More than 1,500 international young artists applied, only 28 were selected, including three Canadians, and two natives of Toronto. That’s the story coming from San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program, which recently made the announcement about the participants for their 2026 cohort.
Toronto natives Ariana Maubach, mezzo-soprano, and pianist/coach Sakurako Jayne Abe were the lucky artists to have been chosen for the 12-week all expenses paid summer program. Fellow Canadian pianist Tony Stauffer from Montréal also got the nod.
The vast majority of the program’s participants for 2026 are American, with one Australian, two South Koreans, and one each from the UK, Türkiye, Mexico, and China filling out the roster..
“We are excited to welcome the 2026 Merola class to San Francisco for a summer that will be both artistically rigorous and deeply enriching,” said San Francisco Opera Center Artistic Director Carrie-Ann Matheson and General Manager Markus Beam (Merola ’02) in a statement.
“Their talent and commitment represent the vibrant future of opera, and we look forward to helping them thrive in this uniquely transformative environment.”
Merola received a record-breaking number of applicants for 2026. The 12-week summer program is free applicants who are selected, and offers intensive vocal training, along with dramatic coaching, language and diction instruction. Participants receive professional development training that includes leadership development, financial planning, mental and physical wellness, and public relations skills. They also appear in fully staged productions during the summer in front of both live audiences and industry pros. Public performances for the 2026 Merola Summer Festival will be announced in the spring.
In addition to training, the program offers developing artists financial support for essential career development expenses for a five year period following their participation.
“This year will mark a summer of transformative growth in San Francisco for this remarkable group of artists,” shared Merola Executive Director Sean Waugh. “Once they have completed this program, they will join a vibrant community of distinguished alumni who have gone on to thrilling careers with major opera houses around the world. They take with them the support of Merola’s vast network of dedicated members and supporters, all focused on a commitment to opera’s future.”
Ariana Maubach earned her Bachelor of Music in Voice with Distinction from The Eastman School of Music, and a Master of Music from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. She is a former Resident Artist at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, PA, and during the 2024/25 season, she performed the role of Marthe in Faust and Dorabella in Così fan tutte, and appeared as Smeton in Anna Bolena, Bianca in The Rape of Lucretia, and Berta in Il barbiere di Sivigila.
Ariana won First Prize and Audience Prize at the Canadian Opera Company’s 11th annual Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition in 2024, and is a second year member of the program. She first participated in the Merola program in 2025. She has performed with the Des Moines Metro Opera, Cincinnati Opera, and at the Spoleto Festival, along with roles at the Canadian Opera Company.
Sakurako Jayne Abe earned her Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance with honours from the University of Toronto, followed by a Master’s degree in collaborative piano at the Manhattan School of Music on a full scholarship, and a Master’s in Music Technology and Digital Media at the University of Toronto. She has been performing on the piano since the age of four, and was a finalist at the Japan Student Music Competition. She has won prizes from the Pacific International Piano Competition, Toronto Kiwanis Music Festival, the North York Music Festival, the Pickering Rotary Music Festival, and the Ontario Music Festival.
Jayne is co-founder of The Hibiki Project, launched in 2021 to create and perform works related to Japanese cultural heritage. She has performed and recorded numerous works with the ensemble.
French pianist, répétiteur and opera accompanist Tony Stauffer was born in Bayonne. He’s been studying the piano since the age of seven, and began at the Conservatoire Régional de Bayonne. There, he earned the Diplôme d’Études Musicales (DEM) with honours. Tony went on to study at the Université de Montréal, where he earned his Doctoral degree.
Tony joined the UdeM-McGill residency program in piano/vocal arts, and has participated in the Lehrer Vocal Institute at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California, and also trained at the Franz Schubert Institute in Austria. Tony performs has performed as assistant pianist at the Opéra de Montréal.
The full 2026 roster can be found here.
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