Opera lover Zeinab Badawi meet stars from the world of opera who are seeking to make the genre fit for the 21st century. In this first episode, Zeinab talks to two of the biggest names in opera today: Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli and tenor Juan Diego Florez. Zeinab hears how Cecilia Bartoli is pushing the boundaries in a traditional man's world with a string of opera firsts to her name. And she talks to Peruvian-born tenor Juan Diego Florez about how he uses his Latin American flair and showmanship to attract new audiences and to re-imagine opera for the future.

In this second episode, Zeinab meets two sublime young opera stars who are grappling with a new world of opera. South African soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha believes black performers are more accepted in opera today than in previous decades, but she says that more still needs to be done. And Zeinab hears from French tenor Benjamin Bernheim who is worried about the impact of social media on young singers and fears streaming could devalue opera in the future Zeinab hears how Cecilia Bartoli is pushing the boundaries in a traditional man's world with a string of opera firsts to her name. And she talks to Peruvian-born tenor Juan Diego Florez about how he uses his Latin American flair and showmanship to attract new audiences and to re-imagine opera for the future.

Zeinab Badawi profiles four operatic stars to explore what is in store for opera as it embraces greater diversity and innovative ways of production and of reaching new audiences. Zeinab talks to two established leading lights of the opera world, Italian mezzo Cecilia Bartoli and Peruvian-born tenor Juan Diego Florez, and to two rising opera stars who are fast establishing their careers as names of the future, South African soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha and French tenor Benjamin Bernheim.