With the holidays coming to the fore, the opera schedule is slowly and surely growing thinner and thinner. Companies are starting to take their breaks to recoup for 2018, meaning that offerings are slimmer for operagoers.

But there are performances to be thankful for as a number of companies, big and small, are putting on a show. Here are the five performances that you can’t miss this weekend.

“Girls of the Golden West” – San Francisco Opera

John Adams’ latest opera is in its debut WEEK and, as is always the case with the famed composer, his latest work is set to be a mainstay of the canon for years to come.

Verdi Requiem – Metropolitan Opera

The Metropolitan Opera is also set to make some news this coming weekend as it showcases the first performance of Verdi’s famed mass in nearly a decade. The last time the famed piece was performed on the Met stage was in memory of Luciano Pavarotti’s death. Now it returns with a star-studded cast that includes Aleksandrs Antonenko, Krassimira Stoyanova, Ferruccio Furlanetto, and Ekaterina Semenchuk. James Levine conducts.

“Die Walküre” – Lyric Opera of Chicago

“…bass-baritone Eric Owens as Wotan and soprano Christine Goerke as Brünnhilde. Together they formed as formidable a duo for these roles as any in the opera world.” That was OperaWire’s review of this incredible production that was hailed universally. This will be the last weekend that the company showcases these two forces of nature in one of Wagner’s greatest operas, so you definitely don’t want to miss out.

“Into the Woods” – Opera on the Avalon

Opera on the Avalon is slowly but surely establishing its foothold on the opera world and this winter it will turn to the gray area that is Steven Sondheim, a composer whose music is firmly established as being “musical theater,” but who certainly has an operatic tendency. You can have your say by attending this showcase, which plays from Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017 at the St. John’s Arts & Culture Centre.

“La Traviata” – Regina Opera

Last, but certainly not least, is Regina Opera Company, which is currently in the midst of its run of “La Traviata.” “This was tender and emotional evening that lovers of opera will not want to miss,” wrote OperaWire’s Logan Martell on the opening night of the run. The opera closes its run on the 25 and 26^th of November.