A commemorative sculpture of Sir John Dankworth, founder of The Stables Theatre, has been unveiled at the venue in Wavendon, Milton Keynes this afternoon (Dec 12).
Cast in bronze and positioned at the main public entrance, the life-sized sculpture has been commissioned from the renowned Scottish sculptor David Annand by the trustees of Wavendon Allmusic Plan (WAP), the charitable trust which oversees the work of The Stables Theatre.
"Sir John enjoyed a glittering career that spanned more than 50 years as a performer, composer and conductor," said WAP chairman Stephen Clarke.
"His services to music earned him a CBE as well as a knighthood from Her Majesty the Queen. Together with his wife Dame Cleo Laine he established the trust 45 years ago with the vision of making all music genres accessible to all people. That vision lives on and the current trustees hope that David Annand’s wonderful sculpture will serve as a fitting tribute to their legacy, as well as bringing much pleasure to all our visitors.”
“It’s fitting that John’s contribution to music and music education has been honoured by the charity we established 45 years ago," added Dame Cleo.
