Legendary Deep Purple's keyboard player, Jon Lord, will open the Fall Arts Fest in Plovdiv.

Lord is scheduled to perform with the Bulgarian Opera Philharmonic Society on September 1 on the stage of the antique theater in Bulgaria's second largest city.

Lord's performance will have two parts - cover versions of Deep Purple's most famous pieces and classical music, including the musician's solo projects.

Sofia Music Enterprise is the organizer of the concert. Tickets ranging between BGN 30 and 60 will be available beginning May 21.

Jon Douglas Lord is an English composer, Hammond organ and piano player.

Lord is recognized for his Hammond organ blues-rock sound and for his pioneering work in fusing rock and classical or baroque forms. He has most famously been a member of Deep Purple, as well as of Whitesnake, Paice, Ashton & Lord, The Artwoods and Flower Pot Men. He has worked with numerous other artists including Graham Bonnet (following Bonnet's departure from Rainbow.

In 1968, Lord co-founded Deep Purple. He and drummer Ian Paice were the only constant band members during the band's existence from 1968 to 1976 and from when they reformed in 1984 until Lord's retirement in 2002.

One of his finest works was his composition Concerto for Group and Orchestra, which was performed at the Royal Albert Hall in 1969 with Deep Purple (Lord and Paice with guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, singer Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover) and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The concerto was revived for its 30th anniversary in 1999 with another performance at the Albert Hall, again performed by Deep Purple (Lord, Paice, Gillan, Glover and Steve Morse in place of Ritchie Blackmore) with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 2002 he retired from Deep Purple for good, to concentrate on composing and on lower-key blues/rock performances. In 2008, he achieved success as a classical composer when his Durham Concerto entered the classical album charts