The Biggleswade and District Choral Society
Registered Charity Number 299825
Society Rules – September 2013
- The name of the Society shall be The Biggleswade and District Choral Society.
- The object of the Society shall be to promote, improve, develop and maintain public education in an appreciation of the art and science of music in all its aspects by presentation of public concerts and recitals and by such other ways as the Society, through its Committee, shall determine from time to time.
- The members of the Society shall be those who pay the annual subscription at the appropriate rate or rates as shall be determined by the Committee, all subscriptions being payable in advance.
- There shall be an Annual General Meeting of the Society held each season for the purpose of discussing the past season’s work and to elect the Committee for the following year.
- All Committee members shall be elected or affirmed at the Annual General Meeting and shall be members of the Society.
- The Committee shall consist of President, Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon.Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Librarian, Publicity Manager, Accompanist, Making Music Representative, one Representative from each section of the choir and the Conductor. At any meeting of the Committee a quorum shall consist of five members.
- The Committee shall have the power to co-opt any person deemed necessary, not exceeding one third of the current Committee.
- Any Committee member failing, without acceptable reason, to attend two consecutive Committee meetings shall be deemed to have resigned.
- In the event of a deadlock arising, the matter in question shall be referred to a general meeting of the Society.
- Finances
- The financial year shall end on 31st July.
- A banking account shall be signed by any two officers of the Society.
- The Society may receive donations, grants in aid and financial guarantees, and tickets for any or all of its concerts and other events shall be offered for sale to the public.
- The income and property of the Society, when-so-ever derived, shall be applied solely towards promoting the objects of the Society as set forth above, and no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred, either directly or indirectly, to any member or members of the Society except in payment of legitimate expenses incurred on behalf of the Society.
- The office of Hon. Auditor shall be filled at the Annual General Meeting.
- The Conductor, in consultation with the Committee, shall be responsible for the choice of music and programmes and arrangements for the concerts.
- Members must attend a minimum of 75% of rehearsals for each performance to take part in a concert. Anyone not meeting this requirement will be subject to an audition to demonstrate their knowledge of the piece, or may be allowed to sing at the discretion of the Conductor, e.g. they know the piece and have sung it before. Anyone not singing in a concert is asked not to attend the last two Tuesday rehearsals for that concert to enable the Conductor to hear the choir as it will be performing. Attendance at the pre-concert ‘dress rehearsal’ will be mandatory.
- Concert Dress
Formal Concert dress shall be:
Ladies – black, long sleeved blouse, plain and not see-through, ankle length plain black skirt or full length trousers, magenta pashmina, black shoes.
Gentlemen – black dinner suit, white shirt, magenta bow tie, black shoes and socks.
Informal Concert dress shall be:
(a) Black ‘polo’ shirts with magenta Society logo and black full length trousers, or:
(b) Ladies – Bright coloured dresses. Gentlemen – Coloured waistcoat/shirt.
Members not conforming to the above dress code to be excluded from the performance. - (a) Upon petition of any five members of the Society, the Hon. Secretary shall convene an emergency general meeting of the Society.
(b) Upon petition of a quorum of the Committee the Hon. Secretary shall convene an extra-ordinary meeting of the Committee. - Any amendment to the rules of the Society may be made at an emergency meeting of the Society, or at an Annual General Meeting. Notice of proposal to change a rule or rules must be notified to the Hon. Secretary in writing, fourteen days before such a meeting and provided that nothing herein contained shall authorise any amendment which shall have the effect of the Society ceasing to be a charity.
Dissolution:
In the event of the Society being wound up, any assets remaining upon dissolution, after payment of proper debts and liabilities, shall be transferred to a charitable institution or institutions having similar objects to those of the Society.