BIRMINGHAM ORGANISTS' ASSOCIATION
 

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BIRMINGHAM ORGANISTS’ ASSOCIATION Registered Charity Number 508157
(Affiliated to the Incorporated Association of Organists)

PROPOSED REVISED CONSTITUTION

1.         Name of the Association.   The name of the Association shall be the Birmingham Organists’ Association.

 2.         Objects of the Association.   The objects of the Association shall be to advance the education of the public in the study of the art of music with special reference to liturgical and organ music.   To facilitate the achievement of such objects, the Association may arrange and present:      a) Public lectures, discussions and debates on this subject
b) Public demonstrations of instruments
c) Public demonstrations of music for organ either as a solo instrument or with voices and / or other instruments
d) Open competitions for playing, singing and composition of liturgical and organ music
e) Public meetings to facilitate the exchange of information and views with other organisations and persons concerned with the composition, interpretation, presentation, teaching or publication of liturgical or organ music
 f) Advice to performers, teachers, students, churchmen/women or other members of the public   on any matter concerned with the improvement of standards of composition or performance of liturgical or organ music.

 The Association may also do such other lawful things as are necessary or desirable for the attainment of the objects. 

 3.            Membership of the Association.   Membership of the Association shall be open without restriction to any member of the public who is interested in organ, choral or any other kind of music. Membership shall become effective on payment of the first year’s annual subscription.  The Council shall have the right, notwithstanding, if there is good and sufficient evidence, to decline a request for membership from, or to require the resignation of any person whose membership would be likely to bring the Association into disrepute.  Any Member of the Association shall also be a member of the Incorporated Association of Organists

 
4.             Admission of Non-members.   The proceedings of the Association shall be open to members of the public (not being members of the Association) on payment of such fee as the Association shall from time to time determine.

5.            Subscriptions.   Each member shall pay a minimum annual subscription of such an amount as shall from time to time be determined by the Council of the Association. This subscription shall fall due on 1st January in each year.  The subscription paid by new members who join the Association between 1^st October and 31^st December in one year, shall be deemed to give them membership to the end of the following year without further membership payment in that year.   Persons who are under the age of 18 years, or who are full-time students, or who are retired from regular employment due to age, may be admitted to membership of the Association on payment of such a reduced rate as the Association may determine. Any member so accepted shall pay the full annual subscription for the year in which he or she attains the age of 18 or ceases to be a full-time student.

 
6.            Members Emeritus.  Members who by reason of infirmity or incapacity are unable to attend events organised by the Association may at the discretion of the Council and if they so wish be designated “Members Emeritus”.  Such Members would not pay any annual subscription and the Association would not be required to make any capitation payments for them to the Incorporated Association of Organists.  They would receive Members Newsletters, but would not be entitled to vote at the Annual General Meeting or be elected to Council. 
 

7.         Non-payment of Subscriptions.  Any member whose subscription has not been paid within nine months of the date on which it fell due shall cease to be a member of the Association.  Upon payment of all arrears, any such member may be reinstated at the discretion of the Council. 
 

8.         The Council.    The business of the Association shall be managed by an Honorary Council which shall consist of: The President, the Honorary Secretary, the Assistant Secretary, the Honorary Treasurer (all ex officio) and any other member who has specific responsibilities for the management of the Association’s affairs and whom the Association considers should be a member of the Council ex officio. There shall also be seven Ordinary members elected by the members of the Association at the Annual General Meeting. These elected members of Council shall hold office for three years, at the end of which they may be re-elected for a further period of three years. Thereafter, they will not be eligible for further re-election until the expiry of one year.   Six shall form a quorum at Council Meetings.

Whenever any ordinary member of the Council shall be elected to one of the ex officio positions named  above, his/her position as an ordinary member of the Council shall immediately become vacant and the Annual General Meeting shall elect another member of the Association in his/her stead until such time as the original member would have been due to retire by rotation. The Council may fill any vacancy occurring during the year by electing another member of the Association to act until the original holder would have been due to retire by rotation. By virtue of the Association being a registered Charity, all members of the Council, whether officers or elected members, will be Trustees of the Charity and should be provided with a copy of the leaflet Duties and Responsibilities of Trustees published by the Charity Commissioners.  The President and Hon Secretary to be the two named Trustees on the annual return to the Charity Commissioners.

 The members of the Association shall at their Annual General Meeting elect one of their number to act as President for the ensuing year and may elect another to act as President-Elect to follow the President in that office. The President shall retire on the election of his/her successor and shall not be eligible for re-election as President for the space of one year.

The Honorary Secretary, Assistant Secretary and Honorary Treasurer shall be elected for an initial period of one year but may, if they are willing, be re-elected annually at the Annual General Meeting.  

 An Honorary Independent Examiner, who must not be a member of the Council and should preferably not be a member of the Association, shall be appointed at each Annual General Meeting.

 
9.         Annual General Meeting.    A General Meeting of the Association shall be held in February or March of each year to receive and approve the financial statements, to elect officers and members of the Council and to conduct such other business as may be appropriate for the effective management of the Association. The members shall be given at least 21 days’ notice of the meeting. 
 

10.            Honorary Life Members.   Suitable persons may be nominated to the Annual General Meeting for election as Honorary Life Members; such Honorary members may be elected to hold office or serve on the Committee. 
 

11.            Leonard Gibbons Fund. The Association shall administer the Leonard Gibbons Fund in accordance with the Rules and Conditions governing the aforesaid Fund.

12.            Frequency of Meetings.  There shall be not less than one ordinary meeting of the Association during each quarter of the year.

13.       Income and Property.  The income or property of the Association shall be applied solely to the promotion of the objects of the Association as defined in paragraph 2 and no payment or transfer of any part of such income or property shall be made to or for the benefit of any member of the Association, provided that nothing shall prohibit any payment in good faith by the Association of reasonable and proper remuneration of any member of the Association, not being a member of the Council, for any services rendered to the Association, of out-of-pocket expenses to any of its officers, or of any member of the Association, not being a member of the Council, being a professional musician, for musical work which he or she is engaged by the Association to perform.

14.            Dissolution.   If, upon the winding up or dissolution of the Association, there remains after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities any property whatsoever, the same shall not be paid to nor distributed among the members of the Association but shall be given or transferred to some other charitable institution having similar objects to the objects of the Association.

 
15.            Amendment of the Constitution.    These rules shall not be altered nor added to except by resolution at a General Meeting of which 21 days’ notice shall have been given to the members and no alteration shall be made which would cause the Association to cease to be a charity at law.

 
16.       Any member of the Association is entitled on request to receive a copy of these rules.

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Last modified: February 20, 2003