Jon Lord made Honorary Fellow in Edinburgh

On November 11, Jon Lord was made Honorary Fellow of the Stevenson College in Edinburgh, Scotland at the college’s 2010 graduation ceremony.

Presented by Jim Ewing, Chairman of the board of management of Stevenson College Edinburgh, Jon Lord received the fellowship in recognition for his work with the college students in preparation for a concert held at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall on October 5 2009.

In association with the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, the concert featured Jon Lord and an orchestra of music students performing his 1969 masterpiece Concerto for Group and Orchestra.

‘It gave our music soloists a true insight into the rigours of professional music performance. We are honoured that Jon has been part of the College curriculum and we hope that there will be opportunities for future collaborative projects,’ writes the college on their website.

In his speech, Jon Lord explained how delighted he was to be made a Fellow of Stevenson and spoke about how much he enjoys being able to give something back to upcoming music students.

Jon Lord with the students who played the ‘group’ roles in the Concerto Group and Orchestra. From left: Ryan Anderson (bass), Fraser Mitchell (keyboards), Thomas Temple (guitar), JL, Christopher Hartles (saxophone), Grant Kilpatrick (guitar), Grant Barclay (vocals). Drummer Oscar Mannoni was not present.

In a large interview for JonLord.org, three of the students talked about their expectations and experience working with Jon Lord: – This is gonna be fun!

More stories on Jon Lord’s Edinburgh project.

Photos: Alan Rennie. Thanks to Kevin Dixon.