Opera Babes Karen England and Rebecca Knight are well named. Apart from their obvious beauty, theirs is a rags-to-riches story, pretty operatic in itself.

One moment they were busking in Covent Garden, the next they had been asked to sing at an FA Cup final.

Record offers followed and with their first album, they were quickly at the top of the classical charts and stayed there for weeks.

That's just the fairytale. Karen says the truth is a little different.

She explains: "Both of us are trained opera singers. I began training when I was ten and have since learned the business at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama on tour.

"Rebecca's mother is a noted classical singer and she is also trained and has been hanging round the Royal Opera House hearing Wagner and such like since she was born.

"We both met while working on The Magic Flute for Travelling Opera and also sang together with Opera Ireland and our ambition is still to become opera singers, singing in full operas on the world's opera stages.

"But what we have found is we have been able to bring in younger people to listen to opera. Our current tour has drawn audiences from their 20s to old age.

"I know we have been accused of dumbing down but that isn't true. Come and see us in the concert hall and you will get a straight classical concert."

In the past 12 months the duo have appeared at the Royal Opera House and the Royal Albert Hall Remembrance Service as well as before the Queen at Buckingham Palace and at the Commonwealth Games.

They have been to America and will shortly be recording their second album. Karen says: "Our concerts are completely different to our albums.

"In Brighton we shall be singing some of the more famous duets from the great operas as well as singing individually.

"I shall be singing arias from Carmen among others while Rebecca will be singing the Song To The Mood from Rusalka and arias from La Boheme.

"Carl Davis will be putting the items in context, explaining the opera stories and how the arias fit. I am a high mezzo while Rebecca is a lyric soprano.

"We want to do two jobs - please opera-goers by letting them hear some of their favourite pieces straight, as the composer intended, and to introduce people who do not know opera to the art form and, hopefully, encourage them to go to a full opera."

Call 01273 709709 for further details.