Merola Opera Program Reveals 28 Selected Artists For 2025
This year's cohort of participants hail from China, Malaysia, New Zealand, and South Korea, as well as across the United States and Canada.
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
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