13895 Wagner News 174 - Wagner Society of England

NEWS FROM THE COMMITTEE
Summary of the Minutes of the Committee Meeting held on 25th April 2012
Andrea Buchanan
The Committee held a regular meeting on 25th April in central London. All members of the
Committee were present, with the exception of Roger Lee and Geoffrey Griffiths.
The minutes of the January 18th and February 28th meetings were approved and the
ensuing actions were reviewed.
The Committee voted on the proposal to elect Richard Miles as Chairman Elect of the
Wagner Society subject to ratification by members at the forthcoming AGM. Richard’s
nomination was proposed by Andrea Buchanan and seconded by Malcolm Rivers. The
members of the Committee present at the meeting voted unanimously to accept this
proposal. Richard then took over as Acting Chair from Andrea Buchanan.
The Secretary reported on past and future events. The Vaget and Sherman events had
both been a financial success and were highly enjoyable. The Committee discussed
forthcoming events, planning for which was going well. It is hoped that the Dame Eva
Turner lecture would be revived in January or February 2013 and discussion took place
around the choice of a suitable speaker.
The Secretary reported further on member feedback, progress with the 2012 Bayreuth
Bursary, the Bayreuth tickets situation and the Library. There were no unforeseen or
controversial issues to report with any of these items. The Bayreuth tickets situation had not
changed, and would be discussed extensively at the forthcoming Congress, as there was
deep dissatisfaction with the treatment of Wagner Societies by the Bayreuth management.
The Treasurer presented the unsigned final accounts for 2011 which would be mailed
to members in a short form in mid May, well in advance of the AGM in June. The Society’s
financial position remained healthy, and slightly better than had been anticipated.
The Membership Secretary reported a notable decline in membership renewals in the
year to date, continuing a declining trend over the last few years. It was agreed that this issue
and the aging profile of our membership would need to be addressed.
Malcolm Rivers reported on Mastersingers activities that related to the Wagner
Society. Plans were well underway for the exciting programme of events to be held in 2013,
highlights being participation in the birthday concert on May 22nd at the Festival Hall,
(when the Society also hopes to host a celebration lunch) and involvement with the
Longborough Ring Cycles. Further details would be communicated to members over the
next few months.
The Committee discussed the need to find volunteer photographers and would
canvass all members to let us know whether they could assist in this regard. We also seek a
new Committee member to undertake publicity and a communication inviting members to
apply would be mailed out with the accounts in May.
Planning for the forthcoming AGM was discussed and it was noted that the President
would not be able to attend, due to the change in date and her current work commitments.
All members of the Committee would stand for re-election.
The Acting Chair presented his mission statement to the Committee and this was
discussed. It would be mailed out to all members with the accounts prior to the AGM.
Financial support for various Wagner related activities was discussed and with this the
meeting drew to a close.
–4–