MUSIC DIRECTOR’S REPORT 2010

AGM : 9 February 2011

Singing is both physical and mental – it engages the body and keeps you mentally alert.   Not only that, it is good for the soul.   We don’t only sing to experience the products of genius like Handel, Bach, Mendelssohn, Verdi and Poulenc – we sing because it’s good for us and it is fun.

“For singing is so good and thing
  I wish all men would learn to sing!”
Thus wrote William Byrd in Elizabethan times and it’s just as relevant to-day.

We had a good year in 2010.   Our contingent of younger singers has continued to rise and we celebrated our 30th birthday in style with Bach, Verdi, Orff and G&S.

Our collaborations with choirs had mixed results, I feel, and we will consider this carefully in the future.   The work with Mzansi Productions for Carmina was good but expensive and I think 2011 will be a year of consolidation in terms of finance.

The Johannesburg Festival Orchestra has served us well and they continue to be loyal and musical co-workers.

Socially we had a good year too with some fine parties and this is an equally important part of our work.

It is also crucial that you feel comfortable and confident with the works we are performing because then you feel confident about filling the hall.   This has a lot to do with regular attendance also, so please try to be at rehearsals – this is what produces the excellent standards we have built over the last 30 years.

Thanks to all who make the choir happen – the Committee, our Chairman, Steve, my office: Caroline, Maddie and Phatudi – and to everyone who enjoys singing.   You make my week always and when I am not at rehearsal I get withdrawal symptoms!

Keep up the good work.

RICHARD COCK
January 2011

CHAIRMAN & TREASURER’S REPORT 2010

AGM : 9 February 2011

2010 was the choir’s 30th Anniversary year and, to celebrate this milestone, we undertook an ambitious programme of concerts. The Choir presented performances of Bach’s St John Passion, Verdi’s Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Gilbert & Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, as well as the usual Christmas concert. These concerts were performed in collaboration with the Gauteng Choristers and the Mzansi Dancers and, in case of the Verdi Requiem, required a large orchestra.
 
As a result, the concerts were performed at a gross loss of R207,000. Income from sponsorships, membership subscriptions, external performances and other sources reduced the operating loss to R74,000. The choir finished the year with reserves of R455,000.
 
My thanks go to Richard Cock for his invaluable contribution in raising corporate sponsorship. My thanks also go to the regular patrons, sponsors and friends, many of whom are choir members.

As in past years, the generosity of the choir patrons and sponsors has made a vital difference to the choir’s financial position. Total donations amounted to R151,000 for the year, a great achievement in the current economic environment. I thank them all for their concern for and interest in the choir and its activities.

On the social front, we enjoyed a successful choir braai and my thanks go to Isobel Osborne for making her home available for the event and organising the occasion. I also wish to thank those choir members who participated in the Nelson Mandela Square and Last Night of the Proms concerts. These events contributed R40,000 to the choir coffers and continue to enhance our public profile.

Thanks are also due to all those who give of their time and skill to ensure that choir activities run as smoothly as possible. In particular, I would like to mention Debbie Kruger, the choir’s administrator; all members of the Choir Committee, for their advice and efforts; Caroline Kennard, who produces beautiful programmes for the concerts and processes payments to orchestra members for us; Maddy Farrant, who administers the choir membership subscriptions; and Kevin Kraak, the choir’s accompanist, who has provided such skillful support. Finally, of course, I must record my gratitude to our incomparable Music Director, whose expertise, energy, humour and entrepreneurial skill makes it possible for the choir to produce such varied and beautiful music, and to have so much fun in doing so.

STEVE BALL
9 February 2011

	Concert Analysis
	Financial Statements