A white star shines bright

She is petite, simple and down to earth. Call her a "wonder girl" if you like. Her name may not ring so many bells at the moment because this is her first time to be featured. But the truth is she is slowly creating her niche in the social circles in the metropolis as a gifted opera singer. And she is definitely heading towards stardom. Wait until you hear her sing and you will see what I mean. I tell you it is as if all the angels from heaven have conspired together to give her a voice that would send chills to the sentimental spirit in you. Soulful, heartwarming, amazing - that is how she is as a singer. As a girl, she is emotional, sensitive and a good daughter who always thinks of others before herself. Of course she has a name.

She is Izarzuri M. Vidal, youngest daughter of respected Cebuano visual artist Mar Vidal. Her name is actually a Spanish word meaning " white star." At 17, Zsarie already has a wonderful and amazing story to share.

Here is the catch. When her mother Gwendolyn, an ex-vocalist of the San Jose-Recoletos band and currently a bank employee, conceived her, Gwen listened to love songs. At eight months old, Zsarie already knew the exact tune and melody of Diana Ross' "If We Hold On Together." When she was two years old, she was already belting out songs by Whitney Houston. It was also at that age when she started performing in family gatherings and later on graduated to become a favorite guest for various social and corporate functions wherein she belted mostly pop songs. Everything dramatically changed last year when she got to be part of the play "Sound of Music", portraying the role of Sr. Agatha at the St. Dominic Learning Center where she finished high school. Her interest in Broadway musicals grew intensely when she saw the movie "Phantom of the Opera" that same year.

Since then, she has been observing opera singers for proper diction and bearing. And boy, her efforts are never wasted because she has gotten good reviews when she performed at Camp Z during the birthday party of businessman Peter Collin last April 29. Guests from around the world who were chartered to Cebu marveled at how she effortlessly sang Italian and French opera pieces like a pro. European guests even compared her to the great opera singers in London. To them Zsarie is amazing because at her very young age, she already has the makings of a Broadway star.

She was right away swamped with offers. The most exciting of which - for her a dream come true - is the chance to do a duet with international performer Lea Salonga this November during the fashion show of world class designer and Cebu's pride Monique Lhuiller in Manila. The offer came from Monique's mom, socialite and jeweler Amparito Lhuiller. And if negotiations with a Manila based talent manager turns up well, Zsarie will hold her first ever solo concert in Manila this December; that is, after she will perform during the ASEAN Summit in Cebu.

But the wonder of all wonders is that Zsarie has never had formal voice training. Her father enrolled her at the A. Salonga Music Center but was told she has nothing to learn anymore because she is already good. They advised, though, for her to practice regularly to maintain her prowess. Indeed she is a precious gift.

"Ganahan kaayo ko nila ni Sarah Brightman kay grabe kaayo ka talented; si Ana Nitrivco sa Russia sikat sad kaayo and then more ko ni Charlotte Church ug ni Brightman kay sikat man gyud ni sila. Trained gyud," she told The Freeman Lifestyle.

Now taking up business administration at the University of San Carlos, her biggest failure to date was when she was turned down by the school's theater guild despite giving her best during the audition. She cried a river, so to speak, but now she has seen the bright side of it. " Bisag giunsa nako, wala ko nila dawata. So I take it nga lahi siguro ang path nako, lahi ang plano sa Ginoo for me."

As everything is looking bright, Zsarie is praying she would not be made to choose between studies and singing because these are both her priorities. Asked what she would do if ever her would-be manager would tell her to say bye to school for the meantime to "strike while the iron is still hot," she fell silent and thought out her reply seriously. "I have to sacrifice everything for this. But now dili sa ko muondang. Ginoo ra gyuy magbuot. Ganahan man gyud ko mahuman og eskuyla. So why can't I achieve both goals - to graduate and to be a singer? While nagsige pako'g develop as a singer, nag study sad ko."

An emotional girl who values her family and friends a lot, Zsarie if not singing is also into dancing and painting. She is likewise passionate about writing; in fact she is hoping to finally finish her first novel entitled " Road to Victory" which she started writing when she was only 14-years old.

"I started writing when I was in second year high school, but due to busy schedule wala pa. Na inspire lang gyud ko sa story sa akong grandfather kay ni serve man siya sa US Army sa iyang time. So mo try sad ko para naa ko'y ika write bahin sa ila. But dili gyud na siya about sa among family. The message ana unya is that even if we struggle in life, we still survive."

Truly life is a struggle, just like how it would be as Zsarie journeys her way to be the best in her craft. She knows she has to sacrifice a lot, including lovelife that according to her could wait until the right time. The road to success may be a bumpy ride for her but an emerging star like her would eventually shine brightly at her own pace. After all, she has got what it takes to be one - talent, determination and faith in God.