GRIT Orchestra

Winner of the Scottish Awards for New Music for innovation in New Traditional Music, the GRIT Orchestra is bound to push the limits of genre and Celtic culture.

The GRIT Orchestra unites Scotland’s leading folk, jazz and classical musicians. Renowned for their ‘trailblazing spirit’ (The Guardian), the 80-strong orchestra amasses to conjure an enthralling incarnation of Scotland’s contemporary musical landscape.

Assembled by Celtic Connections in 2015 in homage to the late Martyn Bennett, the GRIT Orchestra is led by composer and conductor Greg Lawson. Bennett is celebrated for his virtuoso fusion of Celtic, Scandinavian and Islamic traditions with techno, breakbeat and techno. In 2018, GRIT orchestrated Bennett’s kaleidoscopic second album, Bothy Culture, which takes inspiration from Scotland’s rave scene and the experience of staying in a Highland hut – otherwise known as a ‘bothy’. And in August 2023, the GRIT Orchestra returned to the International Festival for our opening weekend celebrations in Princes Street Gardens.