CBC Radio Two is renewing its commitment to classical music on weekends with the creation of a flagship Sunday-afternoon show featuring high-quality classical performances.

The Sunday show, to run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., is as yet unnamed, but will feature classical performances from the best Canadian and international symphonies and chamber orchestras.

"Our goal is to produce the highest-quality, best classical show in the world," said Jane Chalmers, vice-president of English Radio, in an interview with CBC Arts Online.

"We want it to stand out as exceptional."

CBC Radio executive director of programming Jennifer McGuire unveiled the new program Thursday, as part of the second phase of a revamp of CBC Radio Two.

The first phase, launched in March, featured changes to weekday evening programs including shorter newscasts and a live performance show.

The second phase involves changes to programming from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

"The intent of the change is to respect the audience we already have and to maintain the legacy of our service," McGuire said. At the same time, CBC Radio Two wants to reflect the diverse range of music created in Canada that never makes it to the airwaves, she said.

Much of the audience for CBC Radio Two is over 65, Chalmers said, and the network wants to grow younger audiences by drawing them into classical listening with better-quality and more contemporary works.
 
Saturday afternoon's popular opera programming will continue, but move to a 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. time slot, and CBC will maintain its relationship with the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

But the exact shape of CBC Radio Two programming in the 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. time slot and the period after 5 p.m. has yet to be decided.

The midday period will be devoted to musical recordings on disc, but the music could be drawn from many genres, depending on the show ideas put forward.

McGuire has put out a call for ideas for program concepts for both time periods.

The early evening time slot would be music-related, but with more potential for talk about context, biography or trends.

"They could be 30-minute, one-hour or two-hour shows — depending on what ideas come forward," McGuire said. Shows in this time slot would rotate and evolve, she said.

At this point, Symphony Hall and On Stage are the only shows on the chopping block.

The aim is to launch the Sunday-afternoon classical show and rescheduled Saturday opera show in October. A host search is on for both programs.

The Sunday-afternoon show will feature 76 per cent Canadian content, and CBC is already building partnerships with Canada's top symphonies and chamber groups to create a program that is more than just musical performance, according to Mark Steinmetz, director of CBC Radio Music.

CBC is making arrangements with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra over its plan to play all nine Beethoven symphonies next year, he said.

The Sunday show could feature the performances, but also interviews with the conductor and background from Vancouver music experts.

There will be new online offerings with the revamped schedule. Already CBC Radio Two listeners have made its website the top radio site in the country.

Listeners stay an average of 13 minutes, meaning they are taking the time to listen to streamed broadcasts online, Steinmetz said.