Annual General Meeting
University of Cambridge
Saturday, 13 March 2010, 10:00 am
Minutes
Present
Lisa Colton, Helen Deeming, Barbara Eichner, Elina Hamilton, Elizabeth Eva Leach (chair), Christian Leitmeir, Mary O'Neill, Matthew Salisbury, Thomas Schmidt-Beste, Bruno Turner
1. Apologies
Margaret Bent, Bonnie Blackburn, Anna Burson, John Harper, Leofranc Holford-Strevens, Frank Lawrence, Owen Rees, David Wulstan
2. Minutes of the last meeting
The minutes have been posted on the PMMS website. They were approved nem. con. without amendments.
3. Chair’s Annual Report
The chair presented her report for the calendar year 2009 (posted on the PMMS website)
EEL reported on the very successful two-day conference held by the PMMS in Huddersfield in 2009.
Two issues of Plainsong and Medieval Music have appeared on schedule and were circulated to all subscribing members of the Society. Members of the IMS group 'Cantus planus' are now offered a discount on subscription to the Journal. Thanks were extended due to the current editors, James Borders and Helen Deeming, as well as to Nicolas Bell, who is the reviews editor. HD will step down as one of the two editors in 2010. Subject to approval by CUP, CL will take over as a co-editor from HD.
PMMS and JPMMS are now completely available online on CUP website. It is planned to make the chant bibliography as a searchable database on that site as soon as possible.
BE who has been co-opted onto Council to promote the Society and its publications and to boost membership reported on publicity The Society was promoted by means of leaflets and availability of publications at the Medieval and Renaissance Music Conference in Bangor in July 2008, and will hold a drinks reception at the Med-Ren at Royal Holloway in July 2010.
PMMS has supported the 'Bangor Antiphonal' project (http://www.bangor.ac.uk/archives/bangorpontifical.php.en) with a £1,000 grant in early 2010.
No member of the Council received payment during the period and members of Council are to be thanked for their ongoing support of the Society.
Anna Burson has acted as administrator, and received an honorarium for this work.
5. Treasurer’s Report and Accounts
CL presented a report and account for the calendar year 2009 (attached). The transfer from the previous treasurer and the previous bank account had finally been completed in late 2009. Accounts have been additionally scrutinised and approved by the honorary independent examiner, Miss Alison Armstrong (Bangor University).
The War Bond had been redeemd in autumn of 2009, but for no value.
The report was approved nem. con. (proposed: EEL; seconded: MON)
The chair thanked CL for his efforts.
6. Election of officers and trustees
The meeting proceeded to the following elections, which were approved nem. con. (proposed: EEL; seconded: HD):
i. Officers:
Chairman: Dr. Lisa Colton (elected)
Secretary: Prof. Thomas Schmidt-Beste (re-elected)
Treasurer: Dr. Christian Leitmeir (re-elected)
ii. Executive Trustees:
Re-elected: Dr. Barbara Eichner, Dr. Owen Rees, Matthew Salisbury, Dr. Nicolas Bell
Newly elected: Dr. Mary O'Neill
iii. Advisory trustees (re-elected)
Prof. John Caldwell
Prof. Susan Rankin
Dr. Elizabeth Eva Leach
iv: Honorary independent examiner
Examiner: Alison Armstrong (Bangor University)
7. Conferences 2010-2012
The 2011 conference will be held in Birmingham in March 2011, organised by Mary O'Neill (exact date and theme tbc). The 2012 conference will be held in Oxford, organised by Elizabeth Leach and Owen Rees (date and theme tbc).
8. Online newsletter and membership
BE reported on membership and publicity.
After the files had been purged of inactive members, the membership stands at 84, with 8 new members in 2009. Barbara Eichner suggested for everybody to recruit new members. Bruno Turner reported cases where would-be members had not received proper feedback – BE to look into the matter with the administrator. Action: BE
The administrative handover of the website from Alistair Warwick to MS is completed. EEL thanked AW for his efforts.
MS will maintain the site from now on directly under the auspices of the PMMS, to reduce costs and streamline proceedings. MS asked the members to submit to him items of interest to be put on the site. It was agreed that the creation of a password-protected members' are was desirable (with members able to upload information and updating their details), but that the introduction of a Content Management System was too costly and complicated; MS will look into alternatives.
It was further agreed that the newsletters should be archived on the website.
Four 'mini-editions' are now available on the website.
Two more editions of the online newsletter have appeared in 2009.
Publicity activities include support and a strong presence of PMMS at the postgraduate conference 'Off the Staves' (Bangor, March 2010), participation in the Woollaton Antiphonal conference (Nottingham, May 2010) and a drinks reception at the Med-Ren conference at Royal Holloway in July 2010.
9. Any other business
BT pointed out that the society will turn 125 years in 2013; he suggested a large-scale event to mark the occasion (with high-profile invited speakers and a big concert); his suggestion met with warm approval.
10. Date of next meetings
Council meeting: 22 October 2010 at 2:00 pm in London, British Library
AGM: During the annual conference 2010 in Birmingham, date and time tbd
End of meeting: 10:40 am
Thomas Schmidt-Beste