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Ched Rick Gatchalian

ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- One&#x27;s talent, if honed through passion and perseverance, can go far places. As for Filipino classical soprano Lizzie Estrada, her love for music brought her all the way to the United Kingdom to further cultivate her potential. Estrada is among the scholars of the Cultural Center of the Philippines&#x27; International Scholarship Program, which aims to provide financial support to exceptional learners who have achieved outstanding academic and artistic excellence in their respective art forms and have been accepted to higher educational institutions outside the Philippines.The young scholar was born in Laguna. She found her calling in singing as she was part of choir during her elementary years, and even her parents love to sing.&quot;I started joining choirs in elementary since I enjoyed singing with people, and then I got to know more about my voice and what it was actually capable of,&quot; she said.With her father&#x27;s all out support, she was able to enter the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA). She barely knew anything about music theory at first, but she exerted effort to learn it from her choir conductor until she passed the auditions to finally get into the institution.She knew then that her journey with music was about to be more fruitful than ever. Aside from the lessons, she was fascinated by the stories of her own teachers.&quot;It was a slow and gradual love for singing and opera. Hearing stories from my teachers, parang ang sarap mangarap nang malaki kasi &#x27;yung mga kinukwento nila that they&#x27;ve been everywhere. So I thought, what if I could also do all those things?&quot;And she did.Estrada competed in Thailand and Singapore during her second and third years in PHSA. Despite not winning, she was happy to perform in various big stages abroad.Her repertoire grew under the tutelage of her PSA mentors Camille Lopez-Molina and Pablo Molina. Eventually, she was offered to study in two prestigious music schools in London -- the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Estrada and her father were determined to continue learning abroad despite the financial concerns.&quot;I was also trying my best but it was my dad who wrote all the letters and physically sent them to the NCCA, Ayala Foundation, and the CCP. We were hoping they would support us since we already have a full scholarship – and they did,&quot; she mentioned.The CCP made her one of its international scholars, shouldering her accommodation, allowances, and other educational expenses.Currently, Estrada is taking the Music Standard Pathway program at the Royal Academy of Music and training under the tutelage of Professor Susan Waters. She recently took home the first prize at the Kathleen Ferrier Society Bursary for Young Singers in Manchester, England.The singer recalled her experience and how she tried to undermine her performance at first.&quot;Pagkatapos ko kumanta, I kept saying &#x27;Oh no, I didn&#x27;t really do good kasi I made so many mistakes.&#x27; Kinausap ako ng teacher ko. She said, &#x27;You really did good, it&#x27;s just in your culture to be humble. That&#x27;s why the first thing you thought was that what you gave was not enough. But the truth is, it is enough,&#x27;&quot; Estrada narrated.The young soprano is now working actively to strengthen her performance by exploring her strengths and weaknesses. One great lesson that she remembered from her mentor Lopez-Molina was about using grit to push against obstacles &quot;Just dream big. Sabi nga nila, it doesn&#x27;t cost anything to dream,&quot; she added.

Lizzie Estrada is among the scholars of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ International Scholarship Program, which aims to provide financial support to exceptional learners who have achieved outstanding academic and artistic excellence in their respective art forms.

Lizzie Estrada is among the scholars of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ International Scholarship Program, which aims to provide financial support to exceptional learners who have achieved outstanding academic and artistic excellence in their respective art forms.

CCP scholar Lizzie Estrada's journey of grit, passion

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CCP scholar Lizzie Estrada's journey of grit, passion

Ched Rick Gatchalian,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 26, 2024 10:13 PM PHT

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Cultural Center of the Philippines

CCP

Lizzie Estrada

Music

United Kingdom

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