It’s the time of year when opera houses and concert halls begin to announce their new seasons and – where possible – we try and upload listings to Bachtrack quickly. So far, opera announcements have been made at Opéra de Paris, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Dallas.

In Los Angeles, The Pearl Fishers – in Penny Woolcock’s production familiar to audiences at ENO and The Met – is attractively cast, with Nino Machaidze and Javier Camarena as Leïla and Nadir. 2018 is Leonard Bernstein’s centenary. I’ve no doubt several companies will stage West Side Story, but LA Opera chooses to put on Candide instead – a flawed work, but one containing some fabulous tunes and witty, satirical lyrics. There’s also a rare chance to see Philip Glass’ La Belle et la Bête.

Highlight of the coming season at San Francisco will undoubtedly be John Adams’ new opera, Girls of the Golden West – not a remake of Puccini’s La fanciulla del West, but set at the same time, when people flocked to the Gold Country hoping to strike it rich. Elsewhere, big name sopranos dominate: Nina Stemme sings Turandot and Christine Goerke sings Elektra. At the end of the season, Wagner’s Ring arrives – in Francesca Zambello’s acclaimed staging and with a cast including the incredible Evelyn Herlitzius as Brünnhilde. Not to be missed!

I’m predicting the big draw in Europe next season will be a new production of Verdi’s Don Carlos at the Opéra de Paris – in the original French and with a cast to die for: Jonas Kaufmann, Sonya Yoncheva (her first Elisabeth), Ludovic Tézier, Elīna Garanča (her first Eboli). Even more excitingly – for opera nerds like me – we’re promised the enitre opera, restoring the bits Verdi was forced to remove before the première so that the Parisian public could get back home afterwards. Thankfully, the Metro and RER run late services!

Other Parisian delights include new productions (to the House, at least) of Patrice Chéreau’s From the House of the Dead, Terry Gilliam’s Benvenuto Cellini and a brand new Parsifal from Richard Jones, the latest episode in Philippe Jordan’s Wagnerian odyssey.

Two new productions feature in Seattle Opera’s 2017-18 season. Ludovic Morlot – more usually heard at the Seattle Symphony – is at the helm for Berlioz’s Béatrice et Bénédict (the double cast featuring Daniela Mack), while Francesca Zambello’s Aida, unveiled this season at San Francisco, should make an impact in the designs of the graffiti artist RETNA. Leah Crocetto is the pick of the double cast.

Rarity klaxon at Dallas Opera next season: Erich Korngold’s Die tote Stadt gets the occasional outing, but Dallas is presenting his one-act opera The Ring of Polykrates, composed when the Wunderkind was just 17 years old. It is paired with a performance of Korngold’s evergreen Violin Concerto, written much later, after his Hollywood career.

The London Symphony Orchestra has also unveiled its 2017-18 season programme – the first with new music director Sir Simon Rattle. It begins with a ten day celebration under the banner ‘This is Rattle’. The very first concert makes a firm statement of intent about British music, with Birtwistle, Adès, Knussen and Grime sharing the bill with Elgar. Other highlights in the LSO season can be found in our preview.

Keep your eyes peeled on Twitter. We’ll announce new season listings as they are added to the site by the Bachtrack elves.