(Credit: Wiener Staatsoper/InArt Management/Marius Baragan/Kristen Hoebermann/Opus Artist)

Every year the Metropolitan Opera includes certain elements of surprise in its season planning, whether in repertoire or in casting choices. Sometimes those casting choices are unexpected and include important returns to the stage.

This season, OperaWire is spotlighting six major artists that have not performed on the Met stage in years and will be welcomed additions to hear and see in 2020-21.

Ludovic Tézier

It’s been nine years since Met audiences last saw the French baritone Tézier. Since his Met debut in 2002 Tézier has charmed Met audiences in 34 productions including “La Boheme,” “Lucia di Lammermoor,” “Le Nozze di Figaro,” and “Carmen.” He has also been seen in two HD productions. However, his appearances have recently been rare and this season Tézier will return for a new production of “Aida” and later for “Il Trovatore.”

Veronica Simeoni 

In 2017, Simeoni made her Met debut in one performance as Charlotte in “Werther.” Since then the mezzo-soprano’s profile has risen around the world making acclaimed debuts at the Royal Opera and Dutch National Opera. She is a main stay at the Teatro la Fenice where she has performed some of her most iconic roles. Now three years after her Met debut, Simeoni returns for a full run of performances in Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann.”

Angela Gheorghiu

The Romanian soprano is one of the most well known sopranos of her generation. Since her Met debut in 1993, the soprano has performed 96 times at the company in “La Traviata,” “Carmen,” “Turandot,” “Tosca,” and “La Boheme.” She also headlined a new production of “La Rondine” in 2008. Her last performances at the Met came in 2015 in the title role of “Tosca.” After five years, the soprano returns to the Met for Mimi, the role of her debut.

Brandon Jovanovich

Jovanovich is one of the most acclaimed dramatic tenors of his generation. He made his Met debut in 2010 in “Carmen,” performing the opera 18 times. Since then he has been featured 31 times making rare appearances with the company. His last performance came in 2017 in a production of “Rusalka.” Three years later the tenor will finally return for “Fidelio,” an opera he debuted at the Wiener Staatsoper in 2019.

Alek Shrader

The American tenor first came to the attention of audiences in 2007 when he won the Met National Council Auditions and was featured in the film “The Audition.” He then made his Met debut in “The Tempest,” which won a Grammy and was featured on the Met HD series. He would go on to sing 34 performances including the new production of “The Merry Widow.” However, since that 2015 production, Shrader has been absent from the Met. This season he returns for “Fidelio” to celebrate Beethoven’s 250th anniversary and for his third HD performance.