ABC Classic, the Australian classical music radio network, is celebrating its 50th anniversary on Saturday, January 24, 2026. The milestone follows five decades of continuous broadcasting, beginning as ABC FM in 1976.
The network has also released the results of its 2026 ABC Classic 100: Greatest of All Time countdown, which ran concurrently with the anniversary events. Voting for the countdown opened on May 4, 2025, and closed on May 28, 2025, with the final list announced on June 6–7, 2025.
Anniversary and Events
ABC Classic’s 50th-anniversary celebrations began on January 24 and will continue throughout 2026, with additional stories and programming scheduled across the network’s platforms.
A major related event is the ABC Classic 100 in Concert, scheduled for Saturday, June 27, 2026, at 7:30 PM at Hamer Hall in Melbourne. The concert, presented by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) since 2023, will feature live performances of the top-voted pieces from the 2025 ABC Classic 100 countdown. The program is finalized only after the countdown results are published in early June.
Since 2024, the concert has been co-hosted by ABC Classic Breakfast presenter Megan Burslem and ABC News presenter Jeremy Fernandez. Conductor Benjamin Northey has led the MSO for the concert since its 2023 debut. The concert will be broadcast on ABC TV, ABC iview, and ABC Classic radio. Tickets are on sale.
2026 Countdown Results: Beethoven Tops, Generational and Regional Variations
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor (the “Choral”) secured the number one position in the 2026 countdown. This marks the fifth time the work has topped the list, having previously done so in 2024, 2020, 2016, and 2010, and its third consecutive first-place finish.
Generational Top Choices
Voting data showed distinct generational preferences:
- Baby Boomers (born 1946–1964): Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor.”
- Generation X (born 1965–1980): John Williams’ Star Wars (Original Film Soundtrack).
- Millennials (born 1981–1996): Holst’s The Planets.
- Generation Z (born 1997–2012): Holst’s The Planets.
- Generation Alpha (born 2013–2025): John Williams’ Star Wars (Original Film Soundtrack).
Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue was the only work to appear in the top ten across all age groups (16+).
Regional Variations
Some works ranked significantly higher in specific regions compared to their national position:
- Western Australia: Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” ranked 8th locally (17th nationally); Wagner’s Ring Cycle ranked 37th locally.
- Northern Territory: Bizet’s Carmen ranked 7th locally (77th nationally); Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 8 “Pathétique” ranked 20th locally (80th nationally); Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” ranked 98th locally.
- Tasmania: Wagner’s Ring Cycle ranked 93rd locally.
- Canberra: Bizet’s Carmen ranked 77th.
Rising Works
- Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace reached 6th place, the highest position ever achieved by a living composer in an ABC Classic 100 countdown. Its previous rankings were 7th (2024), 47th (2025), and 23rd (2021).
- Nigel Westlake and Lior’s Compassion rose from 93rd (2021) to 84th (2024) to 54th (2026).
Composition Demographics
- Average composition year of all works in the top 100: 1883.
- Nine works in the 2026 top 100 were written after the first poll in 2001.
- 18 works by living composers (17 composers) placed in the top 100.
- John Williams contributed five entries, behind Mozart (five) and Beethoven (eight).
- Oldest piece: Hildegard von Bingen’s ‘O Ecclesia’ (1158).
- Youngest composer: Piers Burbrook de Vere (born 1985), co-composer of River (2021).
- Composers who finished works at age 22: Johann Sebastian Bach (Toccata and Fugue), Chopin (Nocturnes), Satie (Gymnopedies).
- Oldest composer finishing a work: Richard Strauss, Four Last Songs at age 84.
- Nationalities represented in the top 100: 12 German, 10 Australian, 7 American, 7 French, 7 Italian, 5 Russian.
Voting Trivia (Suburb-Level Number Ones)
- North Cowboys (Townsville): Grieg’s Peer Gynt
- Sydney Swans: Mozart’s Requiem
- Essendon Bombers: Barber’s Adagio for Strings
- Fremantle Dockers & Canberra Raiders: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9
- Port Adelaide Power: John Williams’ Schindler’s List
- Brisbane Broncos: Holst’s The Planets
- Collingwood FC: Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring
- West Coast Eagles (Claremont): Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9
Network History and Audience Connection
ABC Classic launched as ABC FM in 1976. Former and current presenters have described the network’s broad accessibility, particularly for listeners in regional areas. Damien Beaumont, a former presenter, noted that the station introduced him to classical music while he was growing up on a rural farm. Current Breakfast presenter Megan Burslem, who also grew up in a small rural town, stated she keeps rural listeners in mind during her broadcasts.
The network’s ‘Swoon’ compilation series, launched in the late 1990s with involvement from presenter Christopher Lawrence, achieved over 500,000 sales, becoming the highest-selling classical compilations in Australian music history. Presenter Ed Le Brocq reported an anecdote about a mother and daughter who reconnected by discussing the ‘Swoon’ segment daily.
Veteran broadcaster Marian Arnold, who spent 34 years at ABC Classic, received numerous letters from listeners for her ‘Love in the Afternoon’ program. During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, ABC Classic launched a national virtual Classic Choir. First Nations composer Deborah Cheetham Fraillon composed ‘Christmas With You,’ and 1,500 people nationwide submitted videos.
ABC Classic continues to feature a broad musical offering. Presenter Russell Torrance emphasized his discovery of Australian classical music as a living tradition. Presenter Vanessa Hughes reported that ABC Classic featured music by 1,138 female composers in the past year.
Classical Music Sector Performance
According to Live Performance Australia, the Australian classical music sector recorded a 14.5% revenue growth and a 7.6% attendance increase in 2024. This growth was attributed to film music concerts and a tour by Ludovico Einaudi. The UK’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra reported in 2025 that audience interest in concert hall music was at a three-year high.
Demographic research from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (2022) found that 65% of people under 35 regularly listen to orchestral music.
The St Louis Symphony Orchestra and LA Philharmonic reported that over half of their audiences are Gen X, Millennial, or Gen Z.
Opera Australia and The Australian Ballet reported significant operating losses in recent years. Live Performance Australia data showed declines in overall audience attendance for classical performance, while contemporary music audiences reached an all-time high.
Classical music continues to be incorporated into other media, including film scores, television, video games, and children’s programming such as Bluey. New classical works are being created, including Opera Australia’s premiere of The Drover’s Wife, and organizations such as Short Black Opera aim to increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation in the sector.