Shared Experiences: Emily Powell

In honor of tonight's final performance, let's hear from our youngest Amelia blogger, nine-year old Emily Powell (pictured, right, with her mother and with composer Daron Aric Hagen).

"Last Sunday, I went to Seattle to see Amelia. At first I thought the opera would be long and I wouldn’t like it. Then when my Daddy told me the story, the car wouldn’t move fast enough! Amelia is the first professional opera I've seen. I knew about opera because when I was six, I got to be a cast member of Kurt Weill’s Street Scene. Another time, my Daddy took me to Monteverdi’s Orfeo. Both of these were at Pacific Lutheran University, because that is where my Daddy works. But, Amelia was my first professional opera.

When we got to the opera house, the auditorium took my breath away, with its levels of seats. It was just so huge! Then the opera started and I couldn’t take my eyes off of the stage. It was fantastic.

My favorite part of the show was the opening scene where little Amelia was staring at the stars, and her Daddy, Dodge, was singing to her on his knees. It was touching because her Daddy was a Navy pilot and had to go to Vietnam and they didn’t have much time to spend together. Little Amelia was my favorite character because she was my age and determined to be like her Daddy and fly planes.

I would have to say the opening scene at Amelia’s house was my favorite set. When the plane appeared, I thought, “Oh no! It's the Navy coming to get her Daddy.” Then I realized it was a dream when Amelia Earhart was in the cockpit. At first I thought that Amelia’s mother was just picking up her daughter’s toys before saying good night to her. Finally, I figured out that the scene took place in two different times, when the officers arrived in the big black car to tell her that her husband had been shot down and was missing in action. That was sad.

I thought Amelia Earhart, the Flier, had the best voice. It felt like bells when I heard her sing. Dodge had the best costume because his brisk, white uniform made him look important.

In the Vietnam scene I felt sad and I kind of wanted to forget it and make it not happen, but I couldn’t stop watching because the music made it interesting. When Dodge was singing to his daughter it made me remember when I was little and my Mommy used to sing to me. In the scene where Amelia was in the hospital, the music made me feel very tense, as if something bad was going to happen any moment.

If I had to choose a job working for an opera company, it would be a tie between being a set designer and orchestra musician. I already love the violin because I play violin. Set designing would be fun because I am very crafty and I like to make things. But actually, I want to be a Marine Biologist and raise horses in my free time.

I think I would like to see more operas in the future, even though I am only nine, because they are beautiful and they make me feel like I know the characters personally."