In the backstage area of a Cape Town theatre, between a dance and a laugh, a small group of opera students is getting ready for a performance. At the University of Cape Town, the continent's most prestigious opera school is training the singers of tomorrow. "If we are the only full opera training academy in the country, or on the continent, then we owe it to these young people to tell them of our existence and to make it clear that they’re welcome," says Jeremy Silver, the school’s director. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES ARRANGED IN SEQUENCES