THE WAGNER SOCIETY

Charity Number 266383

2(A). The objects of the Society shall be:

(i) To advance education and appreciation of the life and work of Richard Wagner.

(ii) To promote and organise public performances anywhere in the world of the

works of Richard Wagner but the Society may, from time to time, and for

special purposes include in its programmes suitable works by other composers.

(iii) To promote and organise other cultural and educational activities relevant to the

study and appreciation of the music of Richard Wagner.

(B). In furtherance of the foregoing objects but not further or otherwise the Society shall have

the following powers:

dramas by the BBC, IBA and similar bodies and to increase his representation

in the programmes of the Opera Houses and at Symphony Concerts.

(ii) To promote and hold meetings, concerts, talks, lectures, discussions

and recordings.

(iii) To engage and employ artists, musicians, technical, professional persons and all

others whose services are required or deemed expedient for carrying out the

objects of the Society.

(iv) To print, issue, publish, circulate or promote the issue, publication and

circulation of musical scores and works, periodicals, circulars, programmes,

posters and other literary and display works of every description.

(v) To acquire copyright or any other right in musical or literary works of every

description and in particular to promote and secure the publication or

replication of the musical or literary works of Richard Wagner.

(vi) To establish, sponsor, endow or administer competitions, scholarships, courses of

instruction, musical and literary study and research of every kind and exhibition

of every description.

(vii) To accept subscriptions and donations (whether of real or personal estate) and

devises and bequests for all or any of purposes aforesaid and to sell and

dispose of, to lease and accept surrenders of leases of and manage all real

estate (including leaseholds) so received and not required to be or capable of

being occupied for the purposes of the Society.

(viii) To purchase, take on lease or exchange, hire or otherwise acquire any real or

personal property and other rights or privileges which the Society may think

necessary or convenient for the promotion of its objects, and to construct,

maintain and alter any buildings or erections necessary or convenient for the

work of the Society.

(ix) To sell, let, mortgage, dispose of, turn to account all or any of the property or

assets of the Society as may be thought expedient with a view to the promotion

(x) To undertake and execute any charitable trusts which may lawfully

be undertaken by the Society and be conducive to its objects.

(xi) To borrow or raise money for the purposes of the Society on such

terms and on such security as may be thought fit.

(xii) To invest the monies of the Society not immediately required for its

purposes in or upon such investments, securities or property as may

be thought fit.

(xiii) To co-operate with other charitable organisations having other similar

objects.

(xiv) To do all such other things as shall further the objects of the Society.

4. The Election of Members of the Society shall be by personal application and no person

shall become a member unless and until elected by the Committee nor shall the

Committee be required to give any reason for the non-election of an applicant.

5. Any company, Club, Society, Association, Institution or other similar body may

be elected as a Corporate member of the Society

6. Each corporate member of the Society shall have the right to send a single individual to

each function organised by the Society upon the same terms as an individual member of

the Society; and the Corporate member may vary from function to function, the

individual nominated and each Corporate member may take up more than one

Corporate membership.

7. The annual subscription to the Society shall be such as the Committee shall from time to

time determine and shall be payable in advance.

8. The subscription of each member and each corporate member shall be for the calendar

year and shall be due and payable in advance on joining and thereafter on 1 January

each year. The first subscription for members joining after 30 June in any year shall be

a reduced amount.

9. The Society will be operated on a non-profitable distribution basis and all incoming

monies derived from any source whatever shall be devoted to advancing the objects of

the Society and in the event of dissolution of the Society any funds remaining after the

satisfaction of all debts and liabilities shall be transferred to a charitable body or bodies

having the advancement of opera and/or music amongst their objects and if, and in so far

as, effect cannot be given to such provision then to some charitable object.

10. All incoming monies and all property acquired by the Society shall be deemed to be

vested in the Committee who shall act as Trustees for the Members under the

Chairmanship of the Hon. Treasurer.

11. The Committee shall place any funds of the Society at any Bank in the name of the

Society; but cheques for the withdrawal of such funds must be signed as follows:

For amounts of £200 or under by the Hon. Treasurer alone or by the Chair and the Hon.

Secretary and for amounts above £200 by any two Officers out of the Chair, the Hon.

12. When a person or body has been elected by the Committee and has paid a first annual

subscription he or it shall be a Member, or Corporate Member, of the Society and shall be

deemed to have agreed to be bound by these Rules and all Bye-laws made in accordance

therewith.

13. The business of the Society shall be conducted by a Committee comprising the Chair,

Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, and not more than seven other members of the

Society and the Chair, or in his absence the Honorary Secretary, shall take the chair at

meetings of the Committee. In the absence of both the Chair and Honorary Secretary the

meeting shall elect its Chair. The Honorary Secretary may also be elected Chair of the

Society.

14. The President and Vice-Presidents of the Society shall be elected by the

Members at a General Meeting.

15. Vice-Presidents of the Society shall be eligible for election to the Committee.

16. The Meetings of the Committee shall be called by the Honorary Secretary not less than

once in every Quarter of the year.

17. The Committee may fill by co-option any casual vacancy which may occur in the

Committee or Officership of the Society but the person so filling the vacancy shall retire

at the Annual General Meeting next following his or her co-option and shall be eligible

for re-election.

18. The Committee may, from time to time, co-opt from the Society such Committee as they

may deem necessary or expedient and may depute or refer to them such of the powers

and duties of the Committee as the Committee may decide.

19. The committee may from time to time make, vary and revoke Bye-laws not inconsistent

with these Rules for the regulation and conduct of its proceedings and the proceedings of

the Committee and of the conduct of the Society generally.

20. The Annual General Meeting of the Society shall be held once in every calendar year:

last preceding financial year of the Society.

(b) To elect the Officers and Committee of the Society according to Rule 22

below.

(c) To elect Auditors for the Society.

(d) To deal with any other business proper for the transaction of an Annual

General Meeting.

21. At the Annual General Meeting the chair shall be occupied by the President or in

his/her absence by a Vice-President and in the absence of both President and Vice-

President(s) by the Chair of the Society: in his/her absence by such person as the

meeting may elect.

22. All Officers and Members of the Committee shall retire each year but shall be eligible for

23. The Honorary Secretary shall send a Notice convening the Annual General Meeting to all

members not less that fourteen days before the date of the meeting.

24. Election to the Officership and Committee of the Society shall be by vote of those present

at the Annual General Meeting. Nominations for the position of any of the Officers and

Members of the Committee must be received by the Secretary in writing not less than

twenty-one days prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting.

25. Questions arising at any meeting of the Society, or of the Committee, shall be decided by

majority of votes and in case of an equality of votes the Chair of the body transacting the

business shall have a second or casting vote.

26. A Special General Meeting of the Society may be convened at any time by the

Committee, or on request of any ten members of the Society but the Honorary Secretary

shall send notice convening such Special General Meeting and specifying matters to be

dealt with thereat to all members, not less than twenty-one days before the date of the

meeting.

27. The quorum at all Annual and Special General Meetings of the Society shall be fifteen

members of the Society and shall equal or number nearest one-third of the members of

the Committee at that time.

28. A corporate Member of the Society may by resolution of the governing body authorise

such person as it thinks fit to act as its representative at any meeting of the Society and

the person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the

Corporate Member which he represents as that Corporate Member could exercise if it

were an individual member of the Society,

29. A Corporate member of the Society shall not be eligible for election to the Committee.

30. The Committee may from time to time elect as Honorary Members of the Society such

persons as in the opinion of the Committee it shall be in the interest of the Society to

admit to Honorary Membership; and such Honorary Membership shall be in every way

equivalent to ordinary individual membership of the Society.

31. No member or Corporate Member shall take any public action or make any public

announcement in the name of the Society without the approval of the Committee of the

Society.

32. No alteration shall be made in the Constitution or in these Rules and no addition shall be

made thereto except by a resolution of which 21 Days notice shall be given prior to the

Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting. This resolution shall be passed by a

majority of not less that two-thirds of the members present and voting on the resolution

provided that no such alteration shall affect Rule (2), (9) or this rule.

meetings, other than the Annual General Meeting or any Special General Meeting,

though the Society reserves the right to charge special entrance fees to persons attending

Constitution: approved by a majority vote in the Committee Meeting of 28 June 2004.

1. Any member wishing an item to be discussed by the Committee shall request the

Secretary not less than 14 days before the date of the next Committee Meeting to put that item

upon the Agenda.

2. Any proposal thus put upon the Agenda, if it is of any significance or difficulty, must be

supported by a written paper, to be circulated to Committee members by the Secretary along with

the Agenda.

3. If any proposal is not an item on the Agenda, or, being significant or difficult, is not

properly supported by a written paper, it shall not be discussed at that Committee Meeting except

with the unanimous agreement of all the members present.

4. No proposal involving significant expenditure by the Society may be carried out without

the knowledge of the Treasurer.

5. If any member wishes to make a complaint or personal point about any other member, he

must first discuss the matter with the Chair or the Secretary. He may then request the Secretary to

put the matter upon the Agenda, but only so long as there is first-hand evidence to support it.

6. These Bye-laws hereby revoke any previous Bye-laws upon these procedural matters.

2004.

1. Any member wishing an item to be discussed at an Annual, or Special, General Meeting

shall request the Secretary not less than 14 days before the date of the Meeting to put that item

upon the Agenda.

2. If any proposal or topic is not an item on the Agenda, it may be discussed at the Meeting

only at the discretion of the Chair.