Applications must be received on or before Friday, July 31, 2026.
Pianists/Coaches: Friday, June 4th - Saturday, August 14th, 2027
La Cenerentola by Rossini (fully staged production with orchestra), sung in Italian.
Scenes or Chamber Opera, TBC (staged program with orchestra) - All voice types considered for this program. Repertoire will be chosen to showcase participating artists.
Song Recital (piano/vocal concert) - Repertoire chosen to showcase participating singers and pianists.
The Merola Grand Finale (concert with full orchestra) - concert featuring all Merola singers on the stage of the War Memorial Opera House
*Repertoire subject to change
Every pianist/coach will participate in the Song Recital. Some pianist/coaches may have the opportunity to play in the orchestra of other performance projects, where applicable. Pianist/Coaches will participate in each project, assisting with musical preparation and as rehearsal pianists.
The Merola Opera Program, under the artistic direction of the San Francisco Opera Center: Carrie-Ann Matheson, Artistic Director and Markus Beam, General Director, offers performance, training, and career development opportunities for young professional singers, coach/pianists, and stage directors.
2027 Applications must be received on or before Friday, July 31st, 2026, at 11:59 p.m., Pacific Time.
In addition to performance opportunities, all singers and pianists will have the opportunity to audition on the stage of the War Memorial Opera House for San Francisco Opera's General Director, Music Director, and Managing Director: Artistic. Each singer and pianist will also participate in a public masterclass conducted by internationally renowned artists.
Participants receive individual musical coachings in the area of their discipline, diction coachings, instruction in stage deportment, movement, financial planning/fiscal responsibility, mental health/wellness, leadership coaching, physical health/well-being, and public relations/branding from leading professionals in the opera field.
For further information, please visit: https://merola.org.
Photo Credit: Kristen Loken
(Resident Artists of San Francisco Opera)
Each year singers and pianists are chosen from the Merola Opera Program to join the prestigious Adler Fellowship Program. The Adler program gives 9 young artists a year a performance-oriented experience, providing individualized, holistic and advanced training. Adler Fellows are engaged for roles in San Francisco Opera’s season, and serve as members of San Francisco Opera's music staff, in addition to performing in Opera Center programs and activities. The Adler Fellowship is a renewable yearlong residency and is a salaried position with full benefits.
San Francisco Opera Center may engage Merola singers and pianists, chosen through summer auditions, for a debut recital to take place in the winter or spring of 2028 in San Francisco. These recitals have been endowed in perpetuity by the generosity of celebrated Bay Area singer, scholar, and teacher James Schwabacher.
No application fee is required.
There is no age limit for prospective applicants.
-one selection of a collaborative performance with singer
-one selection of a solo piece OR an aria that shows technical facility, without a singer is required to be submitted with this application.
*Both recordings should have been recorded in the last 12 months.
Please Note: All application materials must be submitted by the application deadline. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
Audition Locations and Dates:
Audition Process:
Pianist/coach applicants granted a live audition will be notified following the video prescreening round, approximately 3 weeks before their audition date, and will be scheduled in their chosen audition location.
Please note that date preferences will be taken into strong consideration but cannot be guaranteed.
A photo ID must be shown before in-person auditions.
If selected for an in-person audition, Pianists may begin with a selection of their choosing and should be prepared to play and sing any of their selections following the guidance in the Audition Requirements section of the pianist application.
In-Person Audition Requirements for Pianists:
Pianist/coach applicants granted an audition must choose ONE option from EACH of the following five categories.
All selections are to be PLAYED AND SUNG by the applicant.
Sight Reading will be included in the audition.
AUDITION REPERTOIRE:
- Excerpt from the Act 1 finale of La Cenerentola: Don Ramiro and Dandini duet “Zitto, zitto” until the entrance of the chorus (stop at the Moderato in C major “Venga, inoltri”)
- Excerpt from the Act 2 finale from Le nozze di Figaro: Start at the beginning "Esci, ormai garzon malnato" and stop at the Allegro Assai in E flat major before "Voi, signor, che giusto siete"
- An aria or scene from an opera by Puccini or Richard Strauss
- One aria from a Bel Canto opera
- One art song
- Sightreading selection chosen by the panel
Pianist/coaches should be prepared to begin their live audition with a selection of their choice, after which the audition panel may ask for additional selections.
Please note: Merola Opera Program does not permit audition swapping. If you are unable to attend your assigned audition, please contact auditions@merola.org for assistance.
-A weekly stipend is provided.
-The Merola Opera Program provides a weekly stipend, round-trip transportation from place of residence to San Francisco, and shared-accommodation housing.
-The Merola Opera Program only provides housing to participants and does not provide housing to spouse/partner, children, other relatives, or pets.
-For five years after leaving Merola, alumni may be eligible, with Merola's approval, to receive up to a total of $12,000 in career grants, with a maximum of $6,000 in any single year.
601 Van Ness Avenue - Suite S San Francisco, CA
Contact Information
Merola Opera Program National Auditions
Email: auditions@merola.org
