Yerevan /Mediamax/. Rock stars Ian Gillan (Deep Purple) and Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) addressed to Gyumri N6 Music School students and teachers.

September 20 will mark the first anniversary of the opening of the school built within the joint project of the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR), Mediamax Media Company and Do Something Australian Organization.

“To all the staff and students, please know that I am thinking of you on this day; one year from the opening. I hope you are enjoying the school and - most important - that you are enjoying the music. Music is a friend for life and souls - having touched - are forever entwined. Peace, love and respect to you all”, Ian Gillan’s letter reads.

“Dear Headmaster, Teachers and Pupils! I'm afraid my work schedule has prevented me from coming to see you, nevertheless I'd like to send you my congratulations on your first year anniversary. It's amazing that what started as a conversation with lan Gillan has now become a building and successful school. People all over the world know about you and have contributed to the rebuilding. I hope the day goes well and look forward to visiting you at some point in the future”, Tony Iommi’s letter reads.

The opening ceremony of the music school took place on September 20, 2013. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan, Do Something Chairman Jon Dee and Mardigian Family representatives attended the opening.

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After devastating Spitak earthquake in 1988 N6 music school in Gyumri has been made up of “domiks” (metal sheet dwellings).

A few months after the devastating Spitak earthquake that killed 25 thousand Armenians and left hundreds of thousands homeless, 24 year old Jon Dee organized the Rock Aid Armenia project in London. British rock stars recorded a top 40 cover version of Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water and helped to release the special “Earthquake Album”. Revenue from the single and album sales was contributed as aid to Armenia.

In 2009, Armenian Mediamax media company decided to honor the participants of Rock Aid Armenia and contacted Jon Dee who lives in Australia and heads the Do Something organization that he set up with tennis star and former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash.

As Jon was planning to re-release Rock Aid Armenia’s Smoke on the Water to raise additional funds for Armenia, Mediamax and Do Something joined forces to implement the Armenia Grateful 2 Rock / Rock Aid Armenia project.

In October 2009, Mediamax invited Ian Gillan from Deep Purple, Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath, Geoff Downes from Yes/Asia and Jon Dee to Armenia. Under the Armenian President’s decree, they were awarded an Order of Honor. It was later that Brian May from Queen and David Gilmour from Pink Floyd were given their Orders of Honors by the Armenian Embassy in London.

Ian Gillan, Tony Iommi, Geoff Downes and Jon Dee visited the Octet Music School in Gyumri during their trip to Armenia. If there has ever existed a painful blend of poverty and talent, then it was vividly exposed at the Gyumri Octet School of Music. Many of the students come from underprivileged families in Gyumri. Their music school has been made up of “domiks” that were left over from the 1988 earthquake. The promise to rebuild these temporary premises with a proper building has not happened. Despite their dilapidated premises, the Octet Music School has kept producing talent year after year.

The Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR) has been sponsoring the underprivileged students of the School for many years. A hint of hope came to the school about 5 years ago when a very special couple from the United States, Mr. and Mrs. Edward and Janet Mardigian visited the students, accompanied by the FAR Board of Directors. “I would never forget those children, tears were coming to my eyes every time I recalled their beautiful musical performance” - said Mrs. Janet Mardigian. They have never stopped thinking about the ways that they could help the children.

The children’s performance also struck the rock heroes Ian Gillan, Tony Iommi and Geoff Downes. Together with Jon Dee, they announced that they would help to rebuild the school. By the end of 2009, FAR, Mediamax and Do Something signed a trilateral agreement to achieve this outcome.

In March 2010, Mediamax and Do Something organized two charitable concerts by Ian Gillan with the Armenian Symphonic Orchestra in Yerevan. General sponsorship of the concerts by leading Armenian mobile operator VivaCell-MTS allowed to raise 45.000 USD. Over the past 2 years, a total of USD 110.000 has been raised for rebuilding the school - the Armenian Government, Geoff Downes, EMI Records and Orange Armenia also made contributions.

In 2010, Ian Gillan and Tony Iommi set up the WhoCares ad-hoc super-group to raise funds for the Octet school. In May 2011, Edel Music released the single by WhoCares with 2 brand new songs - Out of My Mind and Holy Water. In July 2012, Edel Music released the WhoCares album that comprises the 2 songs from the single and unreleased and rare material from Gillan and Iommi’s back catalogue.

In summer 2012 the FAR Board recently briefed the Mardigian Family Foundation about these extensive fundraising efforts. The following day, their Foundation informed FAR that it will almost triple the funds raised so far and allocate around USD 350.000. This generous donation was extremely important and it allowed FAR, Mediamax and Do Something to launch the construction of the school.

The construction was carried out by “Kanaka” company, which had won the tender, organized by the FAR.

In January 2011, the owner of music store Millbank Music in Canada Tim Irving contacted Ian Gillan's manager Phil Banfield and said that he would like to provide music instruments to the Gyumri school. Tim noted that he had been the fan of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath since childhood and he would be honored to take part in WhoCares project implemented by Ian Gillan and Toni Iommi. Over  two years, Tim Irving collected an impressive number of music instruments for N6 music school in Gyumri - 24 violins, 12 acoustic guitars, 12 ukeleles, 4 alto Saxophones, 4 trumpets, 2 mandolins, 2 flutes, 3 hand drums, 1 conga kit with stand, 3 Yamaha portable keyboards, 1 Yamaha 88 note digital piano etc.