Spotlight: Meet Emily Feichthaler

April 7, 2020

4:26 PM

Just listening to Emily Feichthaler’s schedule is exhausting.

When we caught up with her earlier this year, the 11-year-old Cape Coral resident was rehearsing for a role in Disney’s “Peter Pan Jr.” at the Melody Lane Performing Arts Center in Cape Coral. She was also in rehearsals for “Seussical the Musical Jr.” at Oasis Middle School. On Wednesdays she takes private singing lessons. Thursdays it’s piano lessons. Three days a week she is in karate class. She expects to get her black belt in June. Another three days each week she has tennis lessons. She is secretary of the Builders Club at school, competes in Battle of the Books and goes to cotillion lessons.

Amanda Inscore

Emily Feichthaler, 11, is photographed at Rotary Park in Cape Coral for the cover of SW FL Parent & Child magazine's April 2020 issue.

When she has any time off, Emily travels. She has been to all 50 states and all over Europe and Australia. She also attends Oasis Middle School and fits in time for homework, and piano and singing practice.

“I’m kind of in the middle. I don’t like being that busy,but I don’t dislike it,” she says. “I sometimes do watch videos about singing, other times I just stay in bed because I am lazy.”

Anyone who sees her schedule knows she is not lazy. She’s had this type of agenda almost all her life.

Emily was just 5 years old when she became mesmerized by acting.

“I saw my brothers perform in a play and I said, ‘I need to do this.’”

At age 7, she got her chance with a role as an orphan in “Annie Jr.” at Oasis Elementary School. That was followed by roles in “Aladdin,” “Madagascar Jr.” and “Dear Edwina Jr.,” also at the elementary school. Her resume continues with roles in “Mary Poppins Jr.” and “Into the Woods Jr.” at the Melody Lane Performing Arts Center. Emily has been in the “Curious Kids” show on WGCU and in the City of Palms Youth Choir.

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Special to SW FL Parent & Child

Emily Feichthaler in a performance

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Special to SW FL Parent & Child

Emily Feichthaler in a performance

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Special to SW FL Parent & Child

Emily Feichthaler in a performance

She’s done these shows while also playing tennis, partaking in karate and even at one time playing on a traveling soccer team.

“I do homework at night and sometimes in the morning because my schedule is so busy,” Emily says. “Today I had to do it in class as it was due because I didn’t have time.”

She also doesn’t have a lot of time for sleep.

“I usually get seven and a half hours,” she says. “I only got six yesterday.”

She practices piano every day except Wednesday. That is her busiest day. She goes from karate to voice lessons to rehearsals.

“Piano lessons are Thursdays after karate, but I have to practice every day, but I don’t practice on Wednesday because I don’t get home until 9 p.m.,” Emily says.

Her mother, Mary Feichthaler, embraces the busy schedule.

“And that’s just her,” Mary explains. “I have four kids. I am a highly organized person with a spread sheet for each of my kids and everyone has to be on time, and they are because everyone enjoys their activities and wants to be there.”

Eric, 15, and Tyler, 13, play tennis and golf. Lachlan, 8,does karate, acting and golf.

Photo by Amanda Inscore

Emily Feichthaler, 11, of Cape Coral, is featured on the cover of SW FL Parent & Child magazine's April 2020 cover. She's photographed at the city’s Rotary Park.

“I have always been super scheduled, even as a child, so I am used to that, so I don’t know what to do with down time,” Mary says. “Everybody has been used to that since they were born.”

The family also loves to travel. They have taken RV trips,car trips and airplane trips around the nation to visit all 50 states. They have also been to 24 countries. Emily says her favorite places are Germany, Australia and Japan.

“Germany — I like all the history we learned, like when we were going to the Berlin Wall,” Emily explains. “Japan — it is how different every city is. There is something special about every place. In Australia, I liked all the animals. My favorite is definitely the wombat.”

She also loves going to New York and seeing Broadway shows.

“My favorite is ‘Hamilton,’” Emily says. “I like all the songs and the way they express it. It is like a super long rap song that is all history. It is all singing, and I like singing, so it makes me feel happy.”

Carol Nabatoff is Emily’s private voice teacher.

“I love Emily,” Carol begins. “Emily is a very impressive young person. She is very ambitious. Of course she is talented and hard-working. She has so much energy. She is very charismatic. I think she is going to be a major player.She is going to succeed.”

On the rare moments when she does have some downtime, Emily enjoys reading.

“I like to read any book I can find on my bed,” she says.

Right now she is into mystery books with her favorite being “I Have a Bad Feeling About This” by Jeff Strand.

Emily had to give up traveling soccer to fit everything else into her schedule. She also knows that once she gets to high school, she might have to pare down the activities.

“I will probably keep doing karate, but if more opportunities for singing or acting open up, I might not do it anymore,” she says. “Sometimes I golf, too, when I have time, but I usually don’t have time.”

Emily also does cotillion seven times a year.

“We learn table manners and etiquette and how to behave all the time, except when you are asleep,” Emily says.“I think they are too fancy there because you have to eat a doughnut with a fork.”

If she had to choose just one activity it would be singing.

“I like singing best,” she says. “I just like how any song that you sing has a rhythm to it. It always sounds great. Even if you don’t like the song, there is a rhythm or a beat or something to like about it.”

Special to SW FL Parent & Child

Emily Feichthaler at the Turn It Around competition.

She recently got first place in a Turn It Around singing competition for her age group. There, she received a high platinum rating.

“That is very, very rare,” Carol explains. “I don’t think there is anyone else in her age group that got anywhere near that score.”

She was also been invited to sing the national anthem for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels this season.

Mary believes all this will help Emily make educated choices in the future.

“It is nice because we want them to find what they truly enjoy so in high school they can do the activities they really enjoy, because they can’t keep up this in high school,” Mary says. “Whatever makes the most sense for them, which will be different for each of them.”

For Emily that will be singing and acting.

“So far my favorite show I have been in is ‘Into the Woods,’” she says. “I like that there is a bunch of characters and they all had a different story and they were all bright and fun and you could do what you wanted with it.”

Emily wants to go far beyond school and local theater. She dreams of Broadway. If she could pick one show to be in it would be “Hamilton.” She says her busy schedule will help her get there.

“There is never a dull moment, in a good way,” Mary says.

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