Julie Nesrallah, a mezzo-soprano with an international reputation, will host the daytime classical music show. (CBC)

CBC Radio has announced a slate of hosts for the revamped Radio 2 that includes Nova Scotia hip-hop artist Buck 65 and Toronto jazz singer Molly Johnson.

CBC plans to change the format of Radio 2 beginning Labour Day with programming that includes a classical block every day and a mix of musical genres throughout the day.

Titles of the new programs have yet to be announced, but the public broadcaster on Tuesday released the names of the hosts:

• Tom Allen, a veteran CBC broadcaster and former host of Fresh Air and Music & Co., who will host the morning show Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. That show is being called the "gateway" to Radio 2 and will have a mix of musical genres.
• Julie Nesrallah, a mezzo-soprano who has performed across Canada and around the world, will host the classical daytime show, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Rich Terfry, a.k.a. Buck 65, will host the drive-home show, focusing on singer-songwriters, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Johnson will host the new weekend morning shows airing Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and Sundays from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.
• Peter Togni, a composer, broadcaster and conductor, will be the new host of Choral Concert on Sunday morning.
• Jurgen Gothe, a veteran CBC broadcaster, will host a new show on Sundays from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

"We've got a really interesting mix of hosts. There are people who are familiar such as Tom Allen … and voices who are new to the network," said Chris Boyce, programming director for CBC English radio.

The celebrity talents were chosen for their on-air personas, he said. Johnson, a popular interpreter of blues and jazz, is known for her storytelling and relaxed presence.

Terfry, an innovative musician and singer, is expected to bring energy and a musician's perspective to the important drive-home show, where Radio 2 hopes to recruit new listeners.

"People know him as Buck 65, but his musical interests are far wider than that — from country, to blues to electronica," Boyce said. "We really hired him because of his passion for music."

CBC Radio 2 has not changed its plan to alter its format, despite a spate of criticism from classical music supporters and musicians across the country, Boyce said.

Not abandoning classical music: program director

Canada's parliamentary Heritage Committee is holding hearings across the country to get reaction to CBC's plan to revamp Radio 2 and shut down the CBC Radio Orchestra.

"Our strategy from Day 1 is that we need to reflect all the music made in Canada," Boyce said.

"The sense that we're abandoning classical couldn't be further from the truth," he added. "We still have five hours of classical programming daily, as well as our Saturday and … Sunday afternoon programs."

CBC will also launch four online radio stations in September, one dedicated to classical music and another to Canadian composers. The others are jazz and singer-songwriter stations.

Bill Richardson has previously been announced as host of Saturday Afternoon at the Opera and the Sunday concert show.