Garth Knox: for the love of the Viola d’amore

Used to make string instrument bows for more than 200 years, Brazilian authorities wish to tighten trade on the critically endangered brazilwood tree, due to repeated illegal exploitation.

For five decades, Irvine Arditti has been at the forefront of new music for string quartet. Ahead of concerts at Suntory Hall, Tokyo, Arditti talks about his many collaborations with composers – including a long friendship with Toshio Hosokawa.

The celebrated Elias String Quartet’s violinist Donald Grant and new violist Simone van der Giessen talk about performing Beethoven’s string quartet cycle in Japan for the first time.

We catch up with Zimbabwean-American conductor Vimbayi Kaziboni as he visits Manchester to conduct the BBC Philharmonic – in a project exploring interactions between the orchestra and artificial intelligence.

We profile one of the most advanced and best-sounding concert halls in the UK, and take a look further afield at arts and culture across Manchester.

How is the classical music world changing? Looking back on a dizzying year, we pay particular attention to performers’ international connectedness. Documenting more than 30,000 events, Bachtrack’s statistics provide valuable insight into an unstable world.