It’s French Romanticism at its best in Massenet's Cinderella, a shimmering operatic adaptation of the beloved fairy tale. Cendrillon is infused with wit, charm, and a touch of magic that will transport you. The score is a tapestry of lush melodies and sparkling orchestration.
Our production promises to bring this enchanting story to life with visually stunning sets and costumes, a focus on the fairy tale's emotional core, and a cast of singers with exquisite vocal prowess. You'll be swept away by Cinderella's yearning, the Prince's earnest search, and the whimsical interventions of the Fairy Godmother. Whether you're a seasoned opera lover or new to the art form, Cendrillon offers a heartwarming and visually captivating experience that will leave you believing in happily ever after. Don't miss this opportunity to witness an added touch of magic to Vashon Island!
Meet the artists
James Brown
General Director, Conductor, Stage Director
James Brown enjoys an eclectic career of conducting, concertizing as a singer, stage directing, and voice teaching. James joined Vashon Opera through stage directing and conducting The Barber of Seville in Vashon Opera's second season. Ever since he has become the musical and theatrical engine behind the company bringing his multiple talents to bear in many productions. In June of 2024, the board invited James to step into the role of General Director to lead the company through its 15th season and beyond. He is the Chair of Vocal Studies at Pacific Lutheran University where he directs the opera and oversees a large voice program. His voice students have gone on to study at graduate programs such as Indiana University, The Juilliard School, University of Michigan, Northwestern University, and Yale University. As a tenor, James sang in many professional opera productions under the batons of such conductors as James Conlon, John DeMain, Richard Hickox, Julius Rudel, and Robert Spano. As the regular conductor and stage director for Vashon Opera, James has led productions such as Albert Herring, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Carmen, Così fan tutte, Les Dialogues des Carmélites, Die Fledermaus, Don Giovanni, Eugene Onegin, Madama Butterfly, Pagliacci, Tosca, La traviata and Werther.
Sarah Coit
Cendrillon (Cinderella aka Lucette)
Described as having “an uncommonly warm tone and natural musicality” (OperaWire) as well as “rapid-fire precision” (Parterre Box), Sarah continues to enjoy many exciting house and role debuts. The mezzo-soprano's recent credits include Angelina in La Cenerentola with Wichita Grand Opera, the title role in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda with Opera Baltimore, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with Utah Opera, Handel's Messiah with Portland Baroque Orchestra, Diana in Cruzar la Cara de la Luna with Opera San Antonio, and covering both Second Lady in The Magic Flute and Rosmira in Handel's Partenope with San Francisco Opera. Her 25/26 season includes the title role in Handel's Rinaldo with Pacific Northwest Opera, Miss Jessel in Britten's The Turn of the Screw with Opera Tampa, Handel's Messiah with Glacier Symphony, Rosina in The Barber of Seville with Knoxville Opera, and multiple concert appearances with American Bach Soloists in San Francisco including A Baroque New Year's Eve at the Opera and the Pergolesi Stabat Mater. Other career highlights include the roles of Fariba/Wife #3 in the premiere of A Thousand Splendid Suns with Seattle Opera, Laurene Powell Jobs in The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs with Utah Opera, Sesto in Giulio Cesare with West Edge Opera, Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos with Arizona Opera, and Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette with San Diego Opera. A native of Spring Hill, FL and a current resident of Philadelphia, Sarah is a graduate of the University of South Florida and received her Masters from the University of Michigan.
Serena Eduljee
La Fée (Fairy Godmother)
Soprano Serena Eduljee is known for her radiant coloratura, dynamic acting, and “magnetic” stage presence (Entertainment News Northwest). Hailed for her vocal agility and expressive nuance, she is increasingly in demand throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond, where companies and audiences alike turn to her for roles that require both vocal brilliance and dramatic depth. Recent engagements include featured roles such as Musetta (La bohème, Tacoma Opera), Glauce (Medea, Puget Sound Concert Opera), Marie (La fille du régiment, SkyOpera), Lisa (La sonnambula) and Nanetta (Falstaff, Puget Sound Concert Opera), Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia, Pacific Northwest Opera), and Olympia - the iconic doll - in Les contes d'Hoffmann. Her viral performance as Olympia with Pacific Northwest Opera has become a signature, reprised in concerts and gala appearances throughout the region. Frequently engaged by Seattle Opera, Serena has appeared in both mainstage and touring productions, including The Three Feathers, Die Zauberflöte, La traviata, Cinderella in Spain and the role of Amore in O+E, as well as in outreach and recital programming across the state. She made her Seattle Symphony debut as Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte and returned for the sold-out Joe Hisaishi Returns concert featuring the Princess Mononoke Suite. In concert repertoire, Serena has appeared as soprano soloist in Poulenc's Gloria (Harmonia Seattle), Carmina Burana and Bach's Magnificat (Kirkland Choral Society), and Handel's Messiah (Whatcom Chorale and Bellingham Symphony). She returns to Harmonia Seattle this fall for Dvořák's Te Deum. A graduate of Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, Serena studied under legendary soprano Carol Vaness and trained with the OperaWorks Advanced Artist Program in Los Angeles. She was a finalist in the international NATS Artist Awards, placing 5th overall, and is a two-time recipient of the Seattle Opera Guild's Opera Plus Artist Scholarship. Renowned for her agility and brilliance in coloratura roles, Serena now brings that same vocal finesse and dramatic insight to a growing body of lyric repertoire. With recent acclaim, expanding visibility, and a rich schedule of upcoming performances, Serena Eduljee continues to captivate audiences with artistry that is both technically dazzling and emotionally unforgettable. She is thrilled to make her Vashon Opera debut as La Fée in Cendrillon.
Lillian Gundersen
Dorothée (Stepsister)
Based in Olympia, Washington, Mezzo-soprano Lillian Gundersen recently graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a B.M. in Vocal Performance. During her time at PLU, she performed with the Choir of the West, was an Angela Meade Competition winner and was involved in multiple opera productions including her most recent accolade, Mother in Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors. Lillian has sung chorus in Vashon Opera's productions of Gounod's Roméo et Juliette as well as Verdi's Otello. She is very honored to have received the opportunity of joining Vashon Opera once again!
Korby Myrick
Madame de la Haltière (Stepmother)
Mezzo-soprano Korby Myrick's diverse repertoire and impeccable artistry earn her praise in both operatic and concert work. Ms. Myrick performs throughout the United States and Europe with such opera companies as Théâtre de l'Opéra de Nice, France; Teatro Bellini, Italy; Spoleto Festival (USA and Italy); Washington National Opera; Lyric Opera of Kansas City; Tulsa Opera; Opera Carolina; Opera Theater of Pittsburgh; Connecticut Opera Theatre and her own opera company, Passion Project: Opera!. She has performed over forty roles with Arizona Opera Company in her home state. Signature roles include the title role of Carmen, Laura in La Gioconda, Azucena in Il Trovatore, Princepessa in Adriana Lecouvreur, Judith in Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Beppe in L'amico Fritz, Beatrice in Béatrice et Bénédict, The Witch and the Mother in Hansel and Gretel, and Clairon in Capriccio among others. A noted concert artist, Ms. Myrick has performed in Avery Fisher Hall as the soloist in the Bach B Minor Mass and appears frequently as a concert soloist with Spoleto Festival, in both the U.S. and Italy. She has sung with such concert organizations as Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Musica Sacra, New Haven Symphony Orchestra, Greater Bridgeport Symphony, New Haven Chorale and Norwalk Symphony Orchestra. When she isn't singing, she often works as music director, pianist, stage director, artistic director, or chorus master, while also maintaining a thriving private voice and piano studio in Tucson, Arizona. She will be joining the music faculty of the University of Arizona this fall, where she will serve as coach/pianist for the opera theater department. She is delighted to be making her Vashon Opera debut in this delightful opera.
Andy Papas
Pandolfe
Praised for his “vocal power & finesse” and “irresistible hijinks,” baritone Andy Papas is sought after for his impeccable musicianship and mastery of comic repertoire. Andy's 2025-2026 season began with a role debut as Tonio in I Pagliacci with Union Avenue Opera of St. Louis. Also this season, he debuts with Opera Orlando as Baron Zeta in The Merry Widow, brings his celebrated Major General in The Pirates of Penzance to both Salt Marsh Opera & Opera Today! and joins the Fox Valley Symphony as bass soloist in Verdi's Requiem. Andy is no stranger to the Pacific Northwest, with previous appearances at VO as the MusikLehrer in Ariadne auf Naxos, and as Benoit/Alcindoro in La bohème. Last season he sang the title role in Verdi's Falstaff with Pacific Northwest Opera, where he has also been seen in The Barber of Seville (Dr. Bartolo) and Der Ring an eine Abend (Alberich), among others. Andy sang Mustafa in L'Italiana in Algieri last spring for Anchorage Opera, his third operatic appearance in Alaska. Other noteworthy recent engagements include the title role in Don Pasquale for Union Avenue Opera and Opera Saratoga, Pandolfe with Opera Company of Middlebury, Omar's Journey with The Ojai Music Festival & Quad City Symphony Orchestra, and Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola for Wichita Grand Opera. Last winter he was the on-snow content producer for Bromley Mountain Ski Resort in Vermont, skiing over one million vertical feet. He teaches students around the globe in opera courses such as The British Operas are Coming and Strauss in the Haus, and maintains a private voice studio. www.andypapas.com
Grace Skinner
Prince Charmant
Praised by The Herold Times for her “strength and great vocal flexibility,” mezzo-soprano Grace Skinner has won the Seattle Opera Guild Singers' Development Competition, the Indianapolis Musicale Matinee Competition, and the National Society of Arts and Letters Vocal Competition. Some of her recent operatic roles include Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, The Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos, Stephano in Roméo et Juliette, Gianetta in Elixir of Love, Mercedes in Carmen, Little Buttercup in HMS Pinafore, Woman #2 in Frida, Jo in Little Women, and the title roles of Giulio Cesare and Carmen. Ms. Skinner has worked with opera companies, symphonies, and young artist festivals across the country including Opera Bend, Cascadia Chamber Opera, Vashon Opera, Opera Naples, Atlanta Opera, Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theater, Music Academy of the West, Aspen Music Festival, Southwest Florida Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, and Oregon Symphony. She holds a MM from The Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and BM from Portland State University. Ms. Skinner also teaches voice lessons from her home studio in Vancouver, WA.
Cassandra Willock
Noémie (Stepsister)
Soprano Cassandra Willock is praised for her charm and versatility. Jumping in at the last minute, Cassandra made her whirlwind Vashon Opera debut in the fall of 2023 as Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro. She is thrilled to be invited back to Vashon Opera as Noémie in Cendrillon. Her upcoming season also includes singing the role of Laeticia in The Old Maid and the Thief with Olympia Opera Theatre. This past spring, she joined Northwest Opera in Schools Etc. (NOISE) for her second tour with the company as the Mother in Hansel and Gretel. She previously sang Pamina/2nd Lady in their outreach production of The Magic Flute in 2023 Bringing opera to new ears and audiences has always been a passion of Cassandra's. Other notable roles in her repertoire include Angelica from Handel's Orlando, Donna Elvira, Fiordiligi, Countess, and Rose Maurrant. Cassandra sings a diverse repertoire – equally comfortable on opera stages, concert halls, and in ensembles. She has sung with Harmonia and Blessed Sacrament Church as a soloist as well as a staff soprano. Notable solo concert repertoire include Bach's Cantata 51, Wachet auf and 2nd Soprano Soloist in his Mass in B Minor, Handel's Messiah and 2nd Soprano Soloist in his Dixit Dominus, and Barber's Prayers of Kierkegaard. In 2024, she joined the Evergreen Ensemble. Cassandra received Master's of Music from McGill University, where she studied with Dominique Labelle. Her Bachelor's of Music is from Pacific Lutheran University, where she studied with Cyndia Sieden.