colston hall annual review 2012/2013 colston hall annual review 2012/2013

Annual Review 2013/2014

Emeli Sandé

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In reflection2013-14 has been our third year as an independent charitable trust, a year in which we have built on previous success and set ambitious goals for the future.

In September 2013 the formerly council run Bristol Arts and Music Service came under the Trust’s management, providing the framework for a strong and coherent portfolio of learning and participation opportunities when combined with the acclaimed projects run from Colston Hall. This now united community of performing and teaching musicians will be able to make a real difference to the musical profile of our city.

The programme at Colston Hall has also continued to develop as financial and marketing success have enabled more experimentation and allowed us to collaborate more confidently with local and national organisations. I was particularly proud of Bristol New Music, a weekend of cutting-edge events across the city, in concert halls, art galleries and on ferries, designed to appeal to intellectually curious visual arts attenders. This project was led by Bristol Music Trust and involved St George’s Bristol, Arnolfini, Spike Island and University of Bristol, and was curated by Out of the Machine, the team behind

the acclaimed Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.

Close working with St George’s Bristol is particularly important to us, as by planning together, we can ensure the best possible programme of music for all audiences. This work has now been recognised by Arts Council England with the award of National Portfolio status from 2015 for our two organisations to work together. This is the first time regular funding has ever been granted to music presenters in Bristol.

The Trust remains steadfast in its aspiration to transform the dilapidated facilities of Colston Hall into a music centre worthy of a modern European city. Detailed designs are now in place and we continue to negotiate with Bristol City Council, as freeholders of the building, as well as a wide variety of potential public and private sources of funding.

Louise Mitchell Chief Executive

Bristol Music Trust Annual Review 2013/2014

“We have been delighted to sponsor Colston Hall over the past couple of years. The depth and breadth of talent they bring to Bristol is second to none. From top-flight comedy to deeply moving classical renditions, there is something for everyone to enjoy”

Brewin Dolphin

Bristol Music Trust Annual Review 2013/2014

What a yearWe have enjoyed a programme of events across a wide variety of musical genres, as well as comedy, light entertainment, community events and educational presentations. We are developing an ever stronger artistic profile at Colston Hall and making steady progress in our ambition to increase the number of self-promoted events in both halls.

Our own music promotions and co-promotions in our main auditorium included Ludovico Einaudi, Steve Earle, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Paloma Faith & the Guy Barker Orchestra, Billy Bragg and Bellowhead, who headlined our New Year’s Eve party. We had a strong classical programme with performances from international orchestras including the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio, Czech National Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra. Artists brought to us by national promoters included Echo and the Bunnymen, Counting Crows, Elvis Costello, Hugh Laurie, Joe Satriani, Robert Plant, Caro Emerald, Manic Street Preachers, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Bastille, Lawson, Jamie Cullum, Jools Holland, KT Tunstall, Del Amitri, Van Morrison and Bonobo. We also hosted comedy shows from Al Murray, Russell Kane, Jimmy Carr, Mickey Flanagan, Russell Brand, Sarah Millican, Greg Davies and Jack Whitehall. In addition, children’s theatre was presented in the main hall for the first time, with six sell-out performances of Room on the Broom.

We relaunched our smaller more intimate hall as The Lantern in autumn 2013  to develop an independent profile. The 2013/14 music programme included King Creosote, The Bad Plus, Spiers & Boden, Ed Harcourt, Paper Aeroplanes, Snarky Puppy, The Magic Numbers,

Justin Currie, Agnes Obel, Tamikrest, Tunng, Radical Face, Owiny Sigoma Band, Robyn Hitchcock, Hidden Orchestra, Cass McCombs, Cate Le Bon, François and the Atlas Mountain and Lloyd Cole. Comedy performers in The Lantern included Shappi Khorsandi, Alex Horne, Robin Ince, Alexei Sayle, Chris Ramsey, Marcel Lucont, Paul Foot, Trevor Noah and Seann Walsh.

Our free foyer performances featured local and upcoming artists, as well as providing performance opportunities for young people. We continue to coordinate the Routes South West touring programme, aimed at developing a network of venues and promoters in the South West, funded by The National Foundation for Youth Music.

Finally, 2013/14 saw two major festivals take place at Colston Hall: Bristol New Music in February and the Bristol International Jazz & Blues Festival in March. The Bristol International Jazz & Blues Festival was in its second year and saw ticket sales increase by over 30 per cent. Highlights of Bristol New Music included Ensemble MusikFabrik performing a UK premiere of Harry Partch’s And on the Seventh Day Petals Fell in Petaluma using recreations of the instruments designed by Partch himself.

Todd Wills Head of Programme

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“The spectacular and utterly joyous Sunday afternoon concert from Ensemble MusikFabrik”

The Telegraph

“Our family came to the Mini Messiah. The children were neither quiet nor sat still but – hooray – it did

not matter because neither was anyone else, and there were no grumpy adults telling children to be

quiet. We had such a brilliant experience!” Audience member

Simple Things

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Bristol Plays MusicBristol Plays Music was launched in March 2013 as a strategic partnership between Bristol Music Trust and Bristol City Council to become Arts Council England’s music education hub for Bristol. On 1 September 2013, the Bristol Arts and Music Service was formally transferred from Bristol City Council to become an integral part of Bristol Music Trust. This work, together with the music education programme based at Colston Hall, has been rebranded as Bristol Plays Music and is planned to develop into a coherent, imaginative portfolio of musical opportunities for all young people with the ambition for Bristol to become recognised as a capital of young people’s music. The reach and expertise of Bristol Plays Music, together with the developing Colston Hall programme, now gives the Trust a unique opportunity to provide musical access for all.

Bristol Plays Music at Colston Hall The team has continued to offer high quality participatory music workshops. Major education programme strands include: The Remix

Academy, which provides open access weekly music workshops for 7-25 year olds, and has been relaunched as The MixRadio Remix Academy in recognition of an exciting sponsorship agreement with MixRadio to support young people’s music learning and performance until at least 2016; New Generation Takeover, an initiative aimed at young events producers; and the Remix Youth Ensemble, a multi-genre modern youth orchestra fusing live instruments with modern technology and production techniques funded by The Monument Trust.

New projects include: Producer Uncovered (music production courses for adults) as part of our lifelong learning strand; and Rudling Voices Choir (a singing project for 11-16 year olds), which together with a growing number of bespoke music projects for schools, forms part of our schools and community strand. We have delivered Music Based Mentoring projects which aim to help young people with additional needs to improve their social and emotional resilience.

Bristol Music Trust Annual Review 2013/2014

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“These events are fantastic opportunities for the children to help them develop, make friends and gain new skills. Keep it up!”

Parent of holiday activity pupil

We continue to be the lead partner for the Sound Splash Musical Inclusion programme, bringing together local and regional partners to provide music making projects in areas where there are currently limited opportunities available to children and young people in challenging circumstances, as well as to provide training and development support for music leaders, and to fund additional research into music provision across the region.

Bristol Plays Music at Southmead The schools team delivers music tuition, projects and workshops, working with pupils of all abilities and backgrounds. We deliver individual or small group peripatetic music lessons to over 3,000 pupils in 75 schools across the city each week, working to develop the quality of tuition through regular lesson observation and feedback sessions for our tutors. Many pupils work towards graded music exams, which help motivate them and enhance their musical progression. We also run whole class music projects in most primary schools, giving many pupils their first musical experience.

The team run five weekend and evening Music Centres, with almost 500 pupils of varying ages, ability and instruments playing in 19 weekly ensembles and orchestras. They offer the chance to rehearse and perform together, with performances taking place at Colston Hall, the Victoria Rooms and St George’s Bristol in the past year.

We worked in partnership with Welsh National Opera to deliver a Singing Strategy for Bristol for a second year. The project continues to set up singing networks across schools designed to share ideas and expertise. Several high-profile events have been held, including a concert at Colston Hall involving 1,063 pupils from 25 schools, and a secondary boys singing workshop with Only Men Aloud and beatboxer Jason Singh.

The Bristol Early Years Music Project was launched in May 2013. This uses music to improve the personal, social and emotional development of children aged up to 5 years, as well as provide training and development to early years’ practitioners.

Bristol Music Trust Annual Review 2013/2014

Our year in numbersBristol Music Trust’s third year of activity from 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014 has been a year of steady growth and increasing financial stability, and has resulted in an overall operational surplus of £192,652 on total incoming resources of £5,651,664. A further £108,189 of funds transferred with the Bristol Arts and Music Service on 1 September 2013, taking net incoming resources after transfers to £300,841.

There has been a net reduction in restricted funds over the year of £148,770, offset against a £298,806 balance brought forward from 2012/13 due to the timing of grant activity, and £150,036 will be carried forward into the next financial year. Unrestricted funds of £35,413 are also brought forward from 2012/13, giving total funds of £635,060 to be carried forward into 2014/15.

These figures are extracted from Bristol Music Trust’s full statutory Trustee’s Annual Report & Financial Statements which were approved by the Trustees on 7 July 2014, and on which auditors Baker Tilly UK Audit LLP gave an unqualified audit report. The full report will be submitted to the Charity Commission and to the Registrar of Companies and is available on the Colston Hall website.

• 408 performances for which 219,147 tickets were sold

• An additional 33,192 tickets sold for future performances

• 12% of tickets sold were concessions

• 183 shows in the main auditorium

• 149 performances in The Lantern

• 72 free foyer performances

• 4 free performances in the bar

• 430 Bristol Plays Music at Colston Hall sessions and workshops to 375 individuals

• 135 young people and 176 music leaders have participated in the Sound Splash programme

• 5,676 pupils across 87 schools participated in first access projects

• 3,000 pupils per week received peripatetic music lessons

• 498 pupils per week participated in orchestras and ensembles at our Music Centres

• £5.6 million total incoming resources

• An overall operational surplus of £192,652

• Funds carried forward £635,060

• £177,393 gift aid payment from BMT Enterprises Ltd (all profits from our trading subsidiary are passed to Bristol Music Trust)

• 96% of ticket purchases and enquiries dealt with at the first point of contact

• 86% of phone calls answered

• 96% of customers are fairly satisfied or very satisfied with Colston Hall’s customer service

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Bristol Music Trust Annual Review 2013/2014

Total incoming resources for the year ended 31 Mar 2014: £5,651,664

Voluntary income

One-off transfer of funds

Activities for generating funds (BMT Enterprises Ltd)

Investment income

Charitable activities income

£11,022

Commercial trading operations (BMT Enterprises Ltd)

Cost of generating voluntary income

Costs of charitable activities

Governance costs

Total resources expended for the year ended 31 Mar 2014: £5,350,823

£715,446

£4,607,632

£11,393

Restricted funds b/f 1 April 2013

Unrestricted funds b/f 1 April 2013

Net incoming resources 2013/14

Total funds carried forward at 31 Mar 2014: £635,060

£35,413

£298,806

£300,841

Bristol Music Trust Annual Review 2013/2014

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£2,901,282

£1,738,332

£892,839

£108,189

£16,352

Bristol International Jazz & Blues Festival

“Concert lover Margaret has sat in the same seat at Bristol’s Colston Hall for 33 years”

The Bristol Post

FutureBristol Music Trust will truly come into its own during the period of the 2014/15 to 2016/17 business plan. Our strategic vision for the next three years is to ensure that:

• Colston Hall continues to develop as a strong, confident, creative, and artistically vibrant musical brand, with a reputation for creative excellence and diversity.

• Bristol Music Trust develops its own brand as a leader, supporter, and innovator in the musical life of Bristol and the South West.

• The Trust is financially secure and commercially astute, maximising funds available for artistic and educational objectives, and building a responsive and fit for purpose business infrastructure.

• We work with Arts Council England to make a dynamic and sustained contribution to the National Portfolio of arts organisations.

• Plans for the building redevelopment are finalised, with an inspiring and pragmatic vision for the Colston Hall of the future, commitment from Bristol City Council is assured, and a bold fundraising campaign launched.

• Bristol Plays Music enables Bristol to become the UK capital of young people’s music, providing

performance and educational opportunities in partnership with our venue, and developing a leadership role in all aspects of music education citywide.

• We continue to build creative partnerships with local, national and international artists and organisations, to inspire and energise our music and educational programmes.

• We continue to develop our organisational culture to be creative, flexible, collaborative and professional; and to motivate our people to improve performance with appropriate HR policies and procedures, training and development, and managerial support.

• Colston Hall becomes a welcoming, lively music hub for the city.

• The next three years will see Bristol Music Trust further develop the financial and artistic confidence to present an increasingly coherent programme of performance and learning and participation opportunities, which will deliver measurable local benefit and attract attention on a national scale.

Bristol Music Trust Annual Review 2013/2014

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Dinosaur Zoo

colston hall annual review 2012/2013

The list above represents current partners to March 2014.

Cover image: Ensemble MusikFabrik

Bristol Music Trust Colston Hall, Colston Street, Bristol BS1 5AR

box office 0844 887 1500www.colstonhall.org

Bristol Music Trust is a charity registered in England & Wales (no. 1140898). A non-profit-making company limited by guarantee. Registered in England no. 7531978. VAT no. 108248327.

Principal supportersArts Council EnglandBristol City Council

Major sponsorsJLLMixRadioRenishaw

SponsorsBrewin DolphinCAPITAGregg Latchams LtdIrwin Mitchell IMKPMGQuilter CheviotWessex Water

Corporate partnersArupBrewin Dolphin

TrustsDame Violet Wills Will TrustPRS for Music FoundationQuartet Community FoundationThe Monument TrustThe National Foundation for Youth Music

SupportersAverys Wine MerchantsBBC Music MagazineBella & Fifi FlowersBristol IT CompanyDAC BeachcroftDigital VisitorEvans AudioHarveys CellarsMarriott

TrusteesMichele BalfeMarti BurgessSimon Chapman (Honorary Treasurer)Cllr. Simon CookPaul FordhamHenry Kenyon (Chair)Marie McCluskeySir Brian McMasterAndrew NisbetPoppy StephensonJames Wetz

Artistic partnersArnolfiniAsian Arts AgencyBournemouth Symphony OrchestraBristol EnsembleBristol International Jazz & Blues FestivalBristol Music Industry NetworkEnglish Folk Dance and Song Society Making TracksMusic Beyond MainstreamOut of the MachineRoutes South WestSpike IslandSt George’s BristolUniversity of Bristol

Education partnersAccess To MusicArts AwardsArts Council England SWAspiration Creation Elevation ACEAWP NHSBANES Music ServicesBasement StudiosBath FestivalsBath Spa UniversityBBC Introducing in the WestBBC Performing Arts FundB creativeBridgwater College

BrisfestBristol Brunel AcademyBristol Institute of Modern MusicBristol Music Education PartnershipBristol Youth LinksChipping Sodbury SchoolCity Academy BristolCity of Bristol CollegeCotham SchoolCreative Youth NetworkCultural Learning AllianceCMAZ MusicDBSDrake MusicFairfield SchoolGreen Man FestivalHenbury SchoolKnowle West Media CentreMake Some NoiseMixRadioMonument TrustMUSE Music ProjectMusic Education CouncilMusic MarkNorth Somerset Music HubPrinces TrustRiOSouth Gloucestershire Music HubSouth West Music SchoolSuperactThe Ethnic Minority and Travellers Achievement Service EMTASThe Hope SchoolThe National Foundation for Youth MusicThe StationTrinity Community ArtsUK MusicWelsh National OperaWeston CollegeWiltshire Music CentreWiltshire Music HubWOMAD FoundationYoung Bristol

Thank you to our partners