Musica Viva has announced its 2019 season, with a swathe of first-time artists and the return of the Emerson String Quartet after almost two decades. Next year will be Vine’s penultimate season as Musica Viva’s Artistic Director – he finishes up at the end of 2019, after programming the 75th anniversary season for 2020 – but this hasn’t affected his programming for next year’s International Concert Season.

“Each season stands unto itself,” he tells Limelight. “And I still try to make every season unlike any of those before it.”

This season will be even more unique in that only two of the groups have toured for Musica Viva before. “It’s actually a very daring year,” Vine says. “We’re really asking our patrons to have faith.”

The season opens with British cellist Natalie Clein and pianist Katya Apekisheva (who was in Australia earlier this month for the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville) in February/March. “It was time we had a cello recital on tour and it was really, we didn’t want to look at the normal suspects for cello,” Vine says. “I was particularly looking at [Clein’s] recent recordings, and she’s really dedicated...