ANNUAL 2019-20REPORT CITY RECITAL HALL LIMITED 1 CONTENTS 3 STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK 4 ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS 5 CHAIR’S MESSAGE 6 CEO’S MESSAGE 7 PRESENTING PARTNERS AND HIRERS 8 APPEARING ON OUR STAGE 10 VISITOR EXPERIENCES 11 SUPPORT FOR THE SECTOR 12 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 13 CITY RECITAL HALL PRESENTS 15 KEY PRESENTERS 16 VENUE HIRERS 17 PARTNERS AND SUPPORTERS 18 GIVING 19 CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 20 BOARD 22 STAFF Concert: Considering Matthew Shepard Photo: Robert Catto Front Cover Photo: Maria Prada Photography 2 STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK Concert: Echoes of the Jazz Age Photo: Maria Boyadgis VISION OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES STRATEGIC GOALS To be one of the ‘must visit’ cultural AND VALUES BRAND destinations in Australia. • Progressive thinking and creative City Recital Hall is a place that offers excellence underpin everything we do. “music and more” to a wide audience MISSION We think outside the square to deliver unique and creative experiences for PLACE To unlock the cultural, social and our artists, partners and audiences. The beating cultural heart of the economic value of City Recital Hall. Sydney CBD • Democratic and diverse - Everyone We will do this by: plays an important part, every voice is QUALITY heard, everyone is respected. If it’s on at City Recital Hall, it must be • producing, promoting, presenting, We champion diversity by engaging good encouraging and facilitating excellent with all genres, all peoples, all ideas. cultural events; We are proud to be open, transparent SERVICE and inclusive. • ensuring diversity of users, audiences City Recital Hall is an excellently run arts and programs; • Playful - We love exploring ideas and company with a talented, passionate • engaging new audiences; and opportunities in a fun and creative and flexible team that goes above and cultural environment. beyond • operating and managing the venue responsibly and sustainably, and in • We must be connected locally, TRUST cooperation with stakeholders. nationally and internationally with our City Recital Hall is financially sustainable, artists, partners and audiences. and strongly supported by the City of • We act with integrity and Sydney and a loyal group of members, professionalism at all times. sponsors and donors 3 ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS TOTAL AUDIENCE FACEBOOK TOTAL REACH ATTENDANCE 2,391,460 FACEBOOK TOTAL IMPRESSIONS 126,574 3,722,453 TOTAL PERFORMANCES FACEBOOK TOTAL VIDEO VIEWS AND EVENTS: WEBSITE 206 147,500 TOTAL UNIQUE AUDIENCES TWEET IMPRESSIONS TOTAL RECORDINGS AND 250,300 BROADCASTS: 373,000 TOTAL SESSIONS 24 INSTAGRAM REACH 1,294,893 PERFORMANCES FEATURING CITY RECITAL HALL TV INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS/ 56,189 COMMERCIAL SCREENED ENSEMBLES: INSTAGRAM VIDEO VIEWS 596,950 54 2,910 TIMES ON SBS ON-DEMAND CRH PRESENTS CONCERTS AND EVENTS: 75 CHILDREN AND SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES TOTAL AUDIENCE FOR CRH UNIVERSITIES CONCERTS AND EVENTS: 2% 2% WORDS AND IDEAS 32,806 4% CITY RECITAL HALL ACTIVE MEMBERS OTHER 493 5% PERCENTAGE OF ARTS CHORAL AND CULTURAL EVENTS: 5% 93% CLASSICAL COMMUNITY 46% 8% CONTEMPORARY 29% 4 CHAIR’S MESSAGE First and foremost, our thoughts and While the year has been an interrupted We are immensely grateful for the City of well wishes go to every individual of the one, we saw strong growth in Sydney's ongoing support in a renewed Australian performing arts industry who programming activity with 206 concerts five-year funding agreement as our have been impacted so significantly by and events achieving a combined total Principal Sponsor. This commitment COVID-19. City Recital Hall has a proud audience attendance of 126,574. We allows us to continue to provide residents history of presenting our country's finest closed City Recital Hall temporarily on and visitors to Sydney the experience of musicians and performers and we take 16th March 2020. The Board and I want world class acoustics and performances solace knowing the music they have to particularly thank our work colleagues in the very heart of our city. Our sincere streamed into our homes over recent for their support during these dark gratitude to the Lord Mayor of Sydney, months will shortly return, as live concert months. They have tirelessly worked to Clover Moore and Concillors of City of experiences, to the City Recital Hall stage. maintain our organisation and we are Sydney for their encouragement and extremely grateful for these efforts. We advocacy for our success in managing We farewelled Elaine Chia in February reopened on 5th September 2020 and this key cultural asset. after four years as CEO of City Recital now look forward to the return of all our Hall with heartfelt thanks for her Key Presenters – Australian Chamber distinguished service as our inaugural Orchestra, Australian Brandenburg CEO since January 2016. The artistic Orchestra, Musica Viva, Pinchgut Opera and organisational foundations Elaine and Sydney Symphony Orchestra – in the developed are again reflected in months ahead. this report and are testament to her dedication and passion for our growth. We continue to reach new audiences We warmly welcomed Justin Boschetti to with our valued media partners TimeOut Renata Kaldor AO the position in May and we look forward and The Saturday Paper and we to the future direction of City Recital Hall acknowledge SBS for their three years under Justin's leadership. of partnership as well as our continued corporate partners AV1, JPJ Audio, Chalk Our positive financial result for 2020, a Hill and Claymore Wines facilitated by surplus of $284,500, is a direct result of Fisher Fine Wines and Young Henrys. the company's profitable programming activity in the first three quarters of the It is a great honour to work with a Board reporting year along with our diligent of Directors whose valued counsel reserves policy and conservative budget continues to ensure City Recital Hall's forecasting. The Board of Directors have ongoing cultural, social and economic therefore assured City Recital Hall Limited viability. In 2019, the Board welcomed as a going concern and recognise the Rachel Launders and Paul Mason and Australian Government's JobKeeper we farewelled Maria Sykes, Elizabeth subsidy as a vital underpinning of our Fullerton and Helen Bauer. I thank them operational and financial sustainability at all for their dedication and express warm this time. appreciation for their service over the years. 5 CEO’S MESSAGE It was a great honour to be appointed And, in January, following the devastating helped me to continually look forward as the CEO in May, and a privilege to impact of the summer bushfires, Sydney and plan for the future at the other side of be entrusted by the Board to continue musicians joined forces to support of our the current crisis. the musical legacy of City Recital Hall. relief concert Music For Our Country to This year saw the completion of a raise funds for community and wildlife The last year has highlighted the passion strategic plan and funding cycle and recovery efforts. My sincere thanks to all of the City Recital Hall team who are so we look forward to a new period of who so generously gave of their time and deeply committed to the mission of our success presenting, producing and talent for this event. company and who continually exceed supporting musical excellence for our expectations to ensure we always deliver current and future audiences. 2020 The sudden impact of COVID-19 on for our audiences and artists. I would will be remembered as year of two the arts sector and society cannot also like to thank Elaine Chia for her halves, and although our operation has be ignored. The suspension of live leadership and commitment during the been required to pause, this report performance in March left a void in the past four years as CEO. Elaine’s vision gives us an opportunity to pay tribute lives of artists and concertgoers. The has both expanded City Recital Hall’s to the successes of our team who most successful year in City Recital offering and broadened our audiences. have worked to ensure the Company’s Hall’s history was cut abruptly short Finally, I would like to personally thank the vibrancy. by the pandemic, though with careful management and the generosity of our artists and audience members who have The year saw many programming donors and audiences, we look forward trusted City Recital Hall to deliver the joy highlights including our 20th to returning to live performance soon. and beauty of live music during the last anniversary event celebrations on 30 year. As custodians of this magnificent October 2019. The day saw a range Our Principal Sponsor, City of Sydney, venue, we exist for our artists and of activities from back of house tours, continues to provide essential support audiences. I look forward to welcoming a talk by venue architect, Andrew and I extend my thanks to the Lord Mayor you back. Andersons AO, and a televised of Sydney, Clover Moore and Concillors Sydney Flash Mob Choir, culminating of City of Sydney, Monica Barone, Bill in a specially curated performance Carter and all the staff across the Creative by Megan Washington supported City and Property teams. by Electric Fields, Topolgy and Luke I would like to acknowledge the Howard. The return of new music commitment, hard-work and leadership festival Extended Play transformed of the Board, especially acknowledge the venue into multiple performance the tireless dedication of Renata Kaldor spaces for almost 100 artists across Justin Boschetti AO. Renata has been an invaluable twelve hours featuring international guide during the last few months and has new piano musician