Merola Opera Program Reveals 28 Selected Artists For 2025

San Francisco's acclaimed Merola Opera Program has selected 28 artists from a pool of nearly 1,300 international applicants to participate in its 2025 program. This year's cohort of participants hail from China, Malaysia, New Zealand, and South Korea, as well as across the United States and Canada. 

“We are thrilled to welcome these exceptionally talented artists for what promises to be a remarkable summer,” said San Francisco Opera Center Artistic Director Carrie-Ann Matheson and General Manager Markus Beam (Merola '02). “The 2025 Merola participants will benefit from an immersive program that includes musical, dramatic, and linguistic training from our world-renowned faculty. In addition, they'll be provided with training in leadership skills, mental and physical wellness, financial literacy, and career management. Our mission is to deliver comprehensive training for our artists, empowering them with the skills and resources needed to build a sustainable and successful career in the arts.” 

“We are excited to welcome this extraordinary group of artists to San Francisco for a summer of transformative growth,” said Merola Executive Director Sean Waugh. “As they embark on this journey, they join a thriving community of over 1,700 distinguished alumni and hundreds of passionate supporters who are united by a shared dedication to the future of opera. Merola not only equips artists with technical mastery, leadership skills, and resilience but also provides a lifelong network of peers and mentors, ensuring participants' success in an ever-evolving opera landscape.” 

Public performances for the 2025 Merola Summer Festival will be announced in the spring.  

The 2025 Merola Opera Program artists include:

Sopranos  

Ariane Cossette, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 

Alexa Frankian, Oakville, Ontario, Canada 

Sofia Gotch, Oakland, California 

Song Hee Lee, Seoul, South Korea 

Eva Rae Martinez, Doylestown, Pennsylvania 

Charlotte Siegel, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Mezzo-Sopranos 

Meg Brilleslyper, Colorado Springs, Colorado 

Sadie Cheslak, Duluth, Minnesota  

Ruby Dibble, Kansas City, Missouri 

Ariana Maubach, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 

Anna Maria Vacca, Providence, Rhode Island 

Tenors 

Emmanuel Fonoti-Fuimaono, New Zealand 

Wesley Harrison, Windsor, Ontario, Canada 

Minghao Liu, Qingdao, Shandong, China 

Tristan Tournaud, Nashville, Tennessee  

Jin Yu, Jiangsu, China 

Baritones  

Benjamin Dickerson, Milton, Vermont 

Gabriel Natal-Baez, Toa Alta, Puerto Rico 

Joeavian Rivera, Orlando, Florida 

Bass-Baritones 

Wanchun Liang, Shijiazhuang, China 
Justice Yates, Leesburg, Florida 

Bass 

John Mburu, Warwick, Rhode Island 

Pianists/Coaches  

Brian Cho, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada 

Brian McCann, Freehold, New Jersey 

Deven Shah, Erie, Pennsylvania 

Tzu Kuang Tan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

Dain Yule Yoon, Seoul, South Korea 

Stage Director 

Elio Bucky, San Francisco, California