Opera Babes Leeds University and London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Knight, whose mother is the opera singer Gillian Knight, wrote for children's television early in her career. Both women have performed with the English touring company Opera della Luna and at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival. They began busking together in 2001 on London's Covent Garden, where they were first spotted and were signed for their first album by Sony. They became famous for singing "Un bel dì vedremo" ("One fine day we shall see" from the opera "Madame Butterfly"), the song that ITV used for their World Cup
Maria Maksakova Jr. de Perles" by Georges Bizet), among others. In 2002 Maksakova was among the Yelena Obraztsova Young opera singers competition's winners and a year later she joined the Bolshoi as a guest soloist, appearing as Oscar ("Un ballo in maschera" by Giuseppe Verdi) and Musetta ("La Boheme" by Giacomo Puccini). In 2006 she joined the Moscow Helikon-Opera and there appeared as The Princess in Antonín Dvořák's "Rusalka", Rosina in "II Barbiere di Siviglia", Susanna in Mozart's "Le nozze di Figaro" and others. In 2011 Maksakova joined the Mariinsky Opera Company where she sings Dorabella ("Cosi fan tutte"), Cherubino ("Le nozze di