Fiori Musicali are managed through Fiori Musicali Limited (FML), a non-profit company limited by shares , registered as a Company no.2574653, and supported by the Fiori Musicali Charitable Trust (FMCT), a UK-registered charity, registered as a Charity no.802684.
Fiori Musicali Limited
Directors Mike Eves, Jocelyn Hartland-Swann, Fiona Myers, Sally Smith and FML’s founder Director Penelope Rapson have full responsibility for the operational activities of the company, which is regulated under the Companies Acts.
FML is funded by grants from FMCT and other trusts and foundations and by performance fees, box office and public funding.
Fiori Musicali Charitable Trust
Under the Gift Aid scheme, FMCT receives donations on which Income Tax is reclaimed. Funds are also received from legacies, which are free of both Inheritance Tax and Capital Gains Tax.
FMCT is regulated under the Charities Acts.
The late David Laing – Former Chairman of Trustees FMCT
Our much loved Benefactor and Chairman of our Trustees David Laing CBE died in March 2024. He was born into the Laing construction family. He qualified as an architect and subsequently worked with Sir Basil Spence’s London firm before setting up a private practice. Besides being a director of a number of private companies, he has served as Trustee, Chairman or President of many charities, including the Northamptonshire Community Foundation, the Northamptonshire Association of Youth Clubs and Adrenaline Alley, the biggest urban sports park in the UK. His experience includes the leisure sector and agriculture, and he is Pro Chancellor of Northampton University.
He was High Sheriff of Northamptonshire and was appointed Lord Lieutenant in 2014. David’s wisdom, generosity and kindness have been enormously appreciated by Fiori over recent years. He was Chairman of Fiori’s Trustees and our long-term Benefactor. His warm personality, his bonhomie and his passion for the arts made him a very special person. He will be sorely missed. He made an exceptional contribution to the arts in general and to Fiori Musicali in particular. We shall treasure his memory.
Board membership
Sally Smith MBE – Chairman of Trustees FMCT, director FML
Sally Smith has lived in Northamptonshire since 1973 and has attended Fiori concerts since they began in the 1980s. A piano pupil of Sidonie Wasserman in Birmingham since the age of 8, this musical grounding has given Sally a lifetime love of classical music. Concert-going is one of her main pleasures and her love of baroque and early music goes back to Janet Baker’s performances of Handel operas at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts at Birmingham University in the 1960’s, pioneered by Professor Sir Anthony Lewis.
Sally has a degree in politics and modern history and worked in adult education at the university before turning to political work as a second career. She has experience as a company director and fundraiser (as well as effectively chief executive for a private charity). Her professional and voluntary work over the last fifty years has given her considerable knowledge of Northamptonshire and its people, and she brings this expertise to help Fiori fulfil their charitable mission.
Michael Eves – trustee FMCT, director FML
Mike spent the latter years of his career as the senior Divisional Finance Director for a large multinational company. His interests include sailing, gardening and all types of music and theatre, and he is a frequent visitor to the Royal Opera Covent Garden, the RSC at Stratford, etc. He brings his business skills plus his experience as a Trustee of other charities to his role as a Trustee of Fiori Musicali.
Jocelyn Hartland-Swann – trustee FMCT, director FML
Jocelyn runs a community cinema venture and sings with Fiori Village Choir. Before retirement, he was an international management consultant specialising in knowledge management, IT and renewable energy. He holds an MBA from London Business School and an MA from University of Oxford.
David Hunter – trustee FMCT
David Hunter is a retired surgeon and enthusiastic music lover whose wide ranging tastes include jazz, opera, classical music, polyphony and early music as well as contemporary and world music, but always best live! He couldn’t live without music.
Fiona Myers – trustee FMCT, director FML
Fiona is a retired NHS CEO and nurse. She currently provides short term management support as a Director with Boards across the NHS. She holds an MBA from the University of Keele. She loves music and together with her husband, enjoys her many travels across Europe exploring buildings, art and music from the renaissance and baroque.
Roland Rawlings – trustee FMCT
Roland’s career was in Aviation, originally joining the Blind Landing Experimental Unit that developed the original automatic landing systems. He then joined the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation in Brussels where he became head of Navigation, responsible for setting Navigation standards and establishing monitoring systems to ensure safe aircraft operation in the increasing European air traffic. He brings his project management and accounting skills as well as his treasurer role in other charities to his role as a Trustee of Fiori Musicali.
Penelope Rapson – director FML
Penelope is Fiori’s artistic director, see here.