Photos: Inside the Merola Opera 2026 Summer Festival Grand Finale

This summer’s program features 28 artists selected by Merola from over 1,500 international applicants.

By: Nicole Rosky Aug. 16, 2026

San Francisco’s acclaimed Merola Opera Program, one of the world’s most prestigious opera training programs, will close its 2026 Summer Festival with the annual Merola Grand Finale. This electrifying performance showcases tomorrow’s opera superstars in an evening of arias, ensembles, and scenes spanning both beloved classics and bold contemporary repertoire onstage at San Francisco’s glittering War Memorial Opera House.

This summer’s program features 28 artists selected by Merola from over 1,500 international applicants, with participants representing Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America. Conducted by William Long, who previously led Merola’s 2025 Schwabacher Summer Concert, and directed by 2026 Merola Stage Director Claire Choquette, the program highlights the remarkable technical command, expressive range, and artistic growth of these emerging artists offering up a celebratory capstone performance at the home of the San Francisco Opera. Following the performance, Merola will offer an opportunity to join the artists for a celebratory reception at the Wilsey Center for Opera (additional ticket required - $85). The Merola Grand Finale will be presented 7:30pm, Saturday, August 15, 2026, at the War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco. Performed with English supertitles. For more information or to purchase tickets ($95/$75/$65/$35; $25/$15 (ages 25 and under)), the public may visit merola.org or call the San Francisco Box Office at 415-864-3330.

The program will showcase a rich and stylistically diverse selection of repertoire spanning opera, song, and musical theater. Audiences will enjoy beloved works by celebrated composers including Mozart, Verdi, Massenet, Puccini, Donizetti, and Gounod. It will also include compelling selections from John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles, Hector Berlioz's Les Troyens, Terence Blanchard's Champion, Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's My Fair Lady, and Puccini's La Fanciulla del West and La Rondine. The repertoire will be presented in French, German, Italian, English, Spanish, Korean, and Turkish with English supertitles, highlighting both the breadth of the operatic canon and the global traditions that continue to shape it. Program and repertoire selections are subject to change.

The 2026 Merola Opera Program artists include:

Sakurako Jayne Abe Hokkaido, Japan (Pianist/Coach)
Theo Claveles Lebanon, Connecticut (Mezzo-Soprano)
Claire Choquette Edmond, Oklahoma (Stage Director)
Shannon Crowley Virginia Beach, Virginia (Soprano)
Katherine Dobbs Appleton, Wisconsin (Mezzo-Soprano)
Adia Evans Baltimore, Maryland (Soprano)
Stella FitzGerald Austin, Texas (Mezzo-Soprano)
Theo HarrahLouisville, Kentucky (Bass)
Chester Seungyup Han Seoul, South Korea (Tenor)
Eric Head Fairmont, Minnesota (Pianist/Coach)|
Paul Jang Seoul, South Korea (Baritone)
Ryan Bryce Johnson Muleshoe, Texas (Tenor)
Emilie Kealani San Francisco, California (Soprano)
Charlotte Kelso Adelaide, Australia (Soprano)
Ariana Maubach Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Mezzo-Soprano)
John Mburu Atlanta, Georgia (Bass)
Cole McIlquham Osseo, Wisconsin (Tenor)
Raúl Morales Velazco Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico (Bass)
Enes Pektaş Mersin, Türkiye (Baritone)
Abigail Raiford Tulsa, Oklahoma (Soprano)
Jennifer Robinson Lakeland, Florida (Soprano)
Deven Shah Erie, Pennsylvania (Pianist/Coach)
Matthew Sink Las Vegas, Nevada (Tenor)
Tony Stauffer Montreal, Québec, Canada (Pianist/Coach)
Charles Styles Tamworth, United Kingdom (Tenor)
Anna Thompson Rochester, Michigan (Soprano)
Logan Wagner Villa Hills, Kentucky (Tenor)
Yue Qi Zhang Nanjing, Jiangsu, China (Pianist/Coach)

The Merola Opera Program is widely regarded as the foremost opera training program for aspiring singers, pianists, and stage directors. Merola nurtures the opera stars of tomorrow through master classes and private coaching with opera’s most accomplished singers, coaches, conductors, and directors. Participants also receive training in operatic repertoire, languages, diction, acting, stage movement, and professional development. Offered free of charge to all participants, the Merola Opera Program is unique in the industry, providing a comprehensive curriculum with a strong emphasis on developing the “whole” artist. This includes personal and leadership development, financial planning, mental and physical wellness, as well as publicrelations and branding. It is the only young artist program to provide financial support to developing artists for five years following their participation, offering aid for essential career development.

Photo Credit: Kristen Loken