BACKGROUND


Following its unforgettable debut at the opening concert of Celtic Connections 2015, the ground-breaking GRIT Orchestra went on to give memorable performances of Martyn Bennett’s final album GRIT at the Edinburgh International Festival and WOMAD. They then performed Lawson’s interpretation of Bothy Culture at Glasgow’s largest venue, The SSE Hydro, as part of Celtic Connections 25th Anniversary Festival in January 2018 and the 2018 Edinburgh International Festival in August.

Bennett’s music, a virtuoso fusion of Celtic, Scandinavian and Islamic traditions with techno, breakbeat and hip-hop, has been orchestrated by violinist Greg Lawson, who also conducts the performance. Comprising around 80 leading folk, jazz and classical musicians, the GRIT Orchestra is a truly unique ensemble, and a thrilling embodiment of Scotland’s contemporary musical landscape, the richly hybrid terrain which Bennett so brilliantly mapped and celebrated.