Disaster box provides sweet music

The box and contents will go back to the charity after the concerto

The contents of a disaster relief box are being used as musical instruments for a very unusual orchestra concert.

Concerto for ShelterBox D-141 and Orchestra was composed using items which have helped thousands of disaster victims around the world.

Real instruments will also feature in the performance at Exeter University in Devon to raise money for the international charity ShelterBox.

Other 'instruments' include a garden hoe, pots, pans, plates and a saw.

The percussion section of the 80-piece EMG (Exeter Music Group) Symphony Orchestra will take on the household objects for the opus, written by Marion Wood, who will also conduct the piece.

Bell-like sounds

"One of the things about ShelterBox is its versatility - it gives you the tools to build whatever you want," she told BBC News.

"So we though maybe building a piece would be great.

"We borrowed a ShelterBox and what came out of it wasn't just random percussion noises, but some amazing bell sounds."

The box is on loan to the orchestra and after the concert it will be returned to the charity for distribution to a disaster zone.

Since ShelterBox was founded by the Helston-Lizard Rotary Club in 2000, it has already provided emergency relief in more than 50 countries.

Each box, which costs £490, contains a 10-person tent, blankets, water purification, cooking equipment, basic tools, a stove and other equipment.

The concert will also include Ravel's Bolero, Grieg Piano Concerto with soloist Alexandra Dariescu, Brahms Hungarian Dances and Brahms Symphony No2.

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Members of the EMG Symphony Orchestra rehearse for a unique concerto