ABC Classic marks 50 years on air this Saturday January 24 with a special all-day broadcast including archival recordings, ‘best of’ live concerts, tributes from past and present presenters, listener stories, and other memorable moments.

From 6am through to midnight, listeners across the country are invited to be part of the national celebrations.

ABC Classic presenters will share stories, surprises and special recordings made exclusively for ABC Classic. The day begins with Ed Le Brocq, followed by Megan Burslem and Genevieve Lang across the morning. Mairi Nicolson, Vanessa Hughes, Russell Torrance and Alice Keath take over in the afternoon, before Joel Carnegie, Lucas Burns and Danielle McGrane bring the celebrations to a close in the evening.

The broadcast will feature two specially curated concert programs demonstrating the best of ABC Classic’s history and the importance of documenting artists from every corner of Australia.

Featured will be acclaimed pianist, new ABC Classic presenter and host of ABC’s The Piano, Andrea Lam, performing Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra from her 1999 Young Performers Awards appearance, alongside outstanding Australian musicians including Diana Doherty, Marshall McGuire and Emily Sun.

Australia’s state orchestras, under conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Riccardo Muti, Jaime Martín and Stuart Challender, also feature across the day as will music premiered on ABC Classic, with works by Australian composers Lachlan Skipworth, Alice Chance, Deborah Cheetham Fraillon and Elena Kats‑Chernin, plus Classic 100 favourites from across the years.

In this milestone celebration, ABC Classic honours the listeners, presenters, musicians and moments that have made it a trusted and much-loved part of Australian life for 50 years.

You can listen to ABC Classic on the radio, stream online  or via the ABC listen app. For more about this Saturday January 24’s Classic’s 50th, head to the ABC Classic website.