to a mailing list of over 800 recipients. We also only minimally printed key flyers and used web versions where possible.

Additional distribution channels included:

* Brochures and posters placed in key locations, including Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire schools, libraries, community centres, Instrumental Music Services, cultural venues, universities, and targeted sites across Scotland.

* A widely circulated digital version of the brochure, accessible via email campaigns and our website.

ii) Advertising (Print & Online)

sound was promoted both locally and nationally through a combination of paid and organic advertising initiatives.

Key advertising partnerships and initiatives included: i) Electronic Publications (46 guest newsletters including New Music Scotland, Creative Scotland, Peacock Visual Arts, Alter Classical, Red Note Ensemble, Culture North East Scotland, Visit Aberdeen, local schools …), 11 blog posts and 2 podcasts with Contemporary Music Centre (CMC) covering the Stone Drawn Circles tour; ii) a partnership with The List comprising a newsletter advertisement sent to 12K subscribers, a mid-page unit (MPU) advertisement viewed by 20K users and a facebook advertisement generating 2K impressions; and iii) event listings across multiple local, national and international platforms and partner websites, including: Music Aberdeen, Visit Aberdeenshire, Visit Aberdeen, Aberdeen City Council, Creative Scotland, New Music Scotland, Alter Classical, Scotrail, RCS and other Scottish universities, Visit Scotland, Music Finland, New Music Dublin, CMC Ireland, Sacem, Diaphonique and more.

iii) Digital and Social Media

sound has a strong digital presence, with engagement peaking in the lead-up to and during the festival. Throughout the year, we produced and shared a range of content focused on our activities and the new music landscape, including Q&A sessions with composers, blogs, and video content.

* The official sound website attracted 6,751 users between April 2025 and March 2026 in comparison to 7,147 in the previous year. This decline could be due to more activity across our socials or our listings being shown in more places online. We have also seen changes in privacy settings laws around tracking the last few years - more of our audience could reject tracking and will not be picked up on our website analytics.

* Facebook: Our largest audience, with 3,100 Followers and 202.4k Views across all Facebook Content over the year: 3K content interactions up 18.5% on PY; 767 link clicks up 17.8% on PY; 5.6K visits up 4.9% on PY; 147 follows up 15.7% on PY.

* Instagram: 2,428 followers and 161.3K Views across all content over the year: 21.4K reach up 103.9% on PY; 3.4K content interactions up 100% on PY; 2.8K visits up 56.7% on PY; 418 Followers up 40.7% on PY.

* Bluesky: We transitioned from X (formerly Twitter) to Bluesky in December 2024 to align with our organisation's values. Our Following has increased 57.8% on PY, no other analytics available on this quite new application yet.

* LinkedIn: 261 Followers: 2.5K Impressions up 18% on PY; 195 followers up 295% on PY.

* YouTube: 220 Subscribers, featuring a range of videos including performances, highlights, and interviews.

* Additional Platforms: Presence on Vimeo, SoundCloud, and Spotify, providing access to video content, performance footage, and curated audio playlists.

iv) Newsletters

Regular newsletters were sent to a subscriber list of over 1.6K recipients, with increased frequency in the run-up to and during the festival. We received 420 new subscribers over the year up on 35% PY.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Financial position

Total income for the year was £308,948 compared to £283,448 in 2025 Net income for the year is £10,964, (2025 £16,997).

Total reserves held at the year end were £90,748; of which £8,399 are restricted, £54,210 are the contingency fund and £28,139 are in the general unrestricted fund.

Reserves policy

The charity holds £54,210 as a contingency fund which would cover any redundancy payments and holds sufficient reserves to facilitate liquidity and to meet its liabilities. The charity can hold up to £40,000, (currently £28,139) in the general fund to protect it against drops in income or to allow it to take advantage of new opportunities.

FUTURE PLANS

We are planning a full year of nurturing activities for young and emerging composers and creators through our ongoing soundcreators and Get Creative programmes. The 2026 soundfestival has been finalised and will take place from 22nd October - 31st October, with the first weekend focused on community engagement and the second having a more traditional new music festival feel. A theme of 'Listening' will run through the festival, co-curated by Board member Pete Stollery.

Installations by Leona Jones, Rydale Dower and Claudia Molitor (commission) will be presented. Musicians will include Quatuor Bozzini (Canada), Les Harmoniques du Néon (France), Edinburgh Quartet, Sarah Watts (clarinet), New European Ensemble (Netherlands), Lydenskab ensemble, (Denmark), Any Enemy, Red Note and many more. Composers commissioned will include Bekah Simms, Gillian Walker, Kate Sagovsky, Claudia Molitor, Alistair MacDonald and Ben Lunn.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing document

Sound Festival is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. It was incorporated on 8th March 2011 and commenced activities on 1st April 2011. It is also a registered Scottish Charity No. SC037310. Sound Festival succeeded Sound, an unincorporated association which was formed in October 2005. Sound Festival is governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association under the Companies Act 2006.

The trustees are committed to maintaining high standards of governance and have formally adopted the Charity Governance Code. The board considers that the charity complies with all the core principles and recommended practices of the Code. Governance practices are regularly reviewed to ensure continuous improvement and effectiveness in supporting the charity’s core purpose.

Recruitment and appointment of new trustees

Directors are elected for a period of three years at the AGM. Directors are selected with a view to ensuring that the board contains a range of business and artistic skills and reflects a broad spectrum of experience and background. Induction is via discussions with existing directors, and review of Sound Festival's Memorandum and Articles of Association, and policies.

Organisational structure

The structure of the Sound Festival consists of: -

(a) the Members - who have the right to attend the annual general meeting (and any extraordinary general meeting) and have important powers under the articles of association and the Act; in particular, the members elect people to serve as directors and take decisions in relation to changes to the articles themselves

(b) the Directors - who hold regular meetings during the year between annual general meetings (AGMs), and generally control and supervise the activities of the company; in particular, the directors are responsible for monitoring the financial position of the company.

The day-to-day running of Sound Festival is delegated to the Director of Sound who is supported by a staff team comprised of employees and freelance people as well as volunteers.

Decision making

All substantial decisions relating to human and/or commercial resources/issues are taken by the Officers and/or Directors.

Key management remuneration

The key management personnel of the charity comprise the Trustees, and the Director of Sound.

The Trustees receive no remuneration or employment benefits for their services to the charity.

The total employee benefits received by the key management personnel for their services to the charity during the year were as follows:

2026 2025

Gross salaries £42,070 £40,845

The remuneration of senior management is reviewed annually and approved by the Board of Trustees. The charity benchmarks its salary scales against similar-sized organisations in the voluntary sector using independent national salary surveys to ensure pay remains fair, competitive, and proportionate to our charitable objectives.

FUNDS HELD AS CUSTODIAN FOR OTHERS

The charity is administering funds held for Neurodiversity network of £350. This project aligns with the aims of the charity and the funds are held within the charity's bank account

This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Approved by order of the board of trustees on 24 September 2026 and signed on its behalf by:

C W Farquhar - Trustee

I report on the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2026 set out on pages fourteen to twenty four.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The charity's trustees 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 (as amended). The charity's trustees 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 my attention.

Basis of the independent examiner's report

My examination was carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as 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 accounts.

Independent examiner's statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention :

(1)	which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect, the requirements

-	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 accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with Regulation 8 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations

have not been met; or

(2)	to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Gillian R Nicolson

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland

The Grant Considine Partnership

Chartered Accountants

46 High Street

Banchory

Aberdeenshire

AB31 5SR

24 September 2026

2026

2025

Unrestricted

Restricted

Total

funds

Notes

£

INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM

Donations and legacies

3

126

408

534

590

Charitable activities

5

Income from Charitable Activities

201,829

104,524

306,353

279,568

Investment income

4

2,061

-

2,061

3,290

Total

204,016

104,932

308,948

283,448

EXPENDITURE ON

Charitable activities

Income from Charitable Activities

-

3,500

-

Expenditure on Charitable Activities

32,270

260,000

292,270

264,651

Other

2,214

-

2,214

1,800

Total

34,484

263,500

297,984

266,451

NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)

169,532

(158,568

)

10,964

16,997

Transfers between funds

15

(163,966

)

163,966

-

Net movement in funds

5,566

5,398

10,964

16,997

RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS

Total funds brought forward

76,784

3,000

79,784

62,787

TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD

82,350

8,398

90,748

79,784

CONTINUING OPERATIONS

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities

The statement of financial activities also complies with the requirements for an income and expenditure account under the Companies Act 2006.

2026

2025

Unrestricted

Restricted

Total

funds

Notes

£

CURRENT ASSETS

Debtors

12

813

13,500

14,313

32,586

Cash at bank

83,762

8,139

91,901

64,068

84,575

21,639

106,214

96,654

CREDITORS

Amounts falling due within one year

13

(2,226

)

(13,240

)

(15,466

)

(16,870

)

NET CURRENT ASSETS

82,349

8,399

90,748

79,784

TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES

82,349

8,399

90,748

79,784

NET ASSETS

82,349

8,399

90,748

79,784

FUNDS

15

Unrestricted funds

82,349

76,784

Restricted funds

8,399

3,000

TOTAL FUNDS

90,748

79,784

The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 March 2026.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2026 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for

(a)	ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and

(b)

preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the charitable company.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with and delivered in accordance with the special provisions applicable to small charitable companies subject to the small companies regime.

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 24 September 2026 and were signed on its behalf by:

C W Farquhar - Trustee

1.	CHARITY INFORMATION

Sound Festival Limited is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in Scotland. The registered office is The Barn, Burn O'Bennie, Banchory, Aberdeenshire, AB31 SQA.

The presentation currency of the financial statements is the Pound Sterling (£). Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

2.	ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparing the financial statements

The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable to UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)'. Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charity Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended).

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, as modified by the revaluation of certain assets.

The charitable company has taken advantage of the following disclosure exemptions in preparing these financial statements, as permitted by FRS 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland':

•

the requirements of Section 7 Statement of Cash Flows;

•

the requirement of paragraph 3.17(d);

•

the requirements of paragraphs 11.42, 11.44, 11.45, 11.47, 11.48(a)(iii), 11.48(a)(iv), 11.48(b) and 11.48(c);

•

the requirements of paragraphs 12.26, 12.27, 12.29(a), 12.29(b) and 12.29A;

•

the requirement of paragraph 33.7;

•

the requirement of paragraph 24(b) of IFRS 6.

Income

All income is included in the statement of financial activities when entitlement has passed to the charity, it is probable that the economic benefits associated with the transaction will flow to the charity and the amount can be reliably measured. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:

- income from donations or grants is recognised when there is evidence of entitlement to the gift, receipt is probable and its amount can be measured reliably.

- income from donated goods is measured at the fair value of the goods unless this is impractical to measure reliably, in which case the value is derived from the cost to the donor or the estimated resale value. Donated facilities and services are recognised in the accounts when received if the value can be reliably measured. No amounts are included for the contribution of general volunteers.

Gift Aid receivable is included in income when there is a valid declaration from the donor. Any Gift Aid amount recovered on a donation is considered to be part of that gift and is treated as an addition to the same fund as the initial donation unless the donor or the terms of the appeal have specified otherwise.

Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, and is classified under headings of the statement of financial activities to which it relates:

- expenditure on charitable activities includes all costs incurred by a charity in undertaking activities that further its charitable aims for the benefit of its beneficiaries, including those support costs and costs relating to the governance of the charity apportioned to charitable activities.

All costs are allocated to expenditure categories reflecting the use of the resource.

Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.

Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.

Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.

Hire purchase and leasing commitments

Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight line basis over the period of the lease.

Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits

The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charitable company's pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.

Government grants

Government Grants are recognised in the period in which the relevant activities take place and costs are incurred.

Going Concern

The trustees consider that the charity has adequate resources to continue in existence for at least the next 12 months. Thus, the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the accounts.

3.	DONATIONS AND LEGACIES

2026

2025

£

Donations

427

447

Gift aid

107

143

534

590

4.	INVESTMENT INCOME

2026

2025

£

Deposit account interest

2,061

3,290

5.	INCOME FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

2026

2025

Activity

£

Creative Scotland

Income from Charitable Activities

178,780

159,500

PRSF

Income from Charitable Activities

18,000

24,875

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Income from Charitable Activities

24,000

37,000

University of Aberdeen

Income from Charitable Activities

-

5,000

Aberdeen City Council

Income from Charitable Activities

20,000

12,000

Ticket sales

Income from Charitable Activities

3,098

5,532

Network / partner & workshops

Income from Charitable Activities

11,152

8,761

Other Grants

Income from Charitable Activities

48,399

26,900

Other income

Income from Charitable Activities

2,924

-

306,353

279,568

Include above in other grants are the following;-

Hugh Fraser Foundation

£4,000

Aberdeen Endowments Trust

£1,000

Leche Trust

£4,000

David and June Gordon Memorial

£800

D'Oyly Carte

£1,800

EIS

£1,000

William Syson Charitable Trust

£4,500

Vaughan Williams Foundation

£4,000

Hinrichsen Foundation

£9,200

Chapman Trust

£2,000

City of London Corporation

£4,399

Hope Scott

£2,000

Idlewild

£3,800

Ernst von Siemens

£4,400

Fidelo Trust

£1,000

6.	NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)

Net income/(expenditure) is stated after charging/(crediting):

2026

2025

£

Other operating leases

3,150

3,000

7.	TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS

The were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 March 2026 nor for the year ended 31 March 2025.

Trustees' expenses

During the year to 31 March 2026 expenses incurred during normal business operations totalling £455 were reimbursed to one Trustee. (2025 £382 for one Trustee).

Trustees' fees

Director and Trustee, Pete Stollery received fees for professional or other services supplied to the charity during the year totalling £1,024, (2025: £1,283).

Director and Trustee, John de Simone received fees for professional or other services supplied to the charity during the year totalling £430, (2025: £nil)

8.	STAFF COSTS

2026

2025

£

Wages and salaries

100,946

96,888

Social security costs

986

2,522

Other pension costs

2,869

2,868

104,801

102,278

The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:

2026

2025

Full-time equivalent

3

No employees received emoluments in excess of £60,000.

Staff costs are allocated to funds based on the estimated time each staff member has spent on the relevant projects.

9.	COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

Unrestricted

Restricted

Total

funds

£

INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM

Donations and legacies

182

408

590

Charitable activities

Income from Charitable Activities

30,293

249,275

279,568

Investment income

3,290

-

3,290

Total

33,765

249,683

283,448

EXPENDITURE ON

Charitable activities

Expenditure on Charitable Activities

20,586

244,065

264,651

Other

1,800

-

1,800

Total

22,386

244,065

266,451

NET INCOME

11,379

5,618

16,997

Transfers between funds

1,878

(1,878

)

-

Net movement in funds

13,257

3,740

16,997

RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS

Total funds brought forward

63,527

(740

)

62,787

TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD

76,784

3,000

79,784

10.	INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REMUNERATION

Support costs represent Governance costs and include amounts payable to the Independent Examiner of £1,980 including VAT (2025 £1,800).

11.	VOLUNTEERS

The Charity is reliant on the continuing support of its Trustees and student volunteers. Their contribution is invaluable to the Charity.

12.	DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

2026

2025

£

Prepayments and accrued income

14,313

32,586

13.	CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

2026

2025

£

Accruals and deferred income

15,116

16,520

Funds held for others

350

15,466

16,870

Deferred income represents advance funds received for events and services which Sound Festival will deliver in 2026-27. Included in Accruals and deferred income is deferred income as follows:

2026

2025

£

Deferred income brought forward

2,800

79,000

Charitable Activity Income released during year

(2,800

)

(79,000

)

Charitable Activity Income deferred at year end

4,140

2,800

Deferred income carried forward

4,140

2,800

14.	LEASING AGREEMENTS

Minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases fall due as follows:

2026

2025

£

Within one year

900

750

Rent is paid monthly in arrears with a minimum of 3 months' notice period required.

15.	MOVEMENT IN FUNDS

Net

Transfers

movement

between

At

At 1.4.25

in funds

funds

31.3.26

£

Unrestricted funds

General fund

32,314

169,531

(173,706

)

28,139

Contingency Fund

44,470

-

9,740

54,210

76,784

169,531

(163,966

)

82,349

Restricted funds

Get Creative

-

(11,833

)

13,833

2,000

Sound Generation

-

(3,684

)

3,684

-

Sound Creators

3,000

(14,098

)

11,098

-

Surround Sound

-

(1,281

)

1,281

-

Festival 2025-26

-

(133,070

)

133,070

-

Festival 2026-27

-

(1,000

)

1,000

-

Treeline

-

6,399

-

6,399

3,000

(158,567

)

163,966

8,399

TOTAL FUNDS

79,784

10,964

-

90,748

Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Incoming

Resources

Movement

resources

expended

in funds

£

Unrestricted funds

General fund

204,016

(34,485

)

169,531

Restricted funds

Donations for commissions

408

(408

)

-

Get Creative

24,016

(35,849

)

(11,833

)

Sound Generation

-

(3,684

)

(3,684

)

Sound Creators

40,896

(54,994

)

(14,098

)

Surround Sound

-

(1,281

)

(1,281

)

Festival 2025-26

28,813

(161,883

)

(133,070

)

Festival 2026-27

-

(1,000

)

(1,000

)

Mimi Doulton

4,400

(4,400

)

-

Treeline

6,399

-

6,399

104,932

(263,499

)

(158,567

)

TOTAL FUNDS

308,948

(297,984

)

10,964

Comparatives for movement in funds

Net

Transfers

movement

between

At

At 1.4.24

in funds

funds

31.3.25

£

Unrestricted funds

63,527

11,379

1,878

76,784

Restricted funds

Get Creative

-

(2

)

2

-

Gaia Project

(740

)

5,143

(4,403

)

-

Sound Generation

-

(1

)

1

-

Sound Creators

-

3,000

-

3,000

Surround Sound

-

(1

)

1

-

Festival 2024-25

-

(2,521

)

2,521

-

(740

)

5,618

(1,878

)

3,000

TOTAL FUNDS

62,787

16,997

-

79,784

Comparative net movement in funds included in the above are as follows:

Incoming

Resources

Movement

resources

expended

in funds

£

Unrestricted funds

33,765

(22,386

)

11,379

Restricted funds

Donations for commissions

408

(408

)

-

Get Creative

37,661

(37,663

)

(2

)

Gaia Project

6,875

(1,732

)

5,143

Sound Generation

8,640

(8,641

)

(1

)

Sound Creators

56,328

(53,328

)

3,000

Surround Sound

1,164

(1,165

)

(1

)

Festival 2024-25

138,607

(141,128

)

(2,521

)

249,683

(244,065

)

5,618

TOTAL FUNDS

283,448

(266,451

)

16,997

Separate funds are maintained to account for grants and other donations which have conditions attached and are for particular projects. Where a fund is in deficit, funds are transferred from general funds at the discretion of the trustees.

The contingency fund holds reserves to cover any possible redundancy payments.

Details of the funds activities are provided in the Trustees Report.

16.	RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES

Joe Stollery, related to P Stollery Trustee, received fees of £1,000 during the year.