OUR ORIGINS
In 1969 the renowned Jazz musicians, John Dankworth and his wife, Cleo Laine created a charity named the Wavendon Allmusic Plan whose aim was
to break down the barriers, real or perceived, between classical music and all the different genres of ‘popular’ music; and to do this by presenting every possible type - so long as it was excellent of its kind - under one roof. The roof in question being the stable block of the Old Rectory in Wavendon, Bucks, into which they had moved a year or two before. With their own hands and those of musician friends such as guitarist, John Williams, they converted the old building into a small concert hall and The Stables theatre was born, holding its first public concert on the 6th February 1970. The Stables soon acquired an international reputation and hosted performances by some of the world’s greatest musicians. However, by the late 90s the creaking, leaky structure of the building had come to the end of its life so, with support from the Arts Council of England and generous donations from individuals such has Jim Marshall of Marshall Amplification it was replaced by a £5 million, 400-seat theatre which first opened its doors to greet the millennium in the Spring of 2000.
For the Dankworths, who later became Sir John and Dame Cleo, one success story was not enough. John had always felt that the grounds of their lovely home would make an ideal venue for summer concerts. The garden already had a raised bank that could serve as a performance area and, in 2000, John commissioned an elegant fabric pavilion that would cover the stage and provide seating for some 200 people. In June and July of that year a series of weekend concerts were held and the profits from these were used to fund a second charity, The Wavendon Foundation. Since then the ‘Music in the Garden’ festival has become an annual event. See more on the next page.
In 1969 the renowned Jazz musicians, John Dankworth and his wife, Cleo Laine created a charity named the Wavendon Allmusic Plan whose aim was
to break down the barriers, real or perceived, between classical music and all the different genres of ‘popular’ music; and to do this by presenting every possible type -
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