Benedetti Foundation Trustees' Report and Financial Statements - July 2019 to December 2020

FOR THE PERIOD 22 JULY 2019 TO 31 DECEMBER 2020

BENEDETTI FOUNDATION TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (A SCOTTISH COMPANY LIMITED

BY GUARANTEE WITH CHARITABLE STATUS)

COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: SC636675 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER: SC049688

CONTENTS

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Foundation Directors' Welcome

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Chairman’s Statement

Trustees’ Report 7

About the Benedetti Foundation

8 Activities and Highlights 2020 12 Response to Covid-19 – Lockdown and Transition 18 Impact and Feedback 25 The Ambassador Experience 26 Benedetti Foundation Tutors 27 Trustees’ Response to Covid-19 and Future Plans 29 Structure, Governance and Management

31 Financial Review 33 Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities 34 Meet Our Board 37 Meet Our Team 39 Independent Auditor’s Report on the Financial Statements 42 Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure Account) 44 Notes to the Financial Statements 52 Reference and Administrative Details of the Company, Trustees and Advisors

WELCOME

2020 has been the year no one could have predicted. From the inception of the Benedetti Foundation Sessions in January 2020, we set out to put on transformative orchestral and musicianship-based workshops for young people and teachers demonstrating what music education at its best could look and feel like.

The Foundation was set up throughout 2019 against a backdrop of nationwide cuts to music education and the music teaching profession as well as threats to the existence of some local authority music services. Our overall aim is to unite, inspire and educate. We provide enrichment, inspiration and variation to our education system and communities. We work closely with young people on building discipline, professionalism, concentration, and perseverance as well as addressing the deeply important emotional, social, internal, and psychological challenges young people face through the act of conscientious music making and collective activity.

“This was about bringing music alive, setting the highest bar, seeing performance as a holistic skill embracing poise, risk, ambition, emotion and the confidence to address an audience spontaneously, intellectually and personably.”

– Nicola Benedetti In our initial months, we delivered four live Benedetti Sessions: 3-day Sessions in Glasgow, London, and Dundee and a 1-day Session in partnership with Birmingham Music Service. They were a resounding success with just over 3000 young people and teachers participating in total. 86% of participants were state school educated.

With the outbreak of Covid-19 in March 2020 and the worldwide lockdowns, the Foundation rapidly repositioned itself as a leader in delivering high quality mass music education virtually through producing a unique, ground-breaking, and innovative programme of Virtual Sessions. We are deeply proud of our Tutors, Ambassadors, Engineers, Tech Team, Administrative and core Foundation staff who pulled together with a steely determination, relentless positivity, and energy to create a truly memorable and magical experience.

During these unprecedented times, we felt our young people and teaching communities desired inspiration, goals to work towards and a greater sense of togetherness. Born out of a response to Covid-19’s lockdown, our Virtual Sessions created the opportunity to work with a wider range of people stripped of the ability to attend face-to-face activities.

“There have been times during lockdown when the toxic mix of boredom and anxiety have really challenged our daughter’s mental health and led to some pretty horrible moments. The Benedetti videos, sectionals, and the offshoot of them in us playing music and having fun and being relaxed and joyful together have been an absolute lifesaver.”

– Parent, UK

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Taking the core of our work online, we have expanded our reach immensely with viewing figures across our video content passing 3.7 million. Throughout 2020, we worked with just shy of 18,000 participants on our sessions, age 2 to 92, – 15,000 of these since May 2020.

The ambitions of the Foundation are great – we believe in the power of music education, of mass participation events as sources of inspiration and motivation and in the great joy that comes from setting high quality standards of excellence in education for all young people and teachers worldwide.

Our work would simply not be possible without the generosity of Trusts and Foundations, individuals, and corporate sponsors. We are extremely thankful to our Board of Trustees and all those who believed in us throughout our first year.

Nicola Benedetti CBE

Laura Gardiner

FOUNDER

FOUNDATION

&

ARTISTIC

DIRECTOR

DIRECTOR

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CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT

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FOR THE PERIOD 22 JULY 2019 TO 31 DECEMBER 2020

I am pleased to report on a very encouraging start to the life of the Benedetti Foundation both in terms of its financial position and of its meeting the objectives and aims set out in this Report.

This first Trustees' Report is for the period from incorporation on 22 July 2019 to 31 December 2020. The period to 31 December 2019 was one of preparing the Benedetti Foundation for charitable status, granted on 29 October 2019, putting in place the appropriate policies and procedures, and preparing for the first Benedetti Sessions.

These took place in January 2020 and so we have had a full twelve months of operations. We thought, therefore, that it would be helpful to show separately in our accounts the results for the 12 months to 31 December 2020, as well as those for the full period.

In the period, the Foundation achieved a surplus of £54,657 of which £44,977 relates to the 12 months to 31 December 2020. £726,477 in total was generated from charitable activities, donations from trusts and foundations and from individual giving supplemented by Gift Aid. At 31 December 2020, the Foundation had reserves of £54,657. The Board's initial aspiration was to have reserves of at least three months' operating costs, so it was encouraging to achieve that in our first period of operation.

Going forward, our aim will be to increase this figure to the equivalent of six months' costs. The Foundation also had a cash balance of £100,020, reflecting donations received in late 2020 which will be committed in 2021.

Laura and Nicola have rightly paid tribute to the wonderful contribution of the huge number of people that have made the launching of the Foundation such a successful one. I, in turn, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, would like to commend them for their extraordinary energy, commitment, passion and fleetness of foot in delivering this success in the middle of a pandemic.

Not only has the past year shown that the work of the Benedetti Foundation is highly relevant but also that it can be delivered on a global scale. The bar has been set high and so have our ambitions. We appreciate every single donation we have received and give thanks in advance for all the support we hope we will continue to justify in fulfilling these ambitions.

GEORGE BURNETT CHAIRMAN

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TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE PERIOD 22 JULY 2019 TO 31 DECEMBER 2020 The Trustees (who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of company law) present their Annual Report together with the independently audited financial statements of the Benedetti Foundation (“the Foundation”, “the charity” or “the Charitable Company”) for the period since inception 22 July 2019 to 31 December 2020.

These have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out on pages 31 to 33 and comply with applicable charity law. The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended), the Memorandum and Articles of Association and 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).

Throughout this report, the Directors of the charitable company are referred to as Trustees.

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ABOUT THE BENEDETTI FOUNDATION “What a sense of focus and a feeling of camaraderie is being developed through your foundation’s work.”

– Susan, Adult Participant, UK MISSION The Benedetti Foundation unites those who believe music is integral to a great education. We do this through uncovering and sharing its best practices whilst demonstrating a reenergised vision for the future. We put on transformative orchestral and musicianship-based workshops for young people, students, teachers, and adults that showcase what Music Education at its best can look and feel like OBJECTIVES AND AIMS The charity’s principal aim is to unite, inspire and educate through the creation and delivery of inspirational, energetic, and innovative workshops and video content.

The Benedetti Foundation aims to: inspire and grow music participation on all levels, at all ages and stages deliver and model high quality music education available to all be accessible online on a global scale bring the performing and educating worlds together into greater dialogue be a universal voice of advocacy for the music education world break down barriers to access through an innovative and cutting-edge digital platform FUNDAMENTAL VALUES “It’s like being invited to join an existing big, friendly joyous family who just keep pulling you in this direction and that direction throwing all this fun and knowledge at you, willing you to eat it all up and just get better and better at what you’re doing - so much learning being offered.”

– Alison, Instrumental Teacher, UK All the activity of the Benedetti Foundation is built upon these core values:

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ACTIVITIES AND HIGHLIGHTS 2020 2020 AT A GLANCE 75 countries Age 2-92 17700 participants 4 Live Sessions: Glasgow, London, Birmingham, Dundee 86% of participants at live sessions state educated 3 Mass Virtual Sessions: Virtual Sessions, Global Violin Sessions and Christmas Sessions 56 Mini Sessions

PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIY THE BENEDETTI FOUNDATION ORCHESTRA “I was just so amazed and touched by the response of the Ambassadors. It felt there was something so special that allowed a group of twenty something year olds to open themselves up, be vulnerable, unafraid of judgement and play their hearts out. It was touching for me to see because out of all my years around college, occasionally watching or being part of an orchestra, it was my first experience of feeling this.”

– Yume, Ambassador, UK Throughout the final months of 2019, planning for the first Benedetti Sessions culminated in training days for Tutors, Ambassadors, and the establishment of the very first Benedetti Foundation Orchestra.

The BFO came together for the first time in December 2019 to record two of the pieces of repertoire we would play on the Benedetti Sessions. It was the realisation of a long-standing desire to bring together professional and non- professional musicians, full time teachers, conservatoire students and young people from partner organisations and the surrounding areas of the session locations to perform.

Recordings of Mascagni’s Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana and Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances were released by Decca Records to celebrate the opening of the Benedetti Sessions in January 2020, and the orchestra went on to be a feature of all live Benedetti Sessions.

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LIVE SESSIONS JANUARY – MARCH 2020 “Youth culture is currently digital devices, virtual reality, games and any child learning an instrument is increasingly 'different' (at least in the state education sector) so this extra effort to 'holistically' support children learning a string instrument, bringing them together in this inspiring and fun way is vital food for the soul of our future humanity and the future of music.”

– Parent of Participant in London Sessions, UK The first Benedetti Sessions took place in January 2020 in Glasgow, in partnership with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow Life and UNESCO City of Music and in London in partnership with Southbank Centre. Following this, two further Sessions took place in Birmingham (February 2020) in partnership with Services for Education Music Service (Birmingham) and Town Hall Symphony Hall, and in Dundee (March 2020) in partnership with Caird Hall. We would like to thank all these venues and organisations for their support and gifts in kind to enable the running of these sessions.

The sessions were a resounding success. Over 1000 young string players from all backgrounds, ages and stages experienced the Benedetti Sessions, with nearly 2000 primary school children participating in a primary schools’ workshop session. Around 240 string teachers joined us for a professional development weekend (afternoon in Birmingham) and 80 primary teachers attended an afternoon workshop specifically designed for class teachers who are non-specialist musicians. The participants came from 31 out of the 32 Scottish Local Authorities, 30 out of the 32 London boroughs, and all across Birmingham. 86% of the young people who participated in the four live session were state educated.

In addition to a tutor team of 25, comprising the absolute best educators and performers from across the UK and beyond, 60 students from conservatoires (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Royal College of Music, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music, Guildhall School of Music, Royal Academy of Music, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and Royal Northern College of Music) made up a team of Ambassadors. The Ambassador team were in the unique position of both delivering and learning themselves. The impact on this group has been incredibly profound.

“The Benedetti Sessions have been a truly moving and uniting experience. I was particularly impressed by the humility of such great artists who engaged with true commitment and passion in promoting musical education for young people.”

– Laure, Ambassador, UK 9

The Benedetti Sessions in Glasgow, London and Dundee began with an opening concert from the Benedetti Foundation Orchestra. We were thrilled to be joined by accordionist Phil Cunningham in Glasgow to bring the inaugural concert to a close.

In the lead up to the Sessions, the participants were prepared by Nicola and the tutor team via online videos. There was some uncertainty over how successful this method of communication with the participants could be, but having now seen the results, there is no doubt this is an area of huge benefit to young musicians. Communication between Nicola and the participants was ever present in the run up to the workshops via letters and videos.

“I especially wanted to say thanks for the practice notes of encouragements and the videos. These make a MASSIVE difference to the work of day after day practice. Practising with the clear and friendly videos is a huge help — as was having someone else, indeed Nicky herself, setting the goals in the accompanying letters. This level of support and attention to the actual day to day preparation seems unique among workshops.”

– Parent, London Sessions, UK

Over the weekend, the participants worked with a multitude of tutors, and the widest variety of topics was covered from general musicianship to storytelling, physical and mental wellbeing, breathing, technique and freedom. The young people were encouraged to embrace opposites, to focus and to relax, to be serious and to have fun. The results were overwhelming.

Side by side with the young musicians, groups of string teachers came together for a weekend of professional development. Workshops including back to basics, engaging students with scales, improvisation, physical wellbeing, performance anxiety and creativity were amongst the sessions delivered to the teachers by the Sessions tutor team.

Bringing together teachers from across many different backgrounds opened up new networks, new connections, rebuilt their energy and reinvigorated them. This will ripple into their communities, impact their students and the effects will be felt far and wide.

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“I felt a renewed sense of vigour and purpose. Inspiration came from the very act of coming together to exchange ideas with other teachers and the generosity of the wonderful mentors who were there to share their experience and wealth of knowledge with us.”

– String Teacher, Glasgow Sessions Participant, UK Primary classroom teachers, and trainee teachers, spent an afternoon developing confidence in teaching primary classroom music. They also observed the presenters working with 350 children in a primary schools’ workshop (and took part alongside). The impact on the classroom teachers was revolutionary for confidence building and inspiring.

“You have all honestly made me believe I can teach music despite not playing an instrument or being able to read music. I left the workshop with such confidence and cannot thank those involved enough. I’ve confidently taught a music lesson for the first time!”

– Hattie, Primary Teacher, UK

All participants at the sessions were given a Benedetti Foundation book to take home, packed full of tips and ideas for continuing their learning. The wider impact of the Sessions has been felt by families across the country as is shared in the hundreds of messages received by the Foundation post-Sessions.

“Such an inspirational afternoon seeing one of the Benedetti Sessions and hundreds of children enjoying rehearsing and performing together. What a fantastic concept and offer from Nicola Benedetti and her team.”

-Louise Smith, Deputy Director, DCMS - Arts, Libraries & Digital Culture

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RESPONSE TO COVID-19 – LOCKDOWN AND THE TRANSITION TO THE VIRTUAL WORLD “A superb example of what can be achieved by the human spirit.”

– YouTube viewer

The week after our Dundee Sessions, the world changed. As world-wide lockdowns were announced and the UK went into full lockdown, we quite quickly realised our planned sessions for Northern Ireland in May would have to be postponed. Within two weeks, we began to deliver a daily live music session on social media – open and accessible to all, and a 2-week long project, ‘Learn Salut d’amour with Nicky’, culminating in a competition to send a recording of the piece to the Foundation.

'Learn with Nicky’ was extremely popular with over 70,000 YouTube views on the 5 teaching videos and final performance during that week. Each day Nicky taught a lesson based around Salut d’amour from exploring a piece for the first time, through how to tackle the tricky parts and finishing with tips on performance and recording.

During this period, we discovered a huge interest from not only young people and students, but Adults learning or returning to playing during lockdown, which informed our decision to include Adult learners in our work going forwards. We were delighted to see it bringing families together to perform in isolation.

“Because of the quarantine I thought it would be a good idea to get my very bored grandpa to send me a recording of the piano part to pass the time, so here is a video of us for the Salut d’amour.”

– Elgar Participant, UK

VIRTUAL SESSIONS – MAY 2020 “I’m absolutely amazed at the tutors and the team behind this project and what they were able to achieve.

This is the antidote to what’s in the news right now. There is so much beauty and goodness in the world and this is the way to ensure we spread more togetherness and love into the future” – Karina Canellakis, Chief Conductor -Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra The Virtual Sessions were born out of our recognition that the desire for community and for structure in the early months of lockdown were desperately needed. Our societies are bound through collective action and so we set out to provide musicians of all ages and stages, and from all over the world, with three weeks of consistent, scheduled online tuition and inspiration, preparing collectively for a final weekend of activity celebrating the coming together of our global music community.

The Sessions were open to anyone who felt they could play the parts, learn from our presentations, and join in with a sense of enjoyment and enthusiasm. Working with school age children (string players, other instrumentalists & non-instrumentalists), conservatoire and university music students, instrumental teachers, amateur musicians and adult learners and parents, we studied four pieces of music over the course of three weeks. All our sessions are underpinned by our fundamental values, and this was no different for these online sessions.

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“I found the experience liberating” – Young Participant, Virtual Sessions We quickly identified that not all things about this experience were just ‘making do’ with the loss of a physical gathering, but instead there were several components that were actually heightened in their effectiveness through the power of technology.

The Sessions were delivered by a diverse and experienced team of Tutors and Ambassadors. They provided substance, variety, information, and uplift to this experience for the participants. All of them are not only extraordinary instrumentalists and teachers, but are also the most wonderfully joyous, yet serious individuals.

“The diversity of people teaching - each of the tutors is like a different cheese in a delicatessen, every diverse contribution full of wisdom and rich learning” – Parent To close the Virtual Sessions, we invited the music loving world – extended families and all our friends across the world – to join us for a celebratory concert, premiering a collation of videos which shared the story of the coming together of the music community through unprecedented times. We provided a collective moment of not just music appreciation, but a sort of meditation and reflection of these unparalleled times – whilst, of course, celebrating the wonderful and collective achievement of musicians all over the world.

“It is abundantly clear that music is all about the magic of the act of performance irrespective of levels. These performances of each piece will probably be regarded in time as their most moving renditions (especially the Tallis) for reasons that transcend elite professional performance. The context of the piece, Covid-19, the diversity of the global players and ultimately the feeling of sound and vision that resonated in our earphones – it was intense and very moving. A brilliant thing captured as a collective moving moment forever, performed by both adults and children, such widening participation.”

– YouTube viewer comment We were honoured to be recognised in November 2020 by the Royal Philharmonic Society with an Inspiration Award for our Virtual Sessions.

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MINI SESSIONS – JULY TO DECEMBER 2020 “It is a real down to earth approach making it open to any individual...the all-inclusive element has been outstanding” – Parent, UK In the initial aftermath of the Virtual Sessions, there was a strong desire to continue to work with and grow our participant base and we embarked on a programme of delivering a series of smaller mini sessions. These are short, focused sessions which allow us to work in more detail with specific groups of participants. Now a permanent feature of the Foundation’s activity, since July, we have run 56 sets of Mini Sessions of varying lengths and for various ages and stages. This includes four ‘Secrets of the…’ Sessions with guests Jess Gillam (saxophone), Katherine Bryan (flute), Sarah Willis (French horn) and Dame Evelyn Glennie (percussion). In addition, we piloted eight ‘Chat with Us’ sessions, small group consultation and discussion style sessions for instrumental teachers.

Topics included a range of extremely specific techniques such as vibrato, shifting and the left hand to in-depth series of talks and discussions for music students and instrumental teachers. Sessions include creativity, storytelling, wellbeing, and general musicianship.

During the month of December, we put a particular emphasis on wellbeing and the benefits music can have on your physical and mental health. We worked closely with Intermission, co-founded by two of our regular tutors Elena Urioste and Melissa White, as well as Lee Holland, founder of Mental Note Performance, to deliver wellbeing sessions focused on yoga, mindfulness and the healthy musician to young people and adults.

Over 5000 participants have taken part in our Mini Sessions since they began, and our reach expanded to 75 countries throughout the remainder of 2020.

“My daughter has engaged with these sessions in a way I didn’t think was possible. Practice for her used to be an absolute chore resulting in me nagging her to do it constantly. Well, since the first virtual sessions her relationship with the violin has totally changed, she is practicing each day probably for longer than she used to do in a whole week! I don’t have to nag her at all!”

– Susan, Parent, UK

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GLOBAL VIOLIN SESSIONS: A CULTURAL EXCHANGE PART 1 “The Global Sessions took us travelling at a time when we are all confined to quarters. It opened up a new world awareness at a time when our worlds were shrinking.”

- Joy, Adult Participant, UK The Virtual Sessions returned in November and this time we embarked on the start of a trip around the world through the eyes of The Violin. This Virtual Session was a tale of discovery, globalism, and cultural exchange. We set out to find out what happens if you take one tune and send it around the world.

Our tune, written by the trumpeter, composer, educator, and Benedetti Foundation Trustee, Wynton Marsalis, had its first outing played by Nicola Benedetti as ‘straight’ as possible. It was then be passed round the world, from one violinist to another. Each violinist made it their own. They changed rhythms, twisted notes, rewrote corners, added instrumentation and colours and effects – and along the way, they taught our participants how they do it.

Working with Mark and Maggie O’Connor and Tessa Lark (United States of America), Geza HosszuLegocky and Roby Lakatos (Hungary), Pekka Kuusisto (Finland) and Nemanja Radulovic (Serbia), we gained insight into the musical worlds of each tradition, told by the violin.

Across three weeks, we worked live with participants of all ages and stages, and from all over the world, to prepare the repertoire. Just under 1100 violinists registered to take part from 54 countries.

We worked with everyone from the very youngest to the oldest violinists to ensure we had the fullest community reach.

The Global Violin Sessions culminated in a final performance film featuring the participants performances of the new arrangements of Wynton’s Tune. This concert has received just under 75,000 views across all platforms.

“It seems that the adventuress in me is going travel with you, globally, in music, in glee for as long as I can” – Bridget, Adult Participant, Ireland

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CHRISTMAS SESSIONS To close the year, we delivered a final virtual session for string players of all ages and abilities. Over 1000 participants from 38 countries worked with us on an arrangement of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, especially created for our sessions by the Ayoub Sisters. As with all the virtual sessions, the participants prepared via video tutorial and then met for a live sectional. We delivered 12 live sessions in 4 days, before putting over 500 home recordings together to release on Christmas Eve. We were thrilled our recording was premiered on Classic FM, before the music video release later that day. This has been watched just over 164,000 times.

“Just a quick line to say a huge thank you to everyone involved in making every project during this extraordinarily difficult year. I can honestly say she is a different musician which is remarkable. Given the year we’ve had, her progress could well have easily declined. But more than that through your Foundation’s principles of integrity, dedication, and absolute passion for the humanity of playing music, her whole approach and application has been transformed. This has brought nothing but pride and joy and a real love of playing.”

– Imelda, Parent, UK We would like to pay tribute to the Trusts and Foundations, corporate sponsors and numerous individuals who supported our activity in 2020. A full list is included on page 32.

DIGITAL GROWTH At the outset of 2019, along with the announcement of the intention to form the Benedetti Foundation, a new YouTube series, ‘With Nicky’ was launched. Now under the banner of the Foundation, the first series has been reached just over 1.4 million views.

The digital output of the Foundation since its establishment is now in excess of 280 public videos, with many more restricted for participants of particular sessions. Total viewership has reached over 4.2 million in total to date.

The second series of ‘With Nicky’, complete with live sessions, accompanying resources and monthly challenges will be released in early 2021.

We are deeply grateful to Decca Records for their financial support of the first series of ‘With Nicky’.

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ADVOCACY An integral part of the mission of the Benedetti Foundation is to carry out dedicated, year-round advocacy for the place of quality arts and culture in our schools and our homes.

The Foundation set up a Strategic Advisory Group and Education Advisory Group in late 2019 to help support our advocacy mission with representation across all four nations. Members of our SAG have worked with us to help us to deeply understand the situation in each nation regarding music education.

Since our establishment, we have met with the Scottish Government, Department for Education and Department of Culture, Media, and Sport, as well as attended a meeting with representatives from Welsh Government. We will continue to develop our advocacy mission throughout 2021. Further information on our committees is found on page 30.

PARTNERSHIPS We are fiercely devoted to pulling together individuals and organisations that too often work in isolation and partnership working is at the heart of all we do.

Since beginning our work, we have collaborated with a wide variety of organisations from across all 4 nations of the UK and worldwide including: Sistema Scotland, Music Education Partnership Group, RSNO, Glasgow Concert Hall, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, St. Mary’s Music School, numerous Music Services across the UK, Caird Hall, Birmingham Town Hall, Music Masters, London Music Fund, Yehudi Menuhin School, NCO-GB, NYO-GB, NYOS, Education Authority NI, Southbank Centre, Jazz at Lincoln Centre, ARCO Project (South Africa), all the UK’s conservatoires, and brought together hundreds of individual teachers and organisations.

"As an ARCO teacher, it is my pleasure to say that my student loves the Benedetti sessions. She actively asks about all upcoming sessions and whether it would be suitable for her to attend. I am extremely grateful that each session is recorded and later distributed to all attendees, as many of the South African students are frequently without internet and/or power. The ability to then watch these sessions back later is a very valuable resource. Thank you for making these sessions accessible to all, I know that the attending students at ARCO appreciate it."

- Matthew Thompson, ARCO Teacher

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IMPACT AND FEEDBACK The Benedetti Foundation is proud to have worked with over 17,000 participants throughout 2020.

The impact on many has been profound, demonstrating benefits not only to improvement in their instrumental playing, but to wellbeing, mental health, creativity, concentration, focus and determination to succeed. Whilst it is difficult to put figures on the impact our work has had on those who have taken part directly and indirectly (parents, carers, extended family, students of teachers we have worked with), we can measure our impact from the thousands of emails, letters, and messages we have received this year.

PARTICIPANTS’ EXPERIENCES YOUNG PEOPLE “I discovered the Benedetti Foundation last year during the first lockdown. My mum saw an article on the news about offering a virtual session. We didn’t know what to expect as we hadn’t heard about them before, but I gave it a go. I’m glad that I did because it really helped me.

I really enjoy the Mini Sessions and After School Sessions like the sight reading, bow hand reset, how to practice etc... because they have helped me improve my technique which has helped with pieces I’m working on with my school violin teacher. You guys also help me understand things like for example my violin teacher tried to explain the position of my 4th finger, but I only understood what she meant after watching an After School Session with Alex.

My practicing is getting better after one video about making a practice cake because before I didn’t have much of a plan and probably wasted my practice time.

The Virtual Sessions like the Global ones were really cool as I got to meet lots of virtuosos and they even taught us. I like how each session had a piece to work on like Wynton’s tune and Paganini. I like how I get a chance to appear in the concert video at the end.

Before I met you guys, I was starting to lack motivation for violin.

Doing these sessions has given me something to challenge me and look forward to. Teachers are always great like Rachel who makes things so much fun. Also, Elena has great warm up yoga exercises which is something I didn’t think you needed for an instrument, but it does help and it’s fun!”

– Zia Johnston (10), Scotland

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PARENTS “It is hard for me to accurately express how much the Foundation has meant to us as a family this last year.

Zoe, aged 8, who has been playing the viola for 2 years, has built up such a strong rapport with all your simply inspirational tutors that it is difficult to believe that she has only had one day onsite, at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London in Jan 2020.

The range of projects has been extraordinary, short sessions focused on a particular technique to longer courses working towards an online extravaganza, newly commissioned works, and wellbeing sessions. Our 11-year-old son, Luke, a horn player, hasn’t missed out either with percussion sessions and a wonderful class with the amazing Sarah Willis from the Berlin Philharmonic.

Zoe says, “It’s not just an opportunity for me to learn how to play the viola but also something exciting to look forward to.”

Honestly, these online projects have been one of the best things to have come out of lockdown and I hope that the model will persist alongside on-site learning, – it works well as the options are so wide-ranging with live and pre-recorded classes available that you can access what you need when you need it, and it is convenient. Massive bonus from a parental point of view, not just in terms of scheduling but also because a class that doesn’t engage initially can be rock-star successful on a second go or can be revisited, as necessary. Einstein level genius!

It has quite simply brought joy to us all and made us feel like part of a wonderful musical community. This is such an impressive charity, they are inclusive, genuinely open to all with bursaries, geared towards fun yet expect and reward hard work and dedication.”

-Rebecca Poon (Parent), Zoe Poon (8), UK

“Sam was lucky enough to participate in the Virtual Benedetti Sessions in May 2020 and since then they have become a regular part of his musical education. They have been amazing. On one level, at a time when orchestra, music camp and even face-to-face lessons ground to a halt, they have made the virtual music world a really happy place for him. The tutors and ambassadors teach all sorts of fascinating things in a really fun way (Sam says Andrea makes everything fun, even scales!). There's such a friendly atmosphere and he finds it both welcoming and inspiring. On top of this, he's been able to have such a variety and level of musical experiences as he would never have accessed in person, even without a pandemic. He's gained so much in technique, musicality and in his awareness as a musician. It's hard to describe but he feels like the tutors give him the keys to open doors into new worlds and he gets to explore them himself.

As a non-musician parent, I've learned so much from the sessions and I find your support invaluable. What you do transcends borders, isolation, financial constraints.... in these tough times that means more than anything and we are both incredibly grateful for the Benedetti Foundation - thank you all so much!”

-Siobhan Egan, Parent, Ireland 19

PARENTS “The phrase "Where words fail me my violin speaks" sums up our daughter. Her only request in life has been to learn to play the violin. Daisy had only been playing the violin for eighteen months when 'lockdown' began. This could have been so damaging to an already anxious and very sensitive soul. But we discovered the Benedetti Foundation through the 'Virtual Sessions'. We did not have time to dwell on the negative side of life. We as a family became immersed in seminars, play-alongs, wellbeing sessions, creative tasks; the list of opportunities that opened up to us were phenomenal. The technical aspect of musicianship that developed alongside musical skills were awesome. We had got to grips with Zoom through our weekly lessons but suddenly we were using microphones, cameras, and recording to deadlines.

In the first three weeks Daisy was playing pieces that she had only dreamt about and was working hard to get them to a good enough standard to be used in a concert. During this time, the emphasis from the Foundation remained supportive, encouraging, calm and accepting and above all reinforced all the attitudes and values set by our regular teacher. The positivity that ran throughout the sessions enabled the Zoom sessions to be less distracting and Daisy's confidence started to grow. The ' Ambassadors' played a crucial role in relaxing Daisy at the start of the session and enabled her to become receptive to Zoom sessions.

When the Virtual Sessions were finished Daisy felt there was 'something missing in her life'. We had the opportunity to continue the Mini Sessions. This has enabled us to continue the link with the foundation and has really given Daisy a wealth of new techniques to draw upon. The highlight for Daisy has been the 'Global Sessions'. She already knew what to expect, was familiar with tutors and looked forward to seeing her favourite ambassadors. Visiting each country enabled her to explore music, cooking, fashion, dances but it was the musicians and the techniques and styles individual to their particular country that caught Daisy's imagination.

I cannot speak highly enough of each and every member of the Benedetti Foundation. Their commitment, integrity, love of music and creativity shines through the experiences they provide our children with. In return our children have become more confident, independent, sensitive musicians that have a wealth of techniques and styles at our fingertips and skills to develop these. A big musical thank-you goes to each and every one of you for helping Daisy to find her 'voice' and for helping her to become the violinist she wishes to be.”

– Sara Brown, Parent, UK

“Our first experience of the Benedetti Sessions were the London sessions in January 2020, and it was fabulous. I wish I could have bottled the buzz Ben had when we left – the tutors were brilliant, he couldn’t have gloated more to his cello playing brother that he’d played with Sheku and the mass orchestra was something he’d never experienced before. So, we had no hesitation in signing up for the Virtual Sessions in May and pretty much all of the sessions and many of the Mini Sessions there have been since. It’s obviously incredibly hard to replace having everyone in the same room together but you can’t fault the online delivery.

Ben has been able to build on the knowledge he already has as well as being introduced to so much more through the variety of the tutors – creativity, musicianship, technique, tips and tricks and improvisation – and you can hear the improvement in his playing as he takes in all the advice he’s being offered. Ben wouldn’t have the camera on back in May, but his confidence has grown as he’s done more and got to know the tutors and in the last couple of sessions, he’s put the camera on, which is a huge step for him. The sessions are such an amazing opportunity for musicians of any age, and I have recommended the sessions to a number of friends and wouldn’t hesitate in recommending to more.”

– Natalie Davidson, Parent, Guernsey

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STUDENTS AND RECENT GRADUATES “The Benedetti Foundation has helped me in so many ways. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, I wanted to use my time as productively as possible in order to improve as much as I could on the violin. But as most people experienced, it’s very hard to be motivated to improve when there isn’t much to work towards in terms of actual performing. The Benedetti Foundation fully rejuvenated my motivation and my love for music. The May Sessions of 2020 were so fun, interacting and hearing other people that were not in my household and I enjoyed every second of it. Since then, I have attended so many sessions and have learnt so much from worldrenowned musicians.

At first, being on a zoom call with Nicola Benedetti, someone I had looked up to since I was a child, was an unreal experience but she broke a barrier between us and her. She made us realise, that she too has problems motivating herself to practice and sounding the way she wants to. It made me realize that even the greatest violinists still struggle with things just like we do.

Something I also love about the Benedetti Foundation is their support of everyone, no matter what their background is. I was always told music is an elitist subject and career path, and if you come from a certain background, like I do, there isn’t a place for you. The Foundation proved that statement could not be any more wrong. I think my favourite session was a talk on Performance Anxiety. It doesn’t make me happy to hear musicians talking about their anxiety when it comes to performing, but it was very comforting to know that none of us were alone in feeling that. They also gave very useful ways to control it as much as possible which I still use today when performing! I am very grateful for the Benedetti Foundation, it gave me motivation when I was struggling to find it, and at times it even reminded me why I love music when I had forgotten.”

- Sophia Kannathasan, Student, UK

“As a recently graduated violinist and music teacher, The Benedetti Foundation's Virtual, Mini, and Global Sessions have been a fantastic source of artistic inspiration, valuable teaching tools, insight into the craft and artistry of violin playing, as well as a boost of motivation and community that was sorely needed in 2020. The Sessions have sparked a deeper understanding of my own playing, helped me transition successfully to online teaching, and have given me numerous creative ideas and effective strategies that I have applied to my own teaching, from individual violin and viola lessons to group musicianship classes. I am grateful for and greatly admire the Foundation's commitment to excellence and accessibility in music education.”

-Anna Perkins, Recent Graduate, USA

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TEACHERS “The first word that comes to mind when I'm thinking about this last year following the Benedetti Foundation is: Inspiring. As a young teacher, it can sometimes be tough teaching music, especially this last year, and following the Benedetti Sessions gave me much more confidence in what I do. They also gave (and are still giving) me lots of ideas for many different areas in my work. Art, culture, and teaching suffer a lack of recognition (in general and much more during Covid) and it's often hard to keep going but the Benedetti Foundation gave me a window of hope to keep open inside my head. Thank you” – Lorcan Fahy, Instrumental Teacher, Belgium

“I attended the London Sessions in January 2020 along with one of my daughters and several students. It was simply the most uplifting and inspiring event I have ever been to. Every detail had been planned meticulously to give each participant, be they a young beginner, an aspiring professional or a teacher, an experience that would nurture their love of music and show that when hard work and fun are put together, anything is possible.

From a professional development perspective, the opportunity to work with a team of musicians who without exception shine with positivity, inclusiveness, and joy in what they do, was the best medicine to re-double my conviction in the power of and necessity for high quality music teaching for all. The many sessions I have attended since have continued to help me reflect upon my teaching practice, building my skills and my desire to keep developing as a musician and teacher.

At the point at which the Covid-19 pandemic struck, our not-for-profit organisation, Bath Strings Academy, had many plans for the year ahead which had to be cancelled. The agility with which the Benedetti Foundation transferred their work online, developing the Virtual Sessions, was extraordinary. It provided our students with vital connection with their peers, as well as developing their skills, both musical and technological (!) through the brilliant series of workshops and performances. Taking part was the highlight of lockdown, and will be the thing that I, my family and many of our students will remember from 2020.

The Foundation's generosity of spirit, principles of knowledge-sharing and ambition to create a truly global musical community have succeeded, in spite of all, in making a virtue of the situation in which we find ourselves. Heartfelt thanks to all for the hard work, passion and drive that it has taken to create this beautiful thing.”

– Ruth O’Shea, Instrumental Teacher, Co-Director, Bath Strings Academy, UK 22

TEACHERS “I first met the Benedetti Foundation in mid-2020. I attended some of the "After school sessions" and the "Global session" imagining I was a little girl just starting out in the world of music; the tutors, true passionate professionals, fascinated me with their engaging, confident, and welcoming approach. As soon as I realised how good the Foundation's proposal was, I decided to involve some of my students who (despite the English language obstacle) jumped into the sessions with enthusiasm!

As a violin and music teacher, I followed, and still follow, lots of the Mini Sessions for teachers, which I find full of interesting ideas to reflect on and advice to apply in my own job. Certainly, seeing all these wonderful and super professional teachers at work gave me the right charge and the inspiration to be proactive in a year so full of uncertainty. It has given me the knowledge that delivering online events is possible and is a great way to carry out many engaging and motivating activities (so much that I have organised them with some of my students!).

It's simply fantastic to see how Nicola Benedetti, an internationally renowned violinist, shows her humanity and interest in students, especially beginners, and teaching tips, creating this wonderful music world. And like her, the tutors: the inclusion of students and teachers of all levels creates a genuine climate of sharing and enthusiasm, which is based on enormous passion and professionalism. I certainly won't miss the next initiatives!”

- Gaia Ghidini, Instrumental Teacher, Italy

“The quality of what the Benedetti Foundation provide is second to none. From a personal perspective, access to the CPD programme, particularly during these challenging times of isolation that we find ourselves in, has been a lifeline of connection to inspiration and doing what I love, affording me the energy that is so vital, to continue giving of myself to my students.

I know that several of my pupils have gained enormous benefits from attending the sessions and from a teacher’s perspective it has been like having an ally in the background, reinforcing the principles of technique that I teach, supporting and inspiring my pupils to practice, whilst giving different approaches and ideas that fire further exploration and discussion in our lessons.

As Co-Director of Bath Strings Academy, it is so refreshing to see an organisation that works with the principles of holistic learning and has sharing at the heart of its ethos; a message that so resonates with our own. The world needs more organisations like the Benedetti Foundation!”

- Michelle Falcon, Teacher & Co-Director of Bath Strings Academy 23

ADULT LEARNERS “I am a long-haul airline pilot and have previously found it difficult or nearly impossible to join any groups of musicians. I had previously followed the ‘With Nicky’ YouTube series and was fortunate to found Nicky’s ‘Salut d’Amour’ challenge. I gave it my best effort, but clearly needed some extra support. I was delighted to be given the opportunity to take part in the Benedetti Foundation ’Sessions’. Being ‘stuck’ at home, it gave me a valuable creative and mentally stimulating experience. I played in the virtual orchestra, have spotted myself on YouTube videos and have increased my knowledge of music theory and improvisation. In particular, the ‘Adult Learners’ section has made a profound difference to my playing. My teacher was even commenting this week about my relaxed bowing arm (and my pinkie now plays a pivotal role - thank you Alex!)

The Foundation has been fundamental to my feeling of well-being and has kept me supported through a challenging year workwise. Even if my 13-year-old son calls me a ‘Benedetti Fan Girl’....”

- Jane Delap, Adult Learner, Jersey UK

“Since discovering the Benedetti Foundation, words cannot express how I felt to have been able to participate in many of the Mini Sessions, in particular, the three big major Global Virtual Sessions. Learning various musical techniques from world class musicians were priceless.

As an adult musician who discovered violin and cello playing at a later age, The Benedetti Foundation has inspired me to continue on my musical journey...most importantly to have fun while doing so. I have also learned through participation that music really does soothe the soul and bring people together in times of distress.

So, with sincere gratitude I thank you for all that the Benedetti Foundation is doing...connecting people globally through music.”

- Sharon Pingue, Adult Learner, Canada

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THE AMBASSADOR EXPERIENCE “My first Benedetti Session was in Glasgow in January 2020 and it was honestly life changing. I got to see first-hand how music can affect and enhance young people’s lives and my personal heroes became the tutors in the Foundation.”

– Keena Wildman, Ambassador

Benedetti Foundation Ambassadors are a combination of undergraduate, postgraduate, and recent graduates from the UK’s music conservatoires. Students selected to become Ambassadors had the opportunity to be a part of the live sessions at the start of the year and then throughout 2020 were fully engaged with the virtual experiences.

Ambassadors sit in a unique position of giving and receiving. They are akin to a ‘big brother or sister’ to the young people, whilst learning and developing their own teaching skills by observing the tutors, delivering warm up activities, and attending training sessions. We will work with them to develop their skills in order to enhance their abilities both as performers and educators. The role of the Ambassador evolved greatly throughout 2020, and with a second cohort joining in 2021, this programme will continue to grow and develop in the coming years.

We would like to thank the Ambassadors of 2020 for their support, dedication, and commitment to the Foundation this year.

“I am very grateful to the Benedetti Foundation for the impact it has had on my approach to learning and teaching music. I have experienced a renewed love for the violin and desire to teach as a result of taking part in the sessions. One of the many invaluable lessons taught by the foundation is the principle of balancing opposites, such as control with freedom and seriousness with fun. Prior to my first encounter with the organisation, my relationship with classical music had become one characterised by fear, doubt, and tension to a debilitating level. It was both comforting and refreshing to observe a style of teaching which balanced serious, detailed information with enthusiasm and kindness to facilitate excellence. The idea of embracing mistakes and imperfections as a natural part of the learning process is another principle that they have strongly advocated for from the beginning. This has eliminated a huge amount of fear from my own playing, allowing for more technical fluency, freer and more open performances, and the confidence to take creative risks.

The joyful atmosphere that is created within the Benedetti Sessions is now something that fuels my studies and provides strength to embrace challenges. To hear such wise and honest words come from a high-profile soloist like Nicola Benedetti is unusual, and I think she has become a role model for many students, not only as a violinist but as an educator and leader. Furthermore, it has been extremely helpful and convenient to have a place where I can observe so many incredible tutors teach as well as have the chance to practice doing it myself through leading warm up sessions for the children.”

- Emma Baird, Ambassador

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BENEDETTI FOUNDATION TUTORS “What has blown me away about the whole Benedetti Sessions experience has been the honesty, humanity and integrity of everyone involved. Such incredible artists and teachers giving so much of themselves and making themselves very vulnerable for the greater good.”

-Ruth, Parent & Instrumental Teacher, UK

In order to provide participants with the highest possible standard of teaching, inspiration, and guidance throughout our sessions, we have engaged the most phenomenal group of tutors which continues to grow and expand as the Foundation develops.

“The Sessions have this incredibly magical atmosphere where fun, joy and love of music sits at its foundation” - Rachel Cooper, Violin Teacher and Benedetti Foundation Tutor

Catherine Arlidge MBE – Violin Nicola Benedetti CBE – Violin Elsa Bradley – Percussion & General Musicianship Jo Bradley – Kodaly & Double Bass Joelle Broad – Violin Katherine Bryan – Flute Bob Cairns – Violin Karen Cargill – Mezzo-Soprano Meghan Cassidy – Viola Diane Clark – Double Bass Suzie Collier – Violin Joseph Conyers – Double Bass Rachel Cooper – Violin Francis Cummings – Violin Lucy Drever – General Musicianship Leonard Elschenbroich – Conductor & Cello Yume Fujise – Violin Andrea Gajic – Violin Karen Geoghegan – Kodaly Lucinda Geoghegan – Kodaly Savitri Grier – Violin Lee Holland – Performance Psychology & Wellbeing Alice Kent – Double Bass Patrick King – Percussion & General Musicianship Alex Laing – Conductor & Violin

Su-a Lee – Cello Jenny Lewisohn – Viola Julian Lloyd Webber – Cello Natalia Luis-Bassa – Conductor Arlene Macfarlane – Trombone & Musicianship Lucy Maguire – Conductor & Violin Elin Manahan-Thomas – Soprano Richard Michael – Jazz, Harmony & Improvisation Robin Michael – Cello David Munn – Cello Nikita Naumov – Double Bass Ruth Nelson – Viola Andrew Patterson – Osteopath Tom Poster – Piano, Arranger and Composer Sharon Roffman – Violin Hetty Snell – Cello Clare Thompson – Cello Dr. Sarah Upjohn – Physiotherapist Elena Urioste – Violin & Wellbeing Veronica Urrego – Violin Laura van der Heijden – Cello Rosalind Ventris – Viola Melissa White – Violin & Wellbeing Stewart Wilson – Double Bass

The Benedetti Foundation is deeply grateful to each and every person listed above for the enthusiasm, positivity and endless knowledge and skills they bring to their work with the Foundation.

“What a beautiful, inspiring, life-affirming convergence of humans. In this space, it feels like the world is going to be OK.” – Elena Urioste, Violinist, Yogi and Benedetti Foundation Tutor

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TRUSTEES’ RESPONSE TO COVID-19 AND FUTURE PLANS The impact of Covid-19 on the Benedetti Foundation meant the immediate cancellation of our planned live activity in Northern Ireland in May 2020, and then subsequent cancellations of the final two live activities planned for September and December 2020. Given the costs of these large sessions, in excess of £30k each, we expected this to have an impact on our budget this year.

Undeterred, however, the Foundation moved its entire output online and the resilience and strength shown by the small, agile team allowed us to deliver our largest project to date at that point. From April 2020, the Foundation set out to raise over £40k in a matter of weeks, to deliver a project that would in the end reach over 7000 people in 66 different countries and bring in a donation total just shy of £80k. The Trustees are deeply grateful to The Wood Foundation, The Peter Cundhill Trust, John Ryder Memorial Trust and the Robin Leith Charitable Trust, the many individuals and participants who donated to enable this project to run.

The Virtual Sessions firmly placed the Foundation on an international platform almost overnight. The rapid digital growth and development of the Foundation has provided us with a stable financial model going into our second year, despite the pandemic, and we are hugely thankful to all those who believed in our work in our first year.

Born out of a response to Covid-19, but quickly proven to be our answer to difficult questions regarding reach and growth, our Virtual Sessions throughout 2020 mean we are now well established both digitally and internationally. The success of the digital projects in 2020 has positively affected our programmes of activity going into 2021 and beyond.

To enable us to continue to grow at this rapid rate, the Trustees recognise we will require further financial support from a diverse range of sources and a deep commitment to enhancing our fundraising efforts. There will be a need to invest in research and analysis of the use of digital platforms in producing high-quality digital output in music education, not only during a pandemic, but far beyond. We are delighted now to have a named fund in place with Chapel & York to make it much easier for US citizens to donate.

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FUTURE PLANS FOR 2021 We pride ourselves in remaining flexible, nimble, and reactive and wish to remain this way. With growth and expansion, we will take on greater responsibility and our challenge will be to combine growth with this desire to remain highly flexible.

The Trustees believe that if we invest in models that can be then implanted with an infinite variety of content, this way, we can be forever evolving. We want to think outside the box and try to determine how we can create the most robust ‘empty warehouse’, within which we can continually transform ourselves.

Key priorities for the Trustees in the 12 months to come will be to enable the Foundation to build and grow our new online ‘home’, whilst continuing to expand and diversify our international reach of students and teachers, including delivering in multiple languages. We aim to remain reactive and flexible, able and willing to identify the forever changing needs of our global society and create large-scale ‘virtual sessions’ that bring thousands together under a common purpose.

“It’s absolutely brilliant and a fab example of how to step up and make things work in this strange new world. My daughter found the cut off from all her orchestra/music buddies really hard and has had a slow recovery from Covid which left her quite blue for a while, and the Benedetti Sessions were a real light in the darkness for her.”

- Sarah, Instrumental Teacher and Parent, UK

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STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT GOVERNING DOCUMENT The Benedetti Foundation is a company limited by guarantee and governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association and obtained charitable status from the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) on 29 October 2019. The liability of its members is limited to £1 each. The company is accepted as a charitable body by HM Revenues & Customs. The Trustees set the policies of the company and the day-to-day running is controlled by the executive directors.

RECRUITMENT AND APPOINTMENT OF NEW TRUSTEES As set out in the Articles of Association, the Board of Trustees has the power to appoint new or additional Trustees as it considers fit to do so. Trustees are selected to bring a balance of skills and expertise to the Board which will be kept under review as the Foundation develops over time.

INDUCTION AND TRAINING OF NEW TRUSTEES An induction programme is being developed for newly appointed trustees during which they will be provided with an overview of the charity’s objectives and programmes, their responsibilities and receive key information regarding the constitution of the charity and its financial statements. They will meet with the Foundation’s Executive Directors, other Board members and where possible visit live or virtual activity the Foundation is running. All Trustees are aware of their duties and obligations towards the maintenance of the charity and the protection of its assets.

ORGANISATION The Benedetti Foundation is governed by a Board which meets at least quarterly to review the strategic direction and goals of the charity. The Board currently comprises Nicola Benedetti CBE and eight non-executive members drawn from a variety of professional backgrounds, all of which are relevant to the work of the Foundation.

There are currently no sub-committees on the Board.

The executive team is headed by two Foundation Directors, Nicola Benedetti CBE (Founder and Artistic Director) and Laura Gardiner (Foundation Director) who report to the board. All members of staff report to the Foundation Director.

The total number of permanent staff at December 2020 was 6, equating to 3.5 full time equivalent posts.

Accountancy, Public Relations, Film Production and Trust & Foundation Management are supported by specialists contracted by the Foundation.

This core team is enhanced by project teams including leading musicians and educators in the role of Tutors and Presenters, Ambassadors, Pastoral Staff, additional administrators, sound engineers and producers.

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We have a team of 49 tutors working with us on a regular basis as well as a series of guest artists who support the work of the Foundation including: Wynton Marsalis Karina Canellakis Tessa Lark Mark Simpson Jess Gillam Sheku Kanneh-Mason MBE Sarah Willis Katherine Bryan Herlin Riley

Carlos Henriquez Obed Calvaire Dame Evelyn Glennie Mark and Maggie O’Connor Geza Hosszu-Legocky Roby Lakatos Pekka Kuusisto Nemanja Radulovic

ADVISORY GROUPS The Foundation has established two advisory groups in this period: Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) and Education Advisory Group (EAG). The SAG aims to meet a minimum of three times a year, whereas the EAG are a number of individuals whom the Foundation Directors call upon for advice and guidance regarding wider educational landscape and policy. Both of these groups have representatives from all four nations of the UK.

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FINANCIAL REVIEW OVERVIEW This first set of accounts covers the period since incorporation 22 July 2019 to 31 December 2020.

The statement of financial activities shows a surplus of £54,637 for the period which can be broken down as £9,680 from incorporation to 31 December 2019 and £44,977 in the calendar year to 31 December 2020.

Total income (excluding gifts in kind) was £723,527 which comprised gross income of £158,922 in the period to 31 December 2019 and £564,605 in the calendar year to 31 December 2020.

Due to the pandemic, the Foundation’s intended plans for 2020 pivoted rapidly and we were able to deliver numerous new projects in response to the restrictions imposed by Covid-19. It has also created financial restrictions for the charity, notably in the ability to run in-person events, including fundraising concerts and live sessions.

Given the ongoing uncertainty regarding the impact the pandemic could have on our ability to raise funds in the future, we will constantly adapt our model and respond to the changes in restrictions as they occur.

The Board is satisfied the financial position of the charity at the end of its first year is strong and there are no implications from Covid-19 that would affect the charity on a going concern basis for the following year.

CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES Charitable activities include direct charitable expenditure of £635,414, including support and governance costs for the period totalling £306,795 and £27,745, respectively.

RESERVES POLICY AND RISK MANAGEMENT The Trustees recognise that it is essential to maintain a level of reserves. The aim is for this to be able to support a minimum of 3 months future operating costs in keeping with our Reserves Policy. The Foundation has no outstanding commitments or cash demands that are not adequately covered by existing resources.

Child and Young Person Safeguarding, Health and Safety, Equality and Diversity and Risk Assessment are items on the agenda of every Board meeting. A range of policies and procedures including Safeguarding, Health & Safety, Data Protection, Confidentiality, Equality and Diversity underpin the Foundation’s management of risk.

The Foundation’s risk assessment and these policies are reviewed annually. Copies of the policies are available to all members of staff. This continuing process will identify risk areas to which the Foundation is vulnerable and highlight any necessary safeguards that need to be put in place. No major risks were identified at the date of these accounts.

Income, expenditure, and financial forecasts are reviewed monthly by the Foundation Director, Chair of the Board, and accountants, and quarterly by the Board of Trustees.

Throughout the year, the Executive Directors have undertaken an organisational review to ensure the Foundation is appropriately structured and staffed to deliver effectively on its programmes of activity and its strategic aims and reported this to the Board of Trustees for approval.

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RELATED PARTIES A service agreement is in place between the Board of Trustees and one Trustee regarding renumeration for the role as the Foundation’s Artistic Director and for their services in the delivery of the Foundation’s educational sessions. The agreement is reviewed on an annual basis. On occasion, one other Trustee acts as a Tutor for the Foundation. This renumeration is agreed by members of the Board for services provided as a tutor.

No other Trustees receive renumeration or other benefit from their work with the charity. Any relationship between a Trustee or Director of the charity with a related party must be disclosed to the full board of Trustees.

All such transactions are included in notes 9 to the financial statements.

PAY POLICY FOR SENIOR STAFF Trustees give freely of their time and two Trustees received renumeration during the year for nonTrustee related services. These are approved by the board and reviewed annually. Details of Trustees’ expenses and related party transactions are disclosed in the notes to the financial statements.

The Board of Trustees reviews the annual salary of the Foundation Director and Artistic Director and agrees the overall renumeration policy. The Executive Directors consider any changes or additional responsibilities, benchmarks with comparable organisations and the affordability of any such increases to the Benedetti Foundation. The Foundation undertakes annual performance reviews.

MAIN FUNDING The Trustees are hugely grateful to all those who have generously donated to support our work in this inaugural period. We wish to extend our thanks to those listed below and the many others who prefer to remain anonymous: Alexander Moncur Charitable Trust Amati Global Investors Ltd Aspinwall Educational Trust Charles Peel Charitable Trust Christopher Bliss Chris van der Kuyl David and Molly Lowell Borthwick Decca Records, Universal Music Group Dundee Festival Trust Education Institute Scotland George & Daphne Burnett Hugh Fraser Foundation

Matthew Ferrey Quilter Cheviot Salmander Charitable Trust Scottish Chamber Orchestra Services for Education Music Service The Coln Trust The Dovedale Foundation The Hunter Foundation The TL Trust Town Hall Symphony Hall Trinity College London

In addition, we would like to thank all those who have donated as part of the sessions and to those who have made single and regular donations throughout the year.

We would also like to thank Caird Hall Dundee, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Education Authority Northern Ireland, Rawlinson and Hunter, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Southbank Centre, UNESCO City of Music and V&A Dundee for their support in-kind.

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STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES The Trustees (who are also the Directors of the Benedetti Foundation (a company limited by guarantee), for the purposes of charity law) are responsible for preparing the Annual Report of the Trustees and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to: select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently observe the methods and principles of the Charities SORP (FRS 102) make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume the charitable company will continue in operation The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION TO AUDITORS In so far as the Trustees are aware: there is no relevant audit information of which the charity’s auditor is unaware, and the Trustees have taken all steps that ought to have been taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information

INTERNAL CONTROLS The Trustees have overall responsibility for ensuring the charity has appropriate systems of internal controls. The system is designed to provide reasonable, but not absolute, assurance against material misstatement or loss.

AUDITOR A resolution will be proposed at the Trustees’ Meeting that Bowker Orford LLP be appointed as auditor of the Foundation for the ensuing year.

The report was approved by the Trustees on 2 June 2021 and signed on their behalf by:

George Burnett, Chair

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MEET OUR BOARD GEORGE BURNETT (FOUNDING CHAIR) George Burnett holds degrees in Classics and Law from the University of Glasgow and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accounts of Scotland. After holding a number of financial positions in industry, he and a business partner founded Ashtead Group PLC, now a major FTSE 100 company, where he was Managing Director and then Chief Executive. He was Chairman of Henderson Opportunities Trust and has been chairman of a number of private companies, including currently BOMAD Investments Ltd. In the charitable sector, he was Chairman of what is now the University for the Creative Arts and is currently Chairman of The English Concert. He is also a trustee of two music societies. He has been working with Nicola in the setting up of the Foundation since 2018.

NICOLA BENEDETTI CBE Internationally acclaimed violinist and advocate for music education, Nicola is one of the most sought-after violinists of her generation. Her ability to captivate audiences with her innate musicianship and spirited presence, coupled with her wide appeal as a high-profile advocate for classical music, has made her one of the most influential classical artists of today. Nicola won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Artist in 2020, was awarded a CBE (2019) and the Queen’s Medal for Music (2016). She is a founding Trustee of the Benedetti Foundation.

CHRIS BLISS Chris Bliss spent over 36 years with Rawlinson & Hunter, retiring as a partner in September 2020. He was the Senior Partner and continues as a Consultant to the Firm. During his time at Rawlinson & Hunter he managed a broad-based client portfolio encompassing retail, trading and investment companies, professional partnerships, not-for-profit entities and certain high-profile sports and entertainment personalities. He also acted for a number of family groups which he continues to advise in his role as consultant.

Chris sits as a Trustee on a number of UK charities including the Benedetti Foundation. He has been associated with the Foundation since its creation and was appointed as a Trustee in 2019.

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FRANCIS CUMMINGS As a founding member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Francis has worked extensively with some of the most eminent conductors and soloists of our generation. A passionate and committed educator, Francis has held teaching posts at the University of Huddersfield, Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He was Director of Music at St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh before taking up post as Director of Music for Sistema Scotland where he designed and shaped the curriculum and was instrumental in the founding of children’s orchestras in four Scottish cities. In summer 2018 Francis took up the post of Head of Junior Conservatoire at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland but continues teaching commitments at St Mary’s Music School.

VERYAN EXELBY Veryan began training with Farrer & Co in 1997 and was made a partner in 2005. She spent time living in both Tokyo and Hong Kong with her family before returning to the firm as a consultant in 2016. She studied at Gonville & Cauis College, Cambridge. Veryan is a consultant within the Safeguarding Unit at Farrer & Co., with a particular focus on safeguarding in schools.

Previously she was a Partner of the Family team. Veryan is a Governor of Downe House School and of a local primary school, where she is the safeguarding lead. As of 1 July, she is also the Safeguarding Governor at St Paul’s School where she chairs the Safeguarding Committee.

THERESA LLOYD For the past 30 years Theresa has been a leading adviser on strategic philanthropy to families and non-profit organisations. She was the Founder Director of Philanthropy UK and is the author of A Guide to Giving (2003); Why Rich People Give (2004), Cultural Giving (2006) and Richer Lives (September 2013). Theresa has held several trusteeships, including Sadler’s Wells, CARE International UK, The Royal Marsden Cancer Campaign, The Young Vic, the Bath Preservation Trust, Bath University and Bath Spa University. She has also served on several development committees.

WYNTON MARSALIS Wynton Marsalis is an internationally acclaimed musician, composer and bandleader, an educator, and a leading advocate of American culture.

Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC), Wynton was instrumental in its establishment and the development of JALC's robust educational programming. Wynton has won nine Grammy Awards®, is the only artist ever to win Grammy Awards® for both jazz and classical records in the same year and the only artist ever to win Grammy Awards® in five consecutive years. Wynton was the first jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 1997; he has been recognized for his excellent musicianship and poignant contributions to American culture as a 2021 inductee into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Wynton joined the Board of the Benedetti Foundation in September 2020.

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JONATHAN MOULDS CBE Jonathan holds a number of roles at charitable organisations he has a personal interest in, particularly focusing on education and the Arts. He is widely regarded for his philanthropy and recognised as one of the most important private collectors of fine instruments in recent times, particularly those of Stradivarius and del Gesu, A number of his instruments are played by world leading soloists including Nicola Benedetti. He chairs the Advisory Board of the London Symphony Orchestra and has been an active supporter and trustee of a number of the Prince of Wales' Charities as well as the Mayor of London's music fund. Jonathan has over thirty years’ experience in leading roles in the financial services industry having been head of Bank of America's International business and CEO of Merrill Lynch International post the Bank of America merger. He has worked for extended periods in key financial centres in Asia, Europe, and the US. Jonathan also currently serves on the Boards of a number of public listed companies including as Senior Independent Director of IG Holdings, a world leader in derivatives trading and as Chair of Litigation Capital Management, one of the most experienced litigation funders.

JANINE WATSON With a background spanning a variety of sectors including private equity, financial services and law in Singapore, London, New York and Edinburgh, Janine is currently COO of an online learning platform that facilitates global quality healthcare education that is accessible to all. Janine joined the Benedetti Foundation in March 2020 as a Trustee and also sits on the Board of Smart Works Edinburgh.

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MEET OUR TEAM NICOLA BENEDETTI CBE – FOUNDER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR As well as performing on the worldwide stage, Nicola is a dedicated, passionate ambassador and leader in music education. She has formalised her vision and expanded her commitment to the education of young people and support of music teachers by establishing our charitable organisation: The Benedetti Foundation. In addition, Nicola holds the positions of President (European String Teachers Association), Vice President (National Children’s Orchestras), Big Sister (Sistema Scotland), Patron (National Youth Orchestras of Scotland’s Junior Orchestra), Patron (Music in Secondary Schools Trust) and Patron (Junior Conservatoire at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) amongst others.

LAURA GARDINER – FOUNDATION DIRECTOR Laura has been involved since the inception of the Benedetti Foundation, including through its formation period, initially in the role of Education Director before moving into the position of Foundation Director in April 2020. Laura set up and ran the very first Benedetti Sessions in close partnership with Nicola.

Prior to the establishment of the Foundation, Laura was a full-time violin teacher, fully qualified primary teacher, and founder of the Oasby Music Group, working with near to 100 young string players.

HANNAH KING – CREATIVE DESIGN MANAGER Hannah has been involved with the Benedetti Foundation since the outset. Her career began at the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) and includes experience as an artist agent and manager at Universal Music as well as in international music publishing for the Peer Music Group and as charity director at Making Music Changing Lives. Hannah is also Director of the musical workshop company, Children's Musical Adventures which works with schools and organisations across the UK.

REBECCA DRIVER – PUBLICIST Rebecca is Director of Rebecca Driver Media Relations (RDMR) which she founded in autumn 2010 and works with a wide range of high-profile artists and organisations. Rebecca was the Publicist for the BBC Proms, followed by a period as Publicist at BBC Radio 3 and two years as Head of Press for English National Opera, where she helped to transform the company’s profile before setting up her own company. Rebecca has been publicist for Nicola for many years and was involved with the establishment of the Benedetti Foundation.

FIONA BASSETT – ADMINISTRATOR Fiona started her journey with the Benedetti Foundation after joining the team as Head of Pastoral Staff at the first Benedetti Sessions in Glasgow and London before becoming the Foundation’s Administrator. Fiona studied the French horn at the Royal Northern College of Music followed by a Masters at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She has since performed professionally as a freelance musician with orchestras around the UK. Caring deeply about youth music, Fiona has worked for many years as Social Staff with the National Children’s Orchestras of Great Britain, taught as a Brass Tutor and worked at Wells Cathedral School as a Graduate Music Assistant.

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ROB KEARNS – DATABASE MANAGER AND ADMINISTRATOR Rob joined the team of the Benedetti Foundation in May 2020, initially to provide support during the Virtual Sessions. He is now the Foundation’s Database Manager and Administrator, supporting the digital operations of the Foundation. Most recently, Rob worked on live streamed performances for The Metropolitan Opera and Joyce Di Donato as a project administrator and tour manager for Askonas Holt. Rob has also produced shows for Sting, Sir Simon Rattle, Magdalena Kožená and the New York Philharmonic. As technical production and tour manager, Rob worked on performances in Europe and Asia.

LUCY DREVER – HEAD OF MUSICIANSHIP Lucy Drever is a workshop leader and presenter and has been involved with the Benedetti Foundation since its first sessions in Glasgow and London. She works with various arts organisations including the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Aurora Orchestra and Lambert Jackson. Lucy works in a variety of settings including Early Years spaces, schools, arts venues, hospitals, care homes and prisons and was recently appointed as an Associate Artist of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

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INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS AND TRUSTEES OF THE BENEDETTI FOUNDATION OPINION We have audited the financial statements of the Benedetti Foundation Ltd (“the charitable company”) for the period since inception on 22 July 2019 to 31 December 2020 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities (Including Income and Expenditure Account), the Balance Sheet and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements: give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 December 2020, and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the period then ended; have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and regulation 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006.

BASIS FOR OPINION We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

CONCLUSIONS RELATING TO GOING CONCERN We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the ISAs (UK) require us to report to you where: the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is not appropriate; or the trustees have not disclosed in the financial statements any identified material uncertainties that may cast significant doubt about the charitable company’s ability to continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting for a period of at least twelve months from the date when the financial statements are authorised for issue

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OTHER INFORMATION The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the trustees’ annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

OPINIONS ON OTHER MATTERS PRESCRIBED BY THE COMPANIES ACT 2006 In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit: the information given in the trustees’ report (incorporating the strategic report and the directors’ report) for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and the strategic report and the directors’ report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

MATTERS ON WHICH WE ARE REQUIRED TO REPORT BY EXCEPTION In the light of our knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the strategic report and the directors’ report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 require us to report to you if, in our opinion: adequate and proper accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

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RESPONSIBILITIES OF TRUSTEES As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on pages 2 and 3, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

AUDITOR’S RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE AUDIT OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS We have been appointed as auditor under section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and under the Companies Act 2006 and report in accordance with regulations made under those Acts.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists.

Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006, and to the charitable company’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Regulation 10 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members and trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company, the charitable company’s members as a body and the charitable company’s trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

02 June 2021 Rashpal Parmer (Senior Statutory Auditor) For and on behalf of Bowker Orford Limited 15-19 Cavendish Pl Marylebone London W1G 0DD Bowker Orford Limited is eligible to act as an auditor in accordance with Section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.

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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT) FOR THE PERIOD 22 JULY 2019 TO 31 DECEMBER 2020 Page

Income from:

Unrestricted Fund 2020 £

Restricted Fund 2020 £

Restricted Fund 2020 £

Donations (note 2)

47

487,692

177,358

665,050

Charitable activities (note 3)

47

101,427

-

101,427

589,119

177,358

766,477

Total income

Expenditure on: Charitable activities (note 4)

48

498,056

137,358

635,414

Raising funds (note 5)

49

76,406

-

76,406

574,462

137,358

711,820

14,657

40,000

54,657

Total expenditure

Net movement in funds

Reconciliation of funds

Total funds brought forward at 22 July 2019

-

-

-

Total funds carried forward at 31 Dec 2020

£14,657

£40,000

£54,657

There are no recognised gains or losses other than those included in the Statement of Financial Activities.

All incoming resources and resources expended derive from continuing activities.

Movement in funds are disclosed in Note 8 to the Financial Statements.

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BALANCE SHEET AT 31 DECEMBER 2020

Page

2020 £

Current Assets Cash at bank (note 6)

49

100,020

100,020

Current Liabilities Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year (note 7)

49

(45,363)

54,657

Total net Assets

The funds of the charity: Unrestricted funds

14,657

Restricted funds

40,000

Total Charity Funds:

£54,657

The financial statements were approved and authorised by issue by the Trustees on 2 June 2021 and signed on their behalf by :

George Burnett Chair

Laura Gardiner Foundation Director

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES The Benedetti Foundation (“the Foundation”, “the Charity” or “the Charitable Company”) is a registered charity (charity number SC049688) limited by guarantee, incorporated in Scotland, whose principal object is to support charitable purposes in whatever manner the Trustees, in their absolute discretion, think fit.

In the event of the Charitable Company being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the Charitable Company. The registered address is c/o Turcan Connell, Princes Exchange, 1 Earl Grey Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9EE.

BASIS OF ACCOUNTING The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 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) (“Charities SORP FRS 102”) issued in 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted Practice. The Trust constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by Charities SORP FRS 102.

The financial statements have been prepared to give a ‘true and fair’ view and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a ‘true and fair view’. This departure has involved following Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) rather than the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April 2005 which has since been withdrawn.

The Trust constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by Charities SORP FRS 102.

The significant accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. These policies have been consistently applied to all years presented unless otherwise stated.

In applying the financial reporting framework, the Trustee has made a number of subjective judgements, for example in respect of significant accounting estimates. Estimates and judgements are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The nature of the estimation means the actual outcomes could differ from those estimates. Any significant estimates and judgements affecting these financial statements are detailed within the relevant accounting policy below.

The Charitable Company has applied the provisions set out FRS 102 and does not included a cash flow statement on the grounds that it is a small charitable company and is applying FRS 102 Section1A. The significant accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below.

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS INCOMING RESOURCES All incoming resources are included in the SOFA when the charity is entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.

Voluntary donations include donations under Gift Aid with the associated tax credits included when receivable. Gifts in kind are accounted for at market value of the provided service. Interest from deposit accounts is included when receivable.

EXPENDITURE All expenditure is included on an accruals basis and is recognised when there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the Trustees to the expenditure.

Charitable activities costs include those incurred directly in meeting the objectives of the charity, and also includes support costs incurred in the support of the direct expenditure.

Costs are apportioned between direct costs and support costs on a basis consistent with reference to the duties of each member of staff and related costs.

Governance costs relate to the general running of the Foundation, as opposed to the management functions inherent in generating funds.

FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.

STATUS OF FUNDS Restricted funds are to be used for specific purposes as laid down by the donor. Income arising from the investment of those funds and expenditure which meets the criteria set out by the donor is charged to the fund.

Unrestricted funds are donations and other incoming resources received or generated for the charitable purposes.

TAXATION The Foundation is not subject to any taxes on its charitable activities. Irrecoverable VAT is charged against the category of resources expended for which it was incurred.

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS CREDITORS PAYABLE WITHIN ONE YEAR Creditors with no stated interest rate and receivable or payable within one year are recorded at transaction price. Any losses arising from impairment are recognised as expenditure.

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held on call with banks, other short-term highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts, when applicable, are within borrowing in current liabilities.

PROVISIONS Provisions are recognised when the charity has an obligation at the balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that an outflow of economic benefit will be required in settlement and the amount can be reliably estimated.

GOING CONCERN The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis as the Trustees believe that no material uncertainties exist. The Covid-19 pandemic has created significant operational and financial pressures on the global economy and businesses in general. Having considered the contingency plans in place, the support to businesses announced by the UK Government and having reviewed the level of funds held and the level of income and expenditure, together with the level of reserves for the charity, the Trustees consider the adoption of the going concern basis in preparing these financial statements is appropriate.

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2. INCOME FROM DONATIONS FOR THE PERIOD 22 JULY 2019 TO 31 DECEMBER 2020 Page

2020 £

Unrestricted

361,162

Voluntary donations Gift Aid Tax Relief

48,980

Trusts and Foundations

39,200

Corporate donations

38,350 487,692

Restricted Trusts and Foundations

98, 618

Gifts in kind

42,950

Corporate donations

15,290

Project sponsorship

20,500

177,358

Total income from donations

42

£665,050

3. INCOME FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES FOR THE PERIOD 22 JULY 2019 TO 31 DECEMBER 2020 Page Unrestricted

2020 £

Session fees

87,113

Concerts and events

10,442

Advertising

3,259

Book sales Total income from charitable activities

613 42

£101,427

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4. CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES FOR THE PERIOD 22 JULY 2019 TO 31 DECEMBER 2020 Page Unrestricted charitable activities

2020 £

Project costs

191,384

Support costs

278,926

Governance costs

Total unrestricted charitable activities

27,745

42

498,056

Governance costs: Legal fees

19,057

Governance consultant

3,639

Audit fees

3,600

Insurance

1,450

27,745 Support costs: 225,954

Gross salaries IT, videography and website

24,592

Staff Expenses

14,447

Administration and CPD costs

10,420

Payroll costs

1,283

Employer pension

1,122

Recruitment and training

857

Trustee expenses

211 278,926

Restricted charitable activities Project costs

111,342

Support costs

26,016

Total restricted charitable activities

42

£137,358

Support costs IT, videography and website Total charitable activities

26,016 £635,414 48

Auditor remuneration in respect of their examination of the Financial Statements for the period since inception on 22 July 2019 to 31 December 2020 totalled £3,000 excluding VAT. The average number of employees during the period was 6 and no employee earned more than £60,000 during the period.

Included in gross salaries are salary, wage and consultant fees of £201,269, social security payments totalling £22,107 and pension contributions of £2,618.

The total amount of benefit received by key management personnel was £107,283.

5. EXPENDITURE ON RAISING FUNDS Page

2020 £

Publicity and marketing expenses

32,195

Fundraising consultant

29,981

Event costs

9,133

Membership fees and subscriptions

4,800

Just Giving platorm fees

296

42

£ 76,406

6. CASH AT BANK Adam & Co

43

£100,020

7. CREDITORS – AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR Page

2020 £

Deferred income

39,250

Audit fee provision

3,600

PAYE Payable

2,513

43

£45,363

During the period, the charity received restricted donations and funding totalling £39,250 to be used towards specific projects in the next financial year. These funds therefore have been treated as deferred income and will be fully recognised in the next period.

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8. STATEMENT OF FUNDS At 22 July 2019

Income

Expenditure

At 31 Dec 2020

£

£

£

£

Restricted Funds

-

177,358

137,358

40,000

Unrestricted Funds

-

589,119

574,462

14,657

Total Funds

-

£766,477

£711,829

£54,657

9. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS During the period 22 July 2019 to 31 December 2020, the Foundation received donations totalling £200,000, £4,000, and £500 from three of the Trustees. Gift Aid Tax Relief has been reclaimed on the donations where a declaration has been received.

One of the Trustees received payments totalling £1,150 in respect of music tutoring provided to the charity. These payments were at market value comparable to other tutors who provided services.

One of the Trustees received a reimbursement of £743 for expenses directly relating to a charitable activity.

One Trustee received £41,000 during the period as a retainer for administration and support services provided to the Foundation inclusive of VAT for the period June 2019 – December 2020. The same trustee received £29,300 in fees for providing services to the education projects the Foundation and a service agreement is in place, reviewed annually by the Board of Trustees.

A total of £211.15 of travel expenses were reimbursed to one trustee. The costs were wholly incurred in the course of their duties.

10. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES

During this accounting period, legal fees totalling £4914 were paid to Farrers LLP, a firm in which one Trustee is a partner.

Since April 2020, accountancy has been provided pro bono by Rawlinson & Hunter LLP, a firm in which one Trustee was partner.

A project was undertaken with Green Cross Training, a firm which one Trustee is associated through family connection. No income or expenditure was given or received in the course of this project.

11. ULTIMATE CONTROLLING PARTY

The Trustees consider that the Foundation is jointly controlled by them and that there is no ultimate controlling party.

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12. FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS The carry amounts of the charity’s financial instruments are as follows: 2020

Page

£

Financial assets

Measured at fair value through SOFA: 49

Cash at bank

100,020

Financial liabilities 100,020

Measured at amortised cost 6,113

Accrued Income

Accruals

13. COMPARATIVE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITY 22 July to 31 Dec

Year to 31 Dec

Total

2019

2020

2020

£

£

£

151,281

513,769

665,050

7,641

93,786

101,427

158,922

607,555

766,477

Income from: Donations (note 2) Charitable activities (note 3)

Total income

Expenditure on: Charitable activities (note 4) Raising funds (note 5)

Total expenditure

Net movement of funds

124,899

510,515

635,414

24,343

52,063

76,406

149,242

562,578

711,820

£ 9,680

£ 44,977

£ 54,657

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REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS OF THE COMPANY, ITS DIRECTORS AND ADVISORS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020 Trustees Nicola Benedetti CBE (appointed 22 July 2019) Chris Bliss (appointed 22 July 2019) George Burnett- Founding Chair (appointed 22 July 2019) Francis Cummings (appointed 22 July 2019) Veryan Exelby (appointed 8 April 2020) Theresa Lloyd (appointed 10 June 2020) Wynton Marsalis (appointed 14 September 2020) Jonathan Moulds CBE (appointed 14 September 2020) Janine Watson (appointed 8 April 2020) Company Registered Number: SC636675 Charity Registered Number: SC049688 Registered Office and Solicitors: Turcan Connell Princes Exchange 1 Earl Grey Street Edinburgh EH3 9EE Company Secretary: Turcan Connell Founder and Artistic Director: Nicola Benedetti CBE Foundation Director: Laura Gardiner Independent Statutory Auditor: Bowker Orford Limited 15-19 Cavendish Place, Marylebone London W1G 0DD Bankers: Adam and Company 6 Adelaide Street London WC2N 4HZ Accountants: Rawlinson & Hunter LLP Eight Floor, 6 New Street Square, New Fetter Lane London EC4A 3AQ Contact Us: Foundation Director: laura@benedettifoundation.org General Enquiries: info@benedettifoundation.org

www.benedettifoundation.org

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