The 2019-20 season is underway with a lot of major companies kicking off their season this very week. Among them is an increasingly prestigious festival. Here are our top eight operas to see this weekend.

Il Barbiere di Siviglia – Painted Sky Opera, Oklahoma

On Friday night, the Painted Sky Opera will showcase the first opera of its new season. The famed opera will star Ben Edquist as Figaro, Mary Beth Nelson as Rosina, Isaac Frischman as Count Almaviva, and Andy Papas as Bartolo, all in their Painted Sky Opera debuts. Performances are set for Friday and Sunday. 

The Love For Three Oranges / Semele / Denis and Katya / Let Me Die – Opera Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Opera Philadelphia’s hotly-anticipated O19 festival gets underway with a plethora of unique works including Prokofiev’s masterpiece fairy tale and a Handel work that is gaining a lot of traction. 

But then you also get a chance to see the world premiere runs of operas of “Denis and Katya” and “Let Me Die” which are among the reasons that this festival is so essential to opera culture. The four operas run throughout the weekend. 

Henry VIII – Odyssey Opera, Boston, Massachusetts

Odyssey Opera’s mission has always been to shine a light on unique operas that often draw the short straw. And this Saturday, the company will open its 2019-20 season with a rare opera by Saint-Saëns that includes an incredible cast led by Ellie Dehn, Michael Chioldi, Hilary Ginther, and Yegishe Maucharyan, all under the baton Gil Rose. 

Chances of seeing this opera in the near future are rare, so don’t miss this opportunity. 

Madama Butterfly – Baltimore Concert Opera, Maryland

The Baltimore Concert Opera consistently puts on top-end concert performances of major operas with piano reduction, making its upcoming presentation of the Puccini classic all the more exciting. When you throw in the fact that Christine Lyons is taking on the title role, that excitement increases considerably. The soprano, who recently starred in Teatro Nuovo’s mesmerizing “La Straniera,” will likely get a chance to truly showcase her operatic power in one of the repertory’s most challenging roles. The cast will include Cameron Schutza, Daniel Scofield, Kelsey Robertson, and Orin Strunk, among others. 

Performances are set for Friday and Sunday. 

Regina Opera + Pops – Regina Opera, Brooklyn, NY

Regina Opera is set to open its 50th season with a concert featuring a wide range of repertory. The performance on Sunday will star sopranos Taerra Pence and Elena Jannicelli-Sandella, mezzo-soprano Galina Ivannikova, tenor Peter Hakjoon Kim, baritone Jonathan R. Green, and pianist Victoria Ulanovskaya.