The following is the report on the Choir's activities for 2025 and presented at the February 2026 AGM
Operations and affairs of the Choir
It is my pleasure, on behalf of the committee, to present the annual report of the Choir for 2025.
Members
Choir membership grew slightly during 2025. We welcomed four new members and one returning former member. Brian Foley ended his singing membership of the Choir after the June concert. He first joined the choir in 1993 and was a former Trustee of the Choir. He was made a Life Member in 2016.
After the end of the year, the committee received Robert Storm’s resignation as librarian, as a committee member and from the performing membership of the Choir. Robert was a member of the Choir for 46 years, and librarian for 43 of those years. His outstanding contribution to the Choir was recognised 16 years ago with his Golden Lyre award. He remains a member of the Choir through his life membership, awarded way back in 2005.
Life Membership awards for 25 years of qualifying attendance were made to David Patrick and Peter Russell.
Choir activities
The Choir sang its traditional 404th and 405th concerts in June and December, the December concert being a Reflection Concert with the music drawn from the previous five years. Through these concerts the Choir was able to give performance opportunities and small levels of financial assistance to 10 young musicians as well as to the choirs of Otago Girls’ and Otago Boys’ High Schools.
Members sang at the funeral of former chorister Peter Bathgate in June. Peter was a member of the Choir for 10 years, retiring in 2023. The Choir sang in a NZ Choral Federation Dunedin Choirs’ Festival in October. In November eight member attended a NZCF workshop featuring the music from the recent New Zealand film Tina.
Committee
The 2025 AGM awarded Ian Grey Life Membership of the Choir for his service to the Choir, notably for his seven years of service as secretary and also the wide range of other tasks he acquired during this period. While he retains some, the bulk of his workload has been distributed to at least three other committee members, including new secretary Andrew Smillie.
Graeme Welsh and Rod Maclennan did not seek re-election to the committee at the March 2025 AGM. We thank them both for their contributions to the administration of the Choir for many years.
The end of the 2025 year also saw Lyn Murray and Michael Ayers end their terms of service on the committee. Our collective thanks to them for their services in administration and finances in particular.
The committee successfully trialled a reduction to meetings every second month, with the occasional quick meeting for specific purposes when needed.
Finances
The committee was kept well briefed on the Choir’s income and expenditure through regular detailed reports from the Treasurer. During the year, we received two bequests, for which the Choir is most grateful. That the Choir was able to survive financially in 2025 was due, in no small part, to grants received from three charitable trusts and donations from multiple supporters. The Choir is fortunate to have sufficient accumulated funds to underwrite its trust and donor income.
Moving with the times
The Choir adopted a new constitution at the 2025 AGM which was accepted by the Incorporated Societies officials without amendment. Significant changes include a smaller committee, the inclusion of Choir officers outside the committee, and the absence of a defined awards system within the constitution.
To help implement these changes, the 2025 committee has approved several written guidelines related to committee functions. The committee has proposed a RDMC Policy for adoption at the 2026 AGM which is designed to assist in the definition of committee and non-committee responsibilities and define how any required elections might be administered. No significant progress has been made on defining a current awards system for service to the administration of the RDMC or for members’ attendance at rehearsals and concerts over time.
In January 2026, the committee was advised that our Musical Director John would be resigning after the mid-year concert. Much more will be said about his contribution to the Choir later.
Acknowledgements
2025 finished with a very well received concert and a very positive newspaper critique two days later. Our most grateful thanks to John and our accompanist, Linda, for their patience with us choristers and the hours of work they have contributed to this outcome.
It has been a busy year for the committee, adapting to a new constitution and moving towards clearer understandings of committee responsibilities. As Chair, I have appreciated the engagement and feedback of committee members as we work to distribute the workload more evenly.
I wish to highlight the two newer committee members who have taken on major roles, Andrew as Secretary and Josh as Concert Manager. Much of the obvious administrative load falls on their shoulders, loads they have carried admirably.
Finally, I’d like to acknowledge importance and usefulness of all the smaller less obvious things that Choir members and supporters do to keep things going smoothly. Some are tasks done regularly at rehearsals, others more one-off at performances. Sometimes this simply involves looking out for each other and giving a helping hand, or even simply giving a kind word. This is what helps make the Royal Dunedin Male Choir what it is.
Chris Featonby
Committee Chair
February 2026