Thirty years after the competition's inception, the search for the next BBC Cardiff Singer of the World is under way. Widely regarded as the most important international singing competition, it has been responsible for helping launch the careers of some of the greatest names in opera today.

This programme looks back at Cardiff Singer of the World's history, from its start in 1983 when the Finnish soprano Karita Mattila lifted the trophy, and celebrates some of the competition's greatest moments including 1989's legendary battle of the baritones between Bryn Terfel and Dmitri Hvorostovsky.

As singers from all over the globe descend on Cardiff, the programme also reflects on the truly international nature of the competition and how the eyes of the operatic world's most influential names are focused on the St David's Hall stage, in anticipation of who will be crowned BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2013. Show less