The Merola Opera Program, founded in 1957 and named for San Francisco Opera’s first general director Gaetano Merola, is one of the world’s oldest and most respected opera-training programs. Run as an independent nonprofit in close partnership with the San Francisco Opera Center, it brings a small international cohort of emerging artists to San Francisco each summer for roughly ten weeks of intensive coaching, masterclasses, and public performances. Participants train across three tracks — singers, apprentice coaches/pianists, and stage directors — working with leading professionals in the field.
Benefits & funding
- Daily individual coaching in the participant’s discipline, plus classes in diction, acting, movement, leadership, wellness, financial planning, and branding.
- Public masterclasses with internationally renowned artists.
- Featured performance opportunities in staged productions and concerts.
- A weekly stipend, plus a $125 monthly stipend tied to meeting performance requirements.
- Shared-accommodation housing and round-trip transportation from the artist’s place of residence to San Francisco.
- No application fee reported for the main program.
Eligibility
- Open to emerging opera singers, apprentice coaches/pianists, and stage directors.
- No strict age cut-off is published in the current application materials; earlier cycles listed a guideline of roughly ages 20–34, with exceptions considered case-by-case.
- Open to applicants of any nationality; non-U.S. citizens must hold valid U.S. immigration/work authorization to participate.
- Singers submit two contrasting operatic arias recorded within the past 12 months; pianists submit one collaborative and one solo video recorded within the past 12 months.
Can you apply?
Open to all applicants
No nationality, residency, education, or experience limits are listed.
We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.
Application process
- 1Choose your track — singer, pianist/coach, or director — and apply through the official Merola application portal.
- 2Submit the required video prescreening materials before the deadline.
- 3Selected singers and pianists are invited to in-person auditions, with notice roughly three weeks before the audition date.
- 4Finalists are selected to form the summer cohort.
Program timeline
Application deadline (11:59 p.m. Pacific Time)
July 31, 2026
Video prescreening and in-person auditions
Late 2026 – early 2027
Program begins for pianists/coaches
June 4, 2027
Program begins for singers and directors
June 7, 2027
Program ends
August 14, 2027