Next year’s lineup of six mainstage operas offers choices for traditional and contemporary opera fans alike.

The season will be the first following the departure of Riccardo Muti as music director. But the maestro will be close at hand as he continues his association with the CSO.

Banner works by Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Prokofiev headline Muti’s three CSO residencies, ahead of the conclusion of his tenure with Beethoven’s Missa solemnis.

It’s been a strange, difficult year for the music world, which is all the more reason to celebrate musical excellence.