Season Preview: Your guide to the arts in 2021

Musica Viva Australia has announced a preview of its 2021 season, featuring several programs rescued from 2020, plenty of Australian artists, as well as a staged presentation of Artistic Director Paul Kildea’s book Chopin’s Piano. The season is Kildea’s first as Artistic Director, following on from Carl Vine, and had to be completely reworked (with at least one large project bumped to 2022, Kildea reveals) to accommodate the changed landscape caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the mainstage tours have been announced, more details of the programs will be revealed through videos, podcasts and articles on the Musica Viva website in the lead up to tickets going on sale on 21 January.

Paul Kildea. Photo © Penny Bradfield

“Out of this terrible year, we wanted to create something optimistic and thrilling, filled with pride and imagination,” Kildea said.

“The first tour is one that we really wanted to keep from this year,” Kildea says in a video interview with Andrea Goldsmith. “Astonishing musician” oboist Diana Doherty will tour in March, premiering a new work by Lachlan Skipworth...