THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 29, 1995 TAG: 9501270809
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
Many people are proud of Sean C. Petersen, the 12-year-old Western Branch youngster who sings the role of the young Bolivar in Thea Musgrave's world premiere opera, ``Simon Bolivar.''
But none is more proud than Emma Gregg Harris, a Chesapeake native and music teacher who now resides in the Berkley section of Norfolk. She was Sean's first voice teacher and the one who refined his voice to performance level.
``He did have a voice, I could hear that,'' Harris said. ``But when he first came to me he had a voice like all my other students, he had no formal training.''
When it comes to voice and music, Harris knows her stuff.
The South Norfolk native went to the Juilliard School of music in New York City and earned her master's degree from Columbia University. She is the eastern regional director of the National Association of Negro Musicians and president of the regional Tidewater Area Musicians.
The son of Kermette and John Petersen studied with her for several years until he moved on a few months ago to study with Portsmouth-based voice coach Bob Turner, who has a strong concentration in opera.
``You get a rough stone and think underneath it all is a diamond, but you have to polish it, cultivate it,'' she said.
Harris said she had Sean do vocal exercises and practices to expand his vocal cords, improve his breathing and vocal tone quality.
But Harris did say Sean had something special.
``He has a beautiful instrument,'' she added. ``He's almost like a boy soprano.''
After several years of study, Harris said Sean was ready to hit the stage to expand his performing experience and abilities.
She encouraged him to audition for a Chesapeake Fine Arts Commission scholarship in 1992. He was accepted and became the youngest top money recipient that year.
Then she urged him to try the Virginia Opera.
``He was on the right track,'' she said. ``I only send students (to important auditions) that I feel can compete and be accepted. I make certain they're ready. When I send a student I always know they will be accepted and be successful.''
The advice was on the mark, Sean has been successful with the VOA and no one is prouder than Harris. ALL FOR READING
Rebecca C. Adams, the principal at Great Bridge Intermediate School, will do ``just about anything'' to get her students to read.
And when she says anything, she means it.
Each year Adams promises to read to her students in crazy ways and unique situations if her pupils reach specific reading goals. The yearly stunts are done to encourage students to read during Children's Reading Month in November. Adams said her school usually extends the period through December to give her students more time to read.
So far, Adams has read standing on her head, walking on stilts and sitting in a tree.
This year she decided to reach new heights in reading awareness and promised to read at a height above the school flagpole.
She promised she would read one foot in the air for each percentage point of students who met their home room reading goal.
After all the reading was over, the official tome tally was more than 450,000 pages read, with 95 percent of the students having met or exceeded their goal.
That lofty 95 percent translated into an even loftier 95 feet in the air.
Adams said the stunt had to be canceled twice due to bad weather. Finally she decided to go ahead with the ascension right before the Christmas holiday break even though the weather that day was still far from ideal.
``There were gale force winds,'' she said.
A fire department cherry picker or bucket truck, situated in the school parking lot, took Adams up to the 95-foot level. About 1,000 of the school's 1,100 third through fifth grade students were gathered outside waiting to hear their principal read to them from up high.
Dressed as Uncle Sam, Adams had her book and a cordless microphone in hand as she read Longfellow's classic poem, ``Paul Revere's Ride.''
It was so blustery, the children down below could hear the wind over Adams' microphone.
``One child asked me how I was able to produce those great wind sound effects to go with the poem,'' Adams said laughing. ``But it was so cold up there I now have a whole new appreciation for the work firefighters do.''
- Eric Feber by CNB