At approximately this time one week from now, La Cieca hears, the Metropolitan Opera will announce its 2017-2018 season. So what better time for a competition in which you, the cher public (pictured), attempt to predict the future? 

Your task, cher public, is to guess the casting for a specified 20 roles in the Met’s 2017-2018 repertoire in the comments section below. In the case of operas which will likely include multiple casts across the season, please name only one singer;  the name of any singer identified as cast in a given role in the season announcement will be counted as a correct answer.

The competition will be declared closed at 10:00 am Wednesday, February 15 or upon the press release of the Met’s 2017-2018 season. After the official release of the season announcement, the contestant with the greatest number of correct responses according to that announcement will be declared the winner. In the case of a tie, the earliest datestamped comment of the tied entries will be declared the winner.

The cher public are reminded that the final determination of the winner in this competition will be left to La Cieca, whose decree will both final and arbitrary.

The winner of this competition will receive a coveted $100 gift card from amazon.com.

Ready to play, cher public?  Here are the 20 roles in search of casting:

Who will sing…

1. Arsace in Semiramide?
2. Athanael in Thaïs?
3. Azucena in Il trovatore?
4. Canio in Pagliacci?
5. Cendrillon in Cendrillon?
6. Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly?
7. Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor?
8. Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte?
9. Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow?
10. Hansel in Hansel and Gretel?
11. Heroines in Les Contes d’Hoffmann?
12. Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore?
13. Orest in Elektra?
14. Oronte in I Lombardi?
15. Parsifal in Parsifal?
16. Romeo in Romeo et Juliette?
17. Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana?
18. Senor Russell in The Exterminating Angel?
19. Tenor soloist in Verdi Requiem?
20. Tosca in the opening performance of Tosca (December 31, 2017)?