Ojalá el solista pueda cantar el bis.

Because ojalá expresses a wish, and in Spanish that normally triggers the subjunctive.

• pueda = present subjunctive of poder
• puede = present indicative of poder

So:

• Ojalá el solista pueda cantar el bis. = correct
• Ojalá el solista puede cantar el bis. = not standard

A good shortcut is: after ojalá, expect a subjunctive verb.

Ojalá means something like:

• I hope
• hopefully
• if only

It is used to express a strong wish or hope.

In this sentence, Ojalá el solista pueda cantar el bis means the speaker hopes that the soloist will be able to sing the encore.

A useful thing to remember: ojalá does not change form. It stays ojalá no matter who is speaking.

In standard Spanish, yes, essentially yes.

With ojalá, Spanish uses the subjunctive because the speaker is talking about a desired situation, not a stated fact.

Common patterns:

• Ojalá + present subjunctive for present/future wishes
  
  • Ojalá venga. = I hope he/she comes.
• Ojalá + imperfect subjunctive for less likely or contrary-to-fact wishes
  
  • Ojalá viniera. = If only he/she came / I wish he/she came.
• Ojalá + pluperfect subjunctive for regrets about the past
  
  • Ojalá hubiera venido. = I wish he/she had come.

So in your sentence, pueda fits because it is a present/future hope.

Because Spanish allows both structures:

• Ojalá el solista pueda cantar el bis.
• Ojalá que el solista pueda cantar el bis.

Both are correct.

The version without que is very common and perfectly natural.
The version with que can sound a little more explicit or emphatic, but the meaning is the same.

Pueda is the present subjunctive of poder.

Even though it is called present subjunctive, here it usually refers to a present or future situation from the speaker’s point of view:

• maybe the soloist is about to sing now
• maybe the speaker hopes the soloist will be able to sing later in the performance

So present subjunctive does not always mean strictly right now. In many cases, it covers present and future meaning.

El solista means the soloist.

A solista is a performer who sings or plays a solo part. In this sentence, because the verb is cantar, it refers to a singer.

A useful grammar point:

• solista is a common-gender noun
• the form solista stays the same
• only the article changes

So you can say:

• el solista = the male soloist
• la solista = the female soloist

In Spain, bis is a musical/performance term meaning encore.

It refers to an extra piece or song performed after the main program, usually because the audience applauds and wants more.

So:

• cantar el bis = to sing the encore
• tocar el bis = to play the encore

This is a very normal word in Spain in concert or theater contexts.

Because bis is being used as a noun: the encore.

Spanish often uses an article where English might sometimes leave it out. Here, el bis refers to the understood encore performance.

So:

• cantar el bis = sing the encore

Without the article, bis would sound odd or incomplete in this sentence.

Yes, it is natural in a performance context.

It means to sing the encore, and it works well if the soloist is a singer.

Other related expressions you may also hear are:

• hacer un bis = to do an encore
• tocar un bis = to play an encore
• dar un bis = to give an encore

So cantar el bis is a normal, context-appropriate way to say it.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

oh-ha-LA el so-LEES-ta PWEH-da kan-TAR el bees

A few key points:

• ojalá: the j is a strong Spanish sound, not an English j
• solista: stress on -lis-
• pueda: the ue sounds like we
• bis: sounds like bees

The strongest stresses are:

• ojaLÁ
• soLISta
• PUEda
• canTAR