Three new opera and classical music hosts announced
TORONTO — CBC Music announced today new hosts for three of its weekend opera and classical music programs following opera tenor Ben Heppner’s retirement as host of Saturday Afternoon at the Opera and Backstage with Ben Heppner.
Heppner (above) hosted his farewell show over Labour Day weekend.
According to a press release, during the show he said: “I’ve decided to move into a new phase of my life. Although I won’t be working anymore — there’s lots of things that I want to do…and I want to thank you for making Saturday Afternoon at the Opera a regular part of your week. Thank you too for the emails and letters you’ve written — many of you have become a treasured presence in my life. You will be missed.”
Starting Saturday, Sept. 11, Kwagiulth and Stó:lō First Nations mezzo-soprano Marion Newman will take over the microphone as host of Saturday Afternoon at the Opera, which airs at 1 p.m.
CBC Music’s Sunday program Choral Concert is also getting a new host as previous host Katherine Duncan moves into a new producing role for CBC Music. Montreal-born soprano Frédéricka Petit-Homme will begin hosting the show on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 9 a.m.
Finally, orchestral conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser is the new host of Centre Stage, which airs Saturdays at 12 p.m. on CBC Music.
With CBC Music’s Backstage program coming to an end with Heppner’s retirement, a new show called Best of Backstage, showcasing highlights from the program’s eight-year run, will broadcast on CBC Radio One this fall, starting Saturday, Sept. 11 at 11 p.m.
“Ben’s sharing of his adventures during his opera career deeply engaged a community of dedicated listeners each weekend. We are grateful for his stories and will greatly miss his telling of them on the CBC airwaves,” said Steve Jordan, senior director of CBC Music, in a press release.
“We are quite excited for audiences to hear how Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, Marion Newman and Frédéricka Petit-Homme will bring their vast music knowledge and lived experiences to our classical, choral and opera listeners.”
CBC Music also announced mezzo-soprano Julie Nesrallah is launching a new weekly one-hour show, Julie’s Opera Jewels, which will broadcast Saturday afternoons at 4 p.m. starting Saturday, Sept. 11 on CBC Music and CBC Listen.
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Photo borrowed from CBC’s website.
