Deep Purple’s Jon Lord Composed Music for Children’s Orchestra

Former Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord has composed a piece of music for the Henley Youth Orchestra, a children's orchestra in Oxfordshire, England.

The 69-year old British star will be watching the 70-piece orchestra perform his composition at the event on July 11th. Lord is the patron of the Henley Festival, which is described by its organizers as "an extraordinary and elegant mix of music, art, culture, dining, and location - the most magical summer event in the UK." Other performers scheduled to appear at the Henley Festival include Tom Jones, Jools Holland, and Rumer.

Henley Youth Orchestra is a project devised to give local children a chance at one-on-one music tutoring and the free loan of an instrument. "I was asked to write a little piece for the young performers and I thought that seemed like a great idea," Lord said. "To play together in an orchestra well takes many years of practice, and these guys are just the first few steps along that road. Some are a little further ahead than others, but they will all get there and it's great to see."

Lord is no stranger to symphonic music: one of his most celebrated compositions is 'Concerto for Group and Orchestra,' which was performed at the Royal Albert Hall in 1969 with Deep Purple and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Since retiring from Deep Purple in 2002, Lord has released two classical albums: 'Durham Concerto' [2008] and 'To Notice Such Things' [2010].

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