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In a programme as bewilderingly diverse as Celtic Connections' 2020 iteration, its content ranging from orchestral extravaganzas to bothy ballads, recommendations teeter on the brink of invidiousness. Here, however, are a few choices from the festival's 300-plus events.
What better way to launch a new decade than a statement of intent? The opening concert at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (GRCH) on 16 January sees the mighty GRIT Orchestra, under the baton of Greg Lawson, mark the 700th anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath. Formed originally to play music by the late Martyn Bennett, the orchestra reconvenes to perform The Declaration, a series of commissions from such established figures as fiddlers Patsy Reid and Chris Stout, harpist Catriona McKay, saxophonist Paul Towndrow and piper-saxophonist Fraser Fifield. The following night at the Concert Hall should also be a winner, with the Highland band Breabach celebrating 15 years since they won the Festival's Danny Kyle Open Stage contest. The concert also features the Seamus Egan Project, with the Irish-American multi-instrumentalist presenting music from...