Constitution

The term ‘Committee’ shall be understood to mean also ‘Trustees of the Society’ throughout this Constitution.

1.         NAME

The name of the Society shall be Sheffield Bach Society.

2.         OBJECT

The object of the Society shall be to educate the public in the arts and sciences and in particular the art and science of music by encouraging the study and performance of the works of J. S. Bach and such other composers as are deemed appropriate, by promoting concerts and recitals devoted to their music and by maintaining a choir for this purpose;  and by such other activities as the Society may from time to time think fit.

3.         MEMBERSHIP

(a)         Membership shall be open to all who are interested in the aims of the Society.

(b)         The Annual Membership Subscription shall be payable in advance and is due on the first Monday in September of each year or upon joining the Society, the amount to be such as may from time to time be decided by a General Meeting of the Society.   There shall be a reduced rate of Membership for students and others considered to be in need of support as shall be determined by the Membership, the amount(s) to be decided from time to time by a General Meeting of the Society.

(c)         Payment of the Annual Subscription shall entitle a Member to attendance at all meetings and private concerts of the Society.

(d)         All Members shall be eligible for election to office or to membership of the Committee.

(e)         Those eligible by virtue of musical ability assessed by audition, shall become Members of the Choir run by the Society by payment of the Annual Subscription. A lower subscription may be agreed for those wishing to be members of the Society but not members of the Choir; this figure to be determined from time to time by the Membership at an Annual General Meeting.

4.         GENERAL MEETING

(a)         An Annual General Meeting shall be called at a convenient date, notice of the same together with the agenda of the said Annual General Meeting to be dispatched to all members at least 20 days before the date of the meeting.

(b)         A Special General Meeting may be convened at any time by the Committee, and shall be convened forthwith upon the receipt of a requisition in writing signed by at least ten members and specifying the purpose of the meeting.   Notice convening a Special General Meeting shall be sent to all Members not less than 20 days before the meeting and shall specify the matters to be dealt with at the meeting.

5.         OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE

(a)         The Officers of the Society shall be the President, Vice-Presidents, and the Executive Officers.   The Executive Officers shall be the Chairman, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, Social Secretary, Membership Secretary, Librarian, Box Office Manager and Publicity Manager.   All officers shall be elected by the Members.

(b)         The business of the Society shall be conducted by a Committee elected at Annual General Meetings and consisting of six Executive Officers, namely the Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer, Social Secretary, Membership Secretary and Publicity Manager, and three other Members of the Society.    Any member in receipt of an Honorarium shall have no voting rights in any Society matter.

(c)         The President shall be nominated by the Committee for election by the Members in General Meeting, and shall hold office for a term of two years, and be eligible for immediate re-election.

(d)         Vice-Presidents may be elected from time to time by the Members, in General Meeting, on the recommendation of the Committee.

(e)          The Executive Officers shall be elected at an Annual General Meeting, shall hold office for two years and shall be eligible for immediate re-election.

(f)         The Ordinary Members of the Committee shall be elected at an Annual General Meeting, and shall hold office for three years, one retiring at the end of each year.   They shall not be eligible for immediate re-election as Ordinary Members of the Committee.

(g)         Nominations for the election of the Executive Officers shall, and for Ordinary Members of the Committee may, be made prior to every Annual General Meeting by the Committee, and all Members shall be informed of nominations so made with the notice of the Annual General Meeting.   Further nominations may be made by any Member or Members;  such nominations shall be handed to the Chairman before the beginning of the Annual General Meeting.   If the number of nominations exceeds the number of vacancies, election shall be by vote at the Annual General Meeting.   Every Member shall be entitled to as many votes as there are vacancies to be filled, but no more than one vote may be given by any one Member to any one candidate.   The election of an Executive Officer shall be voted upon separately from any other matter.

(h)         The Executive Officers of the Society shall perform such duties as the Committee may assign to them

(i)         The Committee may elect or appoint from among their number sub-committees or representatives for such purposes and with such powers and duties as the Committee shall determine, and shall also have power to co-opt or appoint any other Member of the Society to any such sub-committee or as such representative.

(j)         Any mid-term vacancy among the Executive Officers or on the Committee may be filled up by an appointment made by the Committee.   Any person so chosen shall hold office until such time as the person replaced would have retired in accordance with paragraph 5(e) or 5(f) hereof, and the new person shall then retire but shall be eligible for immediate re-election for one further full term of office.

(k)         The Chairman, or in his absence a deputy elected for the occasion, shall preside at every meeting.   In the event of an equality of votes on any matter he shall have an additional or casting vote.

(l)         The Committee shall cause Minutes to be made of the proceedings at all General Meetings and Committee Meetings.

(m)         A quorum at Committee Meetings shall be four members.   The quorum at General Meetings shall be as follows:-

For motions proposing an amendment of the Constitution, 20 members;

for other business, 10 members.

6.         CONDUCTOR

(a)         The Conductor shall be appointed by the Committee for a term of two years, commencing on 1^st July, and the post shall be renewable every two years.   Alternatively, an Acting Conductor may be appointed for such shorter period as may be agreed.   With the agreement of the Committee and the Conductor, Guest Conductors may be invited from time to time.   The Conductor shall attend Committee meetings to advise the Committee on musical matters.

(b)         The Conductor shall be paid such a sum as shall be agreed by the Committee, and the conditions of employment and duties shall be as agreed by the Committee from time to time and notified to him/her in the form of Conditions attached to his/her Contract of employment.   Remuneration and other requirements shall be negotiated as for other artists.

7.         FINANCE

(a)         The Committee shall cause true accounts to be kept of the revenue and expenditure of the Society, and shall cause such accounts to be audited or examined annually by an independent examiner, as required by the Charity Commission.   The audited accounts and the report of the examiner shall be laid before the Society at the Annual General Meeting.

(b)         All monies received by the Society shall be regularly paid into a banking account to be kept in the name of the Society, and no money shall be paid by or for the Society, other than petty cash disbursements, except by cheque on the said banking account.   Petty cash disbursements shall be paid out of cash for which cheques on the said banking account shall be drawn from time to time as required.   All cheques on the said banking account shall be signed by the Honorary Treasurer and countersigned by the Chairman of the Committee, or such other member of the Committee as shall have been appropriately authorised by the Committee.

(c)         The concerts, recitals, and other activities of the Society shall be open to the general public at the discretion of the Committee and at such prices of admission as it may from time to time determine.

(d)         The funds of the Society, whencesoever derived, shall be applied solely to the object of the Society as set forth.   No portion thereof shall be transferred or paid to Members by way of bonus or dividend.

(e)         Members shall not receive payment either direct or indirect for anything except legitimate expenses incurred in the Society’s work.

8.         ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION

Any proposed alterations to the Constitution shall be sent in writing to the Honorary Secretary over the signatures of at least seven Members, not less than six weeks before a General Meeting, and shall be circulated to all Members with the agenda of that meeting.   The proposed alterations shall be put before this meeting and shall become operative if two-thirds of the votes returned are in its favour, provided that no alteration shall be made that shall cause the Society to cease to be a charity at law.

9.         DISSOLUTION OF THE SOCIETY

If upon winding up or dissolution of the Society there remains after the settling of all liabilities any property whatsoever this shall not be paid to or distributed among Members of the Society but shall be given or transferred to such other charity or charities established for similar purposes as the Society shall decide.

The Constitution was last amended at a Special General Meeting held on 23rd April, 2012