Opera and Fellowship
This season, the Centralia Opera paired each student fellow with a young professional mentor. Every student received private voice lessons, attended workshops, performed at the Dinner Gala, and devoted many hours to rehearsals for this production.
We’re incredibly proud of their hard work
A Special Thanks
Thanks to your generous support, we were able to provide over $3,000 worth of private voice lessons to our young singers at no cost to them, as well as a professional headshot session for every cast member.
Your contributions made it possible for emerging artists in Centralia and the surrounding communities to receive high-quality training, build confidence, and grow in their craft. We are deeply grateful for your belief in the power of music, education, and opportunity.
Thank you to Donnie and Connie Cole, Brad and Jane Stufflebam, Trevor and Jennifer Cole, and Linda and Alan Pflaster for housing artists.
Thank you to the Centralia Cultural Society, Dawn Long, and Alyssa Lurkins for making this production possible.
Thank you to Bill Cernota and Bill Reynolds for all of their help with the orchestra.
Thank you to Coley Zralka for everything.
Thank you to all of our donors — we could not have done this without you.
The Magic Flute 2025
Meet the cast!
Elijah Buerk – Conductor
Elijah Harrison Buerk is a composer, organist, carilloneur, and conductor from Centralia, IL. He has graduated from the Indiana University Bloomington Jacobs School of Music with majors in Composition and Organ Performance and a minor in Conducting; he will continue at IU, pursuing a Master of Music in Organ Performance and teaching as the Associate Instructor of Carillon. Buerk is thankful for his many mentors, colleagues, friends, and family from Centralia, Bloomington, and beyond, and is very excited to conduct his his first opera as the Music Director of Centralia Opera.
Caden Cole – Stage Director, Papageno
Singer, actor, and teacher, Caden Cole is a Chicago-based baritone from Centralia, Illinois making waves in the operatic scene in the midwest. As an interpreter of Mozart, Caden has performed as the titular role in Don Giovanni, Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, and is scheduled to perform as Papageno in The Magic Flute with the Centralia Opera. He has also sung the roles of Sid in Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring, Mr. Moss in Aaron Copland’s The Tender Land, and covered Samuel in The Pirates of Penzance. Caden is a graduate of the Southern Illinois University School of Music holding a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Music Education. While he was there, he also studied acting at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland. Active as a choral singer, Caden has appeared with the Paducah Singers, Chicago Camerata, and the Attack on Titan: Beyond the Walls World Tour to name a few. Caden is currently a Masters Candidate in Classical Voice at the Chicago College of Performing Arts. As a passionate teacher of singing, Caden teaches students in person and online all over Illinois.
Will Johnson – Tamino
During the 2023/2024 Season, tenor William Johnson participated in Madison Opera's Studio Artist program where he performed the roles of Spoletta in Tosca, Colin in The Anonymous Lover, and the Captain in Candide. Johnson also covered the roles of Cavaradossi in Tosca, Valcour in The Anonymous Lover, the title role of Candide and Ivan the Lackey in Francesca Zambello's production of The Nose at Chicago Opera Theater. Other professional credits include Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni at Mozart in the Knobs Festival, tenor soloist in Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Albany Symphony and Mozart's requiem with the Carolina Philharmonic. While pursuing his graduate degree at Northwestern University he sang roles including Rodolfo in La bohème, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, and Fabian in If I were you. During his undergraduate studies at Michigan State University, Mr. Johnson performed roles including Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Pluto in Orpheus in the Underworld, Alfred in Die Fledermaus. This past January, Johnson was a finalist in The Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples International Voice Competition.
Ashley Brewer – Pamina
Soprano Ashley Brewer is a Texas native based in Chicagoland, where she teaches private voice and piano lessons and is an Artist in Residence at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel at the University of Chicago. She graduated with dual degrees in Voice & Opera Performance and English Literature from Northwestern University in 2024. Previous performance credits include Elle in La voix humaine, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with Lyric Opera Studio Weimar, and Adele in Die Fledermaus with the William Lewis School of Opera. At Northwestern, Ashley appeared as Taumännchen and covered Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, Mädchen in The Emperor of Atlantis, and the Zweiter Knabe in Die Zauberflöte.
Cameron Kidd – Queen of the Night
Chicago soprano Cameron Kidd is an emerging artist with a passion for theatrical storytelling. Her previous roles from the standard operatic repertoire include the titular role in Massenet’s Cendrillon, and Jennie in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene. Her experience within contemporary opera includes Giulia in Music on Site’s production of Notes on Viardot by Michael Ching this past December, and covering the role of Reporter for the same production. A dedicated ensemble singer, Cameron has also toured internationally as a soloist and chorister with the Illinois Wesleyan University Collegiate & Alumni Choir throughout Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic.
K.C. Boatright – Sarastro
K.C. Boatright is a 24-year-old student currently pursuing his master's in voice at Indiana University where he will be performing Bartolo in The Marriage of Figaro. He graduated in 2023 from Northwestern University where he performed multiple roles for Northwestern Opera Theatre, including Sarastro from The Magic Flute. He is from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. He is excited to reprise this role in English for Centralia Opera's first showing.
Mason Kurtz – Monostatos
Mason Kurtz is originally from Altamont, IL, but currently resides in Charleston, IL. Mason completed his Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance at Eastern Illinois University and will begin his graduate studies at DePaul University starting Fall 2025 to pursue a Master of Music degree in vocal performance.
Mason has experience in both opera and musical theatre. Previous roles include: Abel in Stephen Schwartz’s Children of Eden, Thomas Bouché in Kurt Weill’s Down in the Valley, and understudied the roles of Arpad, Kodaly, and Sipos in Joe Masteroff’s She Loves Me at EIU; as well as La théière in L’enfant et les sortileges by Ravel, understudy for Ferrando in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, and performed in the premiere of a new opera by Nick Johnson (Lilacs and Lilies) where he played the role of the lead, Mikael Maier, at the Vienna Summer Music Festival. This summer, Mason will also be in two productions with The Southern Illinois Festival: L’Elisir d’amore and Anna Bolena.
Sarah Collins – First Lady
St. Louis native, Sarah Collins, received her Bachelor of Music from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and is currently pursuing her Master’s degree from the Chicago College of Performing Arts in Vocal Performance. She began studying voice as a member of Opera Theatre of St. Louis’s Artists in Training program whilst in high school and fell in love with the art form. Her most recent performances were those of Susanna cover in CCPA’s production of Le nozze di Figaro as well as Ma Moss cover in CCPA’s production of The Tender Land. She was also featured as a young artist at the Southern Illinois Music Festival in 2023 and with the St. Louis Bach Society in 2024. Sarah will be featured as Governess in CCPA’s upcoming production of The Turn of the Screw, as well as Centralia’s upcoming production of Opera for the Youth’s The Elixir of Love as Miss Addy. Sarah would like to thank her friends and family for their unwavering support.
Chloe Beal – Second Lady / Papagena
Chloe Beal is a graduate of SIU’s School of Music in Voice Performance. Chloe has performed in two operas with SIU, Amahl and the Night Visitors in the chorus and Rose in The Little Prince. She made her professional opera debut in SIFest's productions of La Rondine and Ernani in the chorus, and she’ll be back to perform in Anna Bolena and L’elisir d’amore in June 2025. In the fall of 2022, she performed in a masterclass with the famous Christine Brewer at the NATS Central Region conference. She also placed 2nd place in the NATS Central Region Auditions in the Classical division. As a native of Salem, Illinois, she is passionate about bringing her love of opera closer to her roots. In the fall of 2025, Chloe will pursue her Master’s of Music in Classical Performance at the Chicago College of Performing Arts Conservatory at Roosevelt University.
Isabella Daltoso – Third Lady
Mezzo-Soprano Isabella Daltoso is a Master of Music candidate at Chicago College of Performing Arts (CCPA). Her recent credits include Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with International Opera Institute, and Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro at CCPA. Her upcoming engagements include Dulcamara in Elixir of Love with Centralia Opera and Madeline in Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers at CCPA. In January, she will be a Smith Young Artist with Cedar Rapids Opera. Recent engagements include Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti with Northwest Sinfonietta, and the Chicago premiere of Douglas Hedwig’s “A Species Stands Beyond” at the College Music Society Conference. Isabella was a national semifinalist in the CS Music Competition, and a semifinalist in the International MIOpera Competition. She holds a Bachelor of Music from Pacific Lutheran University.
Grace Hummel – First Spirit
Grace Hummel is a graduate of Carlyle High School and will be attending Kaskaskia College in the fall of 2025 for a degree in Vocal Music Education. She participated in musical theater and choir during high school. Some of her previous roles include Lily in Annie Jr., Beth in Little Women, Peppermint Patty in The World According to Snoopy, and Elsa in Frozen Jr. Grace also participated in the 2025 ILMEA All-District Musical Festival as a Soprano I in the senior chorus. She would like to thank her family, friends, and teachers for their support in her musical endeavors and the opportunity to be a part of the Centralia Opera Student Fellowship.
Lyra Shook – Second Spirit
Lyra Shook is an 18-year-old recent graduate of Centralia High School and will begin studying Music Education at SIUE this fall. This is her first opera production, though she has participated in many musical performances in the past. Lyra credits much of her growth and passion for music to her music teacher, Ashley Brewer, whose guidance and support played a key role in her development as a musician.
Grace Edler – Third Spirit
Grace Edler is a recent graduate of Carlyle High School and will attend Greenville University in the fall to pursue a degree in Instrumental Music Education. A mezzo-soprano and flutist, Grace has performed in several theatrical productions, with favorite roles including Meg March in Little Women and Queen Iduna in Frozen. She is passionate about both vocal and instrumental performance and is excited to continue developing her musicianship at the collegiate level.
Noah Williams – Guard 1 (Bass)
Noah Williams is a junior at Centralia High School and is performing as Guard 1. He is excited to be part of *The Magic Flute*, presented by Centralia Opera, and is grateful for the opportunity. Noah looks forward to contributing to this production and appreciates the chance to grow through this new experience.
Carsten Paulson – Guard 2 (Tenor)
Carsten Paulson is a 14-year-old actor and singer with a love for music. He is entering his freshman year of high school and is excited to perform as Guard 2 in The Magic Flute. Carsten has appeared in The Little Mermaid and Descendants (ensemble), Beauty and the Beast (Shepherd), Willy Wonka (Cameraman), and twice in Matilda the Musical (Escapologist and ensemble). Since 2018, he has performed annually in The Nutcracker, playing roles such as Fritz and Mother Ginger. Carsten is honored to join this incredible cast and have the opportunity to make lifelong memories.
Yavyair Maines-May – Guard 3 (Bass)
high school student from Centralia High school. During the fall of 2025 he will be a student at Kaskaskia College for theater arts. This would be his first opera production and fourth time performing in a production, his first performance production was a Charlie and the chocolate factory. He has also been in choir for 2 years in high school.
Over a part of the summer he was given vocal lessons from K.C. Boatright. K.C. taught him some vocal warm-ups and a song that Yavyair performed on the 18th of July. While in high school he learned about more of the basic stuff of music. He was taught by the choir teacher of Centralia High school, Mrs. Jami Jacobs.
Yavyair is really happy and happy about how well the opera has been going and really enjoyed the people helping. Everyone is kind and is really helpful. He really recommended joining next year for anyone wanting to go into performing or just singing in general. He also wants to thank Caden and Elijah for putting this whole thing together and the teachers for also sticking around.
Tommy Farmer – Guard 4 (Tenor)
In this production of The Magic Flute, Guard four is played by Tommy Farmer! Tommy is originally from here, the town of Centralia, Illinois, and he is going into his senior year at Centralia High-school! This is the first opera he has done EVER and he is very excited to participate!
McKenna Paulson – Chorus
McKenna Paulson is a young performer entering 7th grade. She has already taken the stage in five musicals, spent several years developing her voice in choir, and is now in her second year of playing the trumpet. With ten years of dance experience, McKenna performs annually in The Nutcracker, taking on both acting and dancing roles. McKenna is especially excited to be part of The Magic Flute and looks forward to many more opportunities to keep growing and share her voice.
Graci Peters – Chorus
Graci Peters is an upcoming junior at Centralia High School and has loved being a part of the Centralia Opera Student Fellowship this summer, singing in the chorus of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. This has been her first-ever stage performance, and she couldn’t be more grateful for such an amazing experience. Graci would like to give special thanks to her teacher, Cameron Kidd, who has taught her so much about music and inspired her with the courage to perform. She’s incredibly thankful for the supportive and welcoming community that made this summer truly unforgettable.
