The 2017-18 season comes to an end and in comes festival season. So where are the big stars and what are interesting works being discovered this year?

With a ton of selections to be sure, we whittled it down to the 10 Must-See productions (as we did with the U.S.) that cannot be missed this summer.

10. Tristan und Isolde – Teatro Colón: Daniel Barenboim returns to Argentina, bringing a production from the Berlin State Opera. The return marks the first time a Berlin production is brought to the historical Argentine theater. Peter Seiffert and Anja Kampe star in Wagner’s legendary work.

Performance dates: July 11-22, 2018

9. Beatrice Cenci – Bregenz Festival: Johannes Debus conducts the Austrian premiere of Berthold Goldschmi’s 1949/50 opera. Described as a “real bel canto opera,” which ends with a poignant requiem for the two executed women, is set to star Christoph Pohl, Dshamilja Kaiser, and Gal James, among others. Johannes Erath directs the production.

Performance Dates: July 19-July 30, 2018

8. La Dafne – Maggio Musicale Fiorentino: With Marco da Gagliano, the Maggio Musicale will start an initiative to present and revive Florentine opera classics. Written in 1608 from a libretto by Ottavio Rinuccini, “La Dafne” represents one of Gagliano’s masterworks. Gianmaria Aliverta directs the new production and is conducted by Federico Maria Sardelli.

Performance Dates: June 25-29, 2018

7. The Bassairds – Salzburg Festival: Krzysztof Warlikowski directs Hans Werner Henze’s 1966 work with a stellar cast that includes Sean Panikkar, Russell Braun, Willard White, Nikolai Schukoff, and Károly Szemerédy, among others. Kent Nagano conducts the Vienna State Opera. 

Performance Dates: August 16-26, 2018

6. Ricciardo e Zoraide – Rossini Opera Festival: Juan Diego Flórez returns to Pesaro for a new role alongside Pretty Yende. The two star in a new production by Marshall Pynkoski with Bel Canto specialist Giacomo Sagripanti. Sergey Romanovsky and Nicola Ulivieri round out the cast.

Performance Dates: August 11-20, 2018 

5. Il Pirata – Teatro alla Scala: Sonya Yoncheva makes her fourth role debut of the season in Bellini’s work. Emilio Sagi directs the new production, which marks the first production at La Scala since 1958, when Maria Callas sang the opera. Riccardo Frizza conducts an incredible cast that includes Piero Pretti, Nicola Alaimo, and Riccardo Fassi.

Performance Dates: June 29-July 19, 2018

4. Adriana Lecovreur – Baden-Baden Festival: Anna Netrebko teams up with Valery Gergiev for Cilea’s work. Together they bring the Mariinsky Theatre to Germany and the production by Isabelle Partiot-Pieri, which premiered last summer. Ekaterina Semenchuk and Yusif Eyvazov join them in what critics called “thrilling.”

Performance Dates: July 20 & 23, 2018

3. Lohengrin – Royal Opera House: Andris Nelsons conducts cast of Wagnerians in a new production by David Alden. Klaus Florian Vogt returns to the Royal Opera in the title role with Christine Goerke, Georg Zeppenfeld, and Jennifer Davis in her first Wagnerian role with the company.

Performance Dates: June 7-July 1, 2018

2. Lohengrin – Bayreuth Festival: Roberto Alagna makes his Wagnerian debut at the mecca of th famed composer. Christian Thielemann conducts a new production by Yuval Sharon with a distinguished cast of Wagnerians that includes Anja Harteros, Waltraud Meier, Georg Zeppenfeld, and Tomasz Konieczny. The production also opens the legendary festival.

Performance Dates: July 25-August 10, 2018

1. Parsifal – Munich Opera Festival: Jonas Kaufmann sings the title role in Wagner’s epic in a new production by Pierre Audi. Kaufmann, who has received raves throughout his career for his interpretation, is joined by Kirill Petrenko in the pit, Nina Stemme, René Pape, Christian Gerhaher, and Wolfgang Koch.

Performance Dates: June 28-July 31, 2018