Ben Heppner has retired from his post at CBC Music.

Heppner announced the news after spending eight years as the host of “Saturday Afternoon at the Opera” and “Backstage” for CBC.

During his farewell show over Labor Day weekend, Heppner 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.”

Mezzo-soprano Marion Newman is set to replace Heppner as host on “Saturday Afternoon at the Opera” while soprano Frédéricka Petit-Homme will be the new host of Choral Concert. CBC Music also announced that Julie Nesrallah will be launching a new, weekly show, Julie’s Opera Jewels and conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser will continue as the host of Centre Stage.