Catch opera's rising stars at the Merola Summer Festival!
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Each summer, Merola Opera Program brings a diverse international group of opera artists on the cusp of their careers to San Francisco for an intensive tuition-free training program. As part of their training, the artists work with esteemed faculty, including world-renowned conductors and stage directors to produce the Merola Summer Festival of concerts, a recital, and a fully staged opera. Merola alumni go on to grace the stages of opera houses across the globe.
Tickets Available for Members Starting April 14 – Join Today!
Experience a summer filled with drama and excitement while meeting the artists shaping the future of opera. Become a member to enjoy early access to tickets and exclusive opportunities to engage with one of the world’s premier opera training programs.
Individual performance tickets will be available to Merola members Tuesday, April 14, with remaining tickets available to the public beginning Friday, May 1. Patrons can also save on tickets by purchasing the full four-production Merola Summer Festival package. Members receive 20% off when buying between Tuesday, April 14 and Thursday, April 30, or 10% off when purchasing between Friday, May 1 and Wednesday, June 24.
Merola membership also offers exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the training of emerging artists, along with unique opportunities to connect with these rising stars through master classes, receptions, and special events. Enjoy a front-row seat to the future of opera-and the chance to say, “I knew them when!”
For more information, visit merola.org or call the San Francisco Opera Box Office at 415-864-3330.
Please note, for online sales, your full four-production package discount will automatically apply once you have added each event to the cart.
Package Savings:
- Members receive 20% off when buying before Thursday, April 30.
- Members and the general public can save 10% when purchasing between Friday, May 1 and Wednesday, June 24.
Thursday, June 25, 2026, 7:00PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall • 50 Oak St
Tickets • $75; $55; $25 (ages 25 and under)
Curated by Merola faculty member Mario Antonio Marra, L’Anima Napoletana presents a selection of Neapolitan songs that celebrate the lyrical beauty, emotional depth, and distinctive character of Southern Italy. Spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries, these works combine folk-inspired melodies with refined Romantic harmonies, exploring themes of love, longing, joy, and nostalgia. This vocal/piano recital captures Italian warmth, passion, and rhythmic vitality, offering an intimate portrait of a musical tradition that bridges popular song and classical art music.
The program will be performed in Italian and Neapolitan dialect with English supertitles.
Cast
Mario Antonio Marra
Curator
Sakurako Jayne Abe
Pianist/Coach
Shannon Crowley
Soprano
Stella FitzGerald
Mezzo-Soprano
Chester Seungyup Han
Tenor
Theo Harrah
Bass
Eric Head
Pianist/Coach
Charlotte Kelso
Soprano
Cole McIlquham
Tenor
Deven Shah
Pianist/Coach
Tony Stauffer
Pianist/Coach
Logan Wagner
Tenor
Yue Qi Zhang
Pianist/Coach
Thursday, July 9, 2026, 7:00PM
Saturday, July 11, 2026, 2:00PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall • 50 Oak St
Tickets • $75; $25 (25 and under)
Helmed by conductor Stephanie Rhodes Russell (Merola ’09) and director Mo Zhou (Merola ’15), La Tragédie de Carmen is a condensed and starker adaptation of Bizet’s Carmen, created by Peter Brook, Jean-Claude Carrière, and Marius Constant. It strips the opera to its core characters and focuses tightly on the psychological conflict between Carmen’s insistence on absolute freedom and Don José’s obsessive love. The work emphasizes inevitability and emotional brutality over spectacle, presenting the story as an intimate tragedy driven by desire, jealousy, and fate.
The opera will be performed in French with English supertitles.
This production is by arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., Sole Agent in the US, Canada, and Mexico for Editions Salabert, a Universal Music Publishing Group company, publisher, and copyright owner.
Cast
Thursday, July 30, 2026, 7:00PM
Saturday, August 1, 2026, 2:00PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall • 50 Oak St
Tickets • $75; $25 (ages 25 and under)
Ariadne auf Naxos is a distinctive opera by Richard Strauss that blends mythological tragedy with lighthearted comedy in two parts: a Prologue shows a clash between serious and comic performers forced to share the stage, while the main opera depicts Ariadne’s despair after abandonment on Naxos. She is countered by Zerbinetta’s playful view of love, until the god Bacchus brings renewal and transformation. Celebrated for its inventive structure, virtuosic vocal writing, and seamless fusion of contrasting styles, the work holds an important place in the operatic canon as a sophisticated meditation on the relationship between art, emotion, and theatrical form. Conducted by Ann-Katrin Stöcker and directed by Omer Ben Seadia (Merola ’14).
The opera will be performed in German with English supertitles.
Cast
Ann-Katrin Stöcker
Conductor
Omer Ben Seadia (’14)
Director
Adia Evans
Ariadne
Matthew Sink
Bacchus
Emilie Kealani
Zerbinetta
Theo Claveles
Komponist
Abigail Raiford
Echo
Jennifer Robinson
Nyade
Katherine Dobbs
Dryade
Paul Jang
Harlekin
Logan Wagner
Scaramuccio
John Mburu
Truffaldino
Cole McIlquham
Brighella
Ryan Bryce Johnson
Tanzmeister
Enes Pektaş
Musiklehrer
Raúl Morales Velazco
Wigmaker
Theo Harrah
Lakai (bass)
Charles Styles
Officer
Claire Choquette
Haushofmeisterin
Saturday, August 15, 2026, 7:30PM
War Memorial Opera House • 301 Van Ness Ave
Tickets • $95/$75/$65/$35; $25/$15 (ages 25 and under)
Tickets for the Merola Grand Finale Reception are $85 per person and can be added to your Finale ticket purchase using the provided link. Simply enter promo code RECEPTION at checkout to include the reception with your order.
The Merola Grand Finale marks the culmination of the summer season, bringing together participants for a vibrant showcase of operatic selections at the War Memorial Opera House. Conducted by William Long and directed by 2026 Merola Stage Director Claire Choquette, this electrifying performance features arias, ensembles, and scenes from across the repertoire, highlighting the technical skill and artistic growth the artists have achieved throughout the program. Audiences will celebrate the artists’ progress in a capstone demonstration of their work in the home of San Francisco Opera.
Following the performance, join the Merola artists for a reception at the Wilsey Center for Opera (separate ticket required).
Performed with English supertitles.
Cast
William Long
Conductor
Sakurako Jayne Abe
Pianist/Coach
Ryan Bryce Johnson
Tenor
Claire Choquette
Director
Theo Claveles
Mezzo-Soprano
Shannon Crowley
Soprano
Katherine Dobbs
Mezzo-Soprano
Adia Evans
Soprano
Stella FitzGerald
Mezzo-Soprano
Chester Seungyup Han
Tenor
Theo Harrah
Bass
Eric Head
Pianist/Coach
Paul Jang
Baritone
Emilie Kealani
Soprano
Charlotte Kelso
Soprano
Ariana Maubach
Mezzo-Soprano
John Mburu
Bass
Cole McIlquham
Tenor
Raúl Morales Velazco
Bass
Enes Pektaş
Baritone
Abigail Raiford
Soprano
Jennifer Robinson
Soprano
Deven Shah
Pianist/Coach
Matthew Sink
Tenor
Tony Stauffer
Pianist/Coach
Charles Styles
Tenor
Anna Thompson
Soprano
Logan Wagner
Tenor
Yue Qi Zhang
Pianist/Coach
Saturday, August 15, 2026, 10:00PM
Wilsey Center for Opera • 401 Van Ness Avenue
Tickets • $85
Following the Grand Finale, join the 2026 Merola artists for a celebratory reception in the Wilsey Center for Opera (separate ticket purchase required).
Tickets for the Merola Grand Finale Reception are $85 per person. Use the link below to purchase just the reception.
Please note, for online sales, your full four-production package discount will automatically apply once you have added each event to the cart.
Package Savings:
- Members receive 20% off when buying before Thursday, April 30.
- Members and the general public can save 10% when purchasing between Friday, May 1 and Wednesday, June 24.
