As 2018 comes to an end there is a lot of opera to look forward to in 2019.

There will be even more stars, world premieres, new productions, and rarely performed works that will be showcased throughout the world. In celebration of the new year, lets take a look at the operas OperaWire believes are not be missed internationally in 2019.

10. Lakmé – Royal Opera Muscat

The Oman theater will present Delibes’ rarely performed work with a stellar cast of rising stars. Rafaella Lupinacci and Karen Garbeazabal headline new production, which is set to go to Roma, LA, Verona, Astana, Genova, and Cairo. Sergey Romanovsky rounds out the cast with Jordi Benacer conducting.

Performance Dates: March 28-30, 2019

9. Je Suis Narcissiste – Teatro Real

Raquel García-Tomás and Helena Tornero bring the world premiere to this new Spanish work. The cast and artistic team will be Spanish and Vinicius Kattah will conduct the Teatro Real orchestra at the Teatro Español, in what is the first collaboration between the two theatres, located in the neighboring plazas of Santa Ana and the Oriente.

Performance Dates: March 7-10, 2019

8. Die Tote Stadt – Teatro alla Scala 

Graham Vick directs the first-ever production of Korngold’s masterpiece at the Italian theater. Klaus Florian Vogt, Asmik Grigorian and Markus Werba headline the cast, which will be conducted by Alan Gilbert.

Performance Dates: May 28-June 17, 2019

7. Frankenstein – La Monnaie 

Scott Hendricks’ headlines Mark Grey’s world premiere, inspired by Mary Shelley’s classic novel. Basem Akiki conducts the work, which will be directed by the visually creatuve director Alex Olle.

6. L’Ange de Nisida-Donizetti Opera Festival 2019 

The Donizetti festival announced that the festival will give the first staged production of the newly reconstructed opera. The work, which made its world premiere in the summer of 2018, should be an interesting discovery for most audiences. Cast, dates and a production team have yet to be announced, but stay tuned as it should be something.

5. Salome – Bayerische Staatsoper 

Marliss Petersen makes her highly anticipated role debut in Strauss’ intense drama. The soprano headlines a new production by Krzysztof Warlikowski, which also stars Wiolfgang Koch and Pavol Breslik. Kirill Petrenko conducts the iconic score.

Performance Dates: June 27-July 10, 2019

4. L’Enigma di Lea – Gran Teatre del Liceu 

3. Medee – Salzburg Festival 2019 

Sonya Yoncheva brings Cherubini’s work back to the Salzburg Festival as she continues to bring the rarity back into the repertoire. The soprano, who made a triumphant role debut in Berlin, will be joined by a formidable cast, which includes Pavel Cernoch, Vitalik Kowaljow, Rosa Feola, and Alisa Kolosova. Thomas Hengelbrock conducts the work with Simon Stone directing.

Performance Dates: July 30-August 19, 2019

2. Die Frau Ohne Schatten – Wiener Staatsoper 

Christian Thielemann conducts a new production of Strauss’ masterwork. The cast includes Nina Stemme, Evelyn Herlitizus, Camila Nylund, Wolfgang Koch, and Stephen Gould. Vincent Huguet directs the new production.

Performance Dates: May 25-June 10, 2019

1. La Forza del Destino – Royal Opera House 

Anna Netrebko and Jonas Kaufmann reunite for the first time since 2008 in a staged production. The last time the two superstars performed in a complete opera was at the Royal Opera House in “La Traviata” and this time Antonio Pappano conducts the two with Ludovic Tézier, Ferruccio Furlanetto, and Alessandro Corbelli. The new production by Christof Loy also stars Liudmyla Monastyrska and Yusif Eyvazov in the second cast.

Performance Dates: March 21-April 22, 2019