No dream is too big when you have the courage to pursue it. For UK-based classical soprano Lizzie Bett Estrada, her dreams have the power to inspire and move people in many places.
“My parents can sing. We are a typical family who enjoys karaoke,” laughed Estrada. “I started joining choirs in elementary school because I enjoyed singing with people, and then I got to know more about my voice and what it was actually capable of.”
Estrada is one of the scholars of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ International Scholarship Program, which provides financial support to exceptional learners who have achieved outstanding academic and artistic excellence and have been accepted to higher educational institutions outside the Philippines.
Estrada’s passion for singing led her to the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA), where she graduated with Highest Honors and an Outstanding Student Award in music.
The Laguna-born artist reflects on the beginning of her musical journey and the depth of her father’s support in getting her into PHSA.
“My dad was the one who suggested PHSA. I think his intention was just getting free tuition, so he didn’t know that singing at PHSA is actually classical. I didn’t know anything about music theory when I first auditioned, so it was a shot in the dark.”
As a young CCP scholar, Estrada persisted in learning basic music theory from her choir conductor until she passed her second audition and entered the institution in Makiling.
“I really enjoyed singing during my first four years in Makiling. It was so much fun to study different genres like pop and choral singing. Then I started joining competitions outside of the country,” she enthused.
Estrada competed in Thailand and Singapore during her second and third years at PHSA. Despite not winning, she was happy to perform in different music halls abroad. The experience made her dream of performing on bigger stages.
“It was a slow and gradual love for singing and opera. Hearing stories from my teachers, it seemed so wonderful to dream big because of the places they’d been. So I thought, what if I could also do all those things?”
Estrada’s repertoire expanded under the guidance of her PHSA mentors Camille Lopez-Molina and Pablo Molina. She eventually received scholarship offers from two prestigious music schools in London – the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Despite concerns over the expenses of moving to the United Kingdom, Estrada and her father were determined to pursue this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“It was a shot in the dark. 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 had a full scholarship – and they did.”
The CCP, through its then-president Margarita Moran-Floirendo, offered to make Estrada one of its International Scholars and cover her accommodation, allowances, and other educational expenses.
Currently, Estrada is enrolled in the Music Standard Pathway program at the Royal Academy of Music, training under Professor Susan Waters. She recently won first prize at the Kathleen Ferrier Society Bursary for Young Singers in Manchester, England.
Reflecting on her experience, Estrada says, “Two weeks before the competition, we had a run-through during our performance class.”
“And funny enough, I was being too humble – as Filipinos tend to be – so after I sang, I kept saying, ‘Oh no, I didn’t really do well because I made so many mistakes.’ My teacher spoke to me. She said, ‘You really did well; it’s just in your culture to be humble. That’s why the first thing you thought was that what you gave was not enough. But the truth is, it is enough.'”
Estrada realized she just needed to enjoy the music and feel the genuine appreciation of the audience to make her performances more meaningful.
“I felt like I won not because I was sure I would win, but because I discovered that feeling within myself. It was very nurturing for me. I was free.”
Nowadays, Estrada actively works on improving herself by exploring her strengths and weaknesses. She recalls a lesson from her mentor Lopez-Molina about having grit to overcome obstacles.
“Just dream big. As they say, it doesn’t cost anything to dream.”
