FRANCISCO BUENCAMINO

FRANCISCO BUENCAMINO
Francisco Beltran Buencamino was born on the 5th of November, 1883 in San Miguel
de Mayumo, Bulacan. He is the sixth of ten children of Fortunato Buencamino and
Luisa Beltran. His father was a church organist and band master, and his mother, a
singer. Francisco was married to Pilar Luceno and they had two children, both of
whom also took up music.

Francisco first learnt music from his father. At age 12, he could play the organ. At 14,
he was sent to study at the Liceo de Manila. There, he took up courses in composition
and harmony under Marcelo Adonay. He also took up pianoforte courses under a
uj8Spanish music teacher. He did not finish his education as he became interested in the
sarswela.

In the early 1900s, Francisco Buencamino taught music at the Ateneo de Manila and at
the Centro Escolar de Senoritas. At the latter, he founded the Conservatory of Music
and was its head until 1938. At the same time, he also handled music lessons at the Liceo
de Manila. He founded the Buencamino Music Academy in 1930. It was authorized by
the Department of Public Instruction to grant music degrees. Some of his pupils were
Nicanor Abelardo, Ernestina Crisologo, Estela Velasco, Beatrice Alba, and Amelia
Hidalgo. In the 1940s, he started working as a musical director. He also composed
music for films produced by Sampaguita Pictures, LVN and Excelsior. For a time,
Francisco Buencamino frequently acted on stage. He also collaborated on the plays
written and produced by Aurelio Tolentino. The Philippine Music Publishers, which
Buencamino established, undertook the printing of his more important compositions,
but it was not a successful venture.

Some of the sarswelas he wrote are: "Marcela" (1904), "Si Tio Celo" (1904) and "Yayang
" (1905). In 1908, the popularity of the sarswela started to wane because of American
repression and the entry of silent movies. Francisco Buencamino then turned to
composing kundimans.

One of his earliest compositions is "En el bello Oriente" (1909), which uses Jose Rizal's
lyrics. "Ang Una Kong Pag-ibig", a popular kundiman, was inspired by his wife. In
1938, he composed an epic poem which won a prize from the Far Eastern University
during one of the annual carnivals. His "Mayon Concerto" is considered his magnum
opus. Begun in 1943 and finished in 1948, "Mayon Concerto" had its full rendition in
February 1950 at the graduation recital of Rosario Buencamino at the Holy Ghost
College. "Ang Larawan" (1943), also one of his most acclaimed works, is a composition
based on a Balitaw tune. The orchestral piece, "Pizzicato Caprice" (1948) is a version of
this composition. Many of his other compositions were lost during the Japanese
Occupation, when he had to evacuate his family to Novaliches, Rizal.

As a musical director, he was involved in anumber of movies such as "Mabangong

Bulaklak", "Ang Ibong Adarna", "Mutya ng Pasig", and "Alitaptap".

Francisco Buencamino died on the 16th of October, 1952. in the same year, he was
given a posthumous Outstanding Composer Award by the Manila Music Lovers
Society.
FRANCISCO SANTIAGO
FRANCISCO SANTIAGO

Santiago was born in Santa Maria, Bulacan, Philippines, to musically

minded peasant parents, Felipe Santiago and Maria Santiago. In 1908, his
first composition, Purita, was dedicated to the first Carnival Queen, Pura
Villanueva, who later married the distinguished scholar Teodoro Kalaw.

He studied at the University of the Philippines (UP) Conservatory of

Music, in its original campus in Manila, obtaining a degree in Piano in
1921, and a degree in Science and Composition in 1922. He went to the
United States to pursue further education. He first obtained his master's
degree at the American Conservatory of Music in June 1923, and finally a
Doctorate degree at the Chicago Musical School in August 1924. He is the
first Filipino musician to attain a doctorate degree.

He became the director of the UP Conservatory of Music in 1930, after

the entire music faculty and students of the conservatory protested for the
removal of the previous director, Alexander Lippay, for alleged harassment
of students and musicians. Santiago is the first Filipino director of the
Conservatory.

In 1934, the President of the university, Jorge Bocobo, launched a

committee to collect and document folk songs of the Philippines. Francisco

Santiago was named the chairman of the committee. Part of this committee
were Dancer Francisca Reyes-Aquino, who notated numerous folk dances
and compiling them in several books, and Composer Antonino
Buenaventura, who transcribed numerous folk music, including those
accompanying the dances recorded by Reyes-Aquino.
in 1937-1939 Santiago would compose his masterpiece - the "Taga-ilog"
Symphony in D Major. It is one of the first Filipino classical works to
feature Philippine instruments such as the gangsa and suliba

E. Arsenio Manuel listed about 156 works by Francisco Santiago. However

most of them are either missing or destroyed due to the war. Surviving
compositions of Francisco Santiago mostly consist of published songs,
piano works, and a few others in manuscript. There are probably more
compositions not listed in Manuel's catalog due to them being destroyed
during the war. Some of his kundimans/songs are "Sakali Man", "Hibik ng
Filipinas", "Pakiusap", "Ang Pag-ibig", "Suyuan", "Alaala Kita", "Ikaw at
Ako", "Ano Kaya ang Kapalaran?", "Hatol Hari Kaya?", "Sakali't Mamatay",
"Dalit ng Pag-ibig", "Aking Bituin", "Madaling Araw" and "Pagsikat ng
Araw".

His large-scale compositions, such as the Philippine Overture for

Orchestra, Sonata Filipina in D-flat for piano, Piano Concerto, and Taga-
ilog Symphony were all destroyed.
NICANOR ABELARDO
NICANOR ABELARDO

Nicanor Abelardo was born in San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan to

Valentin Abelardo and Placida Santa Ana, on February 7, 1893[1] His
mother belonged to a family of artists in Guagua, the Henson. He was
introduced to music when he was five years old when his father taught him
the solfeggio, the bandurria, and the guitar at 6. His quick mastery of the
instruments has made him a prodigy in town. He could play his father's
arrangement of Rossini's "William Tell Overture" on the guitar at age 6. He
also learned the violin and other string instruments given to him by his
father, and learned how to play quickly without much difficulty. In 1901,
he wrote his first composition, "Ang Unang Buko" and dedicated it to his
grandmother.

In 1902, Nicanor's uncle, the painter Juan Abelardo, took him to Manila to
attend several schools. During this time Nicanor became the favorites
among the haranistas who admired him of his skill at such a young age.
This was also the time where he learned how to play the piano. He saw a
piano for the first time at a factory of one of his uncle's clients, and
immediately taught himself how to play it. By the time his uncle's job was
finished, he can already play an air on the piano. The household was even
more surprised when he started accompanying his cousin's singing on the
piano. This has led his uncle to enroll him to a private lesson in voice under
Enrico Capozzi, who was so impressed by Nicanor's abilities that he
refused to accept any fee whatsoever. The same thing also happened when
he started formally studied Bandurria under Jose Silos. By this time he was
13 years old, the famed pianist Francisco Buencamino took note of his skill
in playing the piano, and helped him take a job at a saloon as a pianist.

However, in 1907, he returned to his hometown and finished his 6th grade
there after which he was teaching music in various barrio schools around
town. but after a year he went back to Manila permanently.

In 1908 he returned to Manila and took employment in various small

theaters and cinemas. He soon climbed up to the bigger and better class
theaters in the city. He eventually became the leader of Cine Majestic
Orchestra, an orchestra from a famous cinema. During this time he met
Sixta Naguiat at a cinema, which would become his wife in later years.

In 1916, Abelardo entered the newly-established University of the

Philippines Conservatory of Music, taking courses under Guy F. Harrison
and Robert Schofield. During his studies, he composed the melody of the
university's official anthem, U.P. Naming Mahal in 1917. The
Conservatory instantly noticed his musical ability and by 1918, he was
appointed assistant instructor in solfeggio and harmony. He took lessons in
piano under Jose Estella, violin under Bonifacio Abdon, and voice under
Victorino Carrion. He continued conducting cinema orchestras and play
the piano at saloons and cabarets during this time, and this is also the time
where he learned to drink alcohol. in 1921 he finally received his degree in
science and composition, and thereafter took a post-graduate course which
he finished the next year. On 1924 he became head of the composition
department of the conservatory, and at night taught private music lessons to
some prominent families.

He wrote most of his important works while teaching at the conservatory.

His graduation piece, a Piano Sonata in G Major, was the first Sonata made
by a Filipino composer[a] and his post-graduate piece, the Piano Concerto
in B-flat minor, was the first concerto made by a Filipino composer.
Almost all of his kundiman was written during his time as well.

He asked a leave of one year because "There is a greater demand in my

activities which demand my whole personal attention." He resigned his
post in 1930 only to be reinstated in the same year. In 1931 he received a
grant to pursue advanced musical studies abroad. He accepted the offer
despite his little savings, seeing his bright prospects in the future.

Nicanor Abelardo, along with Francisco Santiago, is known for redefining

the kundiman, bringing the form to art-song status. Abelardo's kundiman
songs, such as "Mutya ng Pasig", "Nasaan ka, Irog?", and "Bituing Marikit"
proved to be popular among the Filipino people, and his compositions are
regularly played in concerts in the Philippines.

Nicanor's relative Richard Abelardo made a film in 1950 called "Mutya ng

Pasig" which is based on Nicanor's kundiman of the same name.

The main theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the building
housing the College of Music in UP Diliman (Abelardo Hall) were named
in his honor and memory.
ANTONIO MOLINA
ANTONIO MOLINA

Molina was born on December 26, 1894 in Quiapo, Manila, the son of
Juan Molina, a government official, who founded the Molina Orchestra.
[1]: 147 He attended the Escuela Catolica de Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno
in Quiapo, Manila, and college at San Juan De Letran where he was
awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1909.

Molina made his first composition in 1912 titled Matinal, which is

preserved in an unpublished volume called Miniaturas, Vol. 1.[1]: 147 He
was appointed to teach harmony, composition, music history, and
violincello at the UP Conservatory of Music, pursuing a career in music
education until being appointed dean of the Centro Escolar Conservatory
of Music. He founded the CEU String Quartet which was professionally
organized and financed by its music school.
As a composer Molina is credited with over 500 compositions.

Antonio Jesús Naguiat Molina (December 26, 1894 – January 29, 1980)
was a Filipino composer, conductor and music administrator. He was
named a National Artist of the Philippines for his services to music. He was
also known as the Claude Debussy of the Philippines due to his use of
impressionist themes in music.

HILARION RUBIO
HILARION RUBIO

Filipino composer and writer on music. At an early age he learnt to play

the violin, the piano and the clarinet under an Aglipayan priest. He took
preparatory law courses at the Far Eastern Institute (Associate in Arts 1927)
and then entered the University of the Philippines Conservatory, where he
received a teacher’s diploma in theory and composition in 1933. Later he
taught at the university and was assistant secretary of its conservatory
(1939–41). He also taught in other institutions, becoming director of the
Conservatory of Centro Escolar University (1944–5). Founder-president of
the Philippine Bandmasters’ Association, he conducted concerts and stage
performances in the Philippines and elsewhere in Asia.

He also published articles on Philippine music, into which he has made

dedicated research. He made four goodwill trips to Taiwan (1956–60), for
which he received the Friend of China Award. Among his prizes and
honours is a diploma of merit from the University of the Philippines on his
retirement (1967).
It is clearly that Hilarion Rubio is a singer/composer in blood and mind.
You can see his interest and love into music from his early teens wherein
he is laready playing some instruments and composing his original song.
After the Second World War, he was appointed for a position to some
organizations. One of these is the Philippine Bandmaster’s Association as
the first President. He introduced the love of our nation through his
compositions that include: bulaklaken, theme and variations for band,
dance of the nymphs rondo, florente at laura (overture), National Heroes,
Halik, Unang katas, Two part Invention (piano), Ang Konsyerto (ballet),
Light, Narra, Mutya ng Silangan, Ang Magsasaka, Bukang liwayway,
Concertino in C (marimba and piano), Filipinas kong Mahal, Hatulan Mo
Ako, Ginintuang araw, danza, In a Tropical Sea, To the Filipino Youth,
Nela.

ANTONIO BUENAVENTURA
ANTONINO BUENAVENTURA

Antonino Buenaventura was born on May 4, 1904 in Baliuag, Bulacan. He

was born in a family of musicians; his father Lucino Buenaventura was a
musician at the Spanish Artillery Band in Intramuros. He studied under
Nicanor Abelardo at the University of the Philippines Diliman
Conservatory of Music and graduated in 1932 with a Teacher's Diploma in
Music, major in Science and Composition and became an assistant
instructor at the Conservatory. He also studied composition for a post-
graduate degree under Jenő Takács.

After the war he became conductor of the devastated Philippine

Constabulary Band for 16 years and he brought it back to its former glory.

He became the music director of the UST Conservatory of Music in 1961

and the UE School of Music and Arts in 1964.
He married to the violinist Rizalina Exconde and they have 4 children.

Buenaventura's music was influenced by different ethnic Philippine

folksongs. In 1935, he joined Francisca Reyes-Aquino in researching
Philippine folksongs and dances.[5] In 1936 he composed the
accompaniment to the folk dance "Pandanggo sa Ilaw" and incorporated
ethnic melodies and instruments to some of his compositions.

Antonino Ramirez Buenaventura (May 4, 1904 – January 25, 1996)[1] was

a Filipino composer, conductor, and teacher.

RODOLFO CORNEJO
RODOLFO CORNEJO
Rodolfo S. Cornejo, a composer, pianist and conductor, was born on the
15th of May, 1909, in Manila. His parents are Miguel Cornejo, Sr. and
Crisanta Soldevilla. In 1949, he married Nieves Guerrero, a lyric soprano.
The couple had five children.

Rodolfo Cornejo started piano lessons with Gelacio Reyes at age six. At
age eight, he had his first recital, and he became the organist of the Pasay
Catholic Church. He wrote his first composition, Glissando Waltz, at age
10. He also wrote and published a military march, Salute, at age 13. At 16,
twenty-six of his works had been listed by the United Publishing Co..
While he was finishing his high school, he was already enrolled at the
University of the Philippines (UP) Conservatory of Music.

At the UP Conservatory, he studied under Dr. Francisco Santiago,

Nicanor Abelardo and Alexander Lippay. Barely three years after
completing his high school, he obtained his teacher's diplomas in piano,
science and composition. He taught for a year at UP, then left for the
United States. He acquired a bachelor's degree in piano and theory at the
Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University in 1932. He won the
Wesley Le Violette scholarship in composition, went on to complete his
master's degree in 1933. He studied with Rudolf Ganz and Glenn Dillard
Gunn.

In 1934, he returned to the Philippines, founded and directed the Manila

Conservatory of Music. He again left for the US in 1939 to pursue
doctorate studies in composition. He earned his doctorate degree in 1947
at the Neotarian College in Kansas City, USA. In his US sojourns, Cornejo
was a soloist with various orchestras, such as the New York City
Symphony Orchestra, National Orchestra Association, and many others.
During World War II, he played at concerts for the Allied Armed Forces.
In 1941, he became researcher and official composer of the Philippine
government-in-exile. In 1945, the Chicago Musical College awarded him
an honorary doctorate in music.
In the Philippines, he became director of the Cosmopolitan Colleges
Conservatory of Music from 1948 to 1949. He also concertized. He wrote
scores for twenty-seven films during his 10 years as musical director of
Sampaguita Pictures. He is founding member of the League of Filipino
Composers.

He wrote over 300 compositions. These ranged from classical to pop. His
major works include The Season - Song Cycle (1932), A La Juventud
Filipina (1935), Philippine Symphony No. 1 (1939), No.2 (1942), and No.
3 (1947) all for piano solo; Oriental Fantasy (1944) and Philippine Fantasy
with Marimba Solo (1962). He wrote music for the ballets Ibong Adarna
(1970) and Baile de Ayer (1974). His cantata Christ the Redeemer for
soloists, narrator, mixed chorus and orchestra, premiered at the Philamlife
Auditorium in 1977. He also wrote a musical A Glimpse of Philippine Life
and Culture, which premiered at the Seattle Opera House in 1978. He is
listed in the International Who's Who in Music.

Rodolfo Cornejo died in Manila on the 11th of August, 1991.

FELIPE PADILLA
FELIPE PADILLA
Felipe Padilla de León (May 1, 1912 – December 5, 1992) was a Filipino
classical music composer, conductor, and scholar. He was known for
composing different sonatas, marches and concertos that reflect the Filipino
identity.[3]

De Leon was also recognized as a composer who experienced different

regime change throughout the course of his lifetime.[4] From the
Commonwealth period up to the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos,[4] his
music became a representation of Filipino ideals and aspirations throughout
the ages of Philippine history.

De Leon was the third of four children by the second marriage of his
mother Natalia Padilla to Juan de Leon. His father died when he was three
years old, leaving his mother to raise him and his elder half-brother, Pedro
P. San Diego. Before becoming a musician, he took various odd jobs to
support his family, such as a shoe polisher, carabao herder, carriage driver,
and vendor of various items. In 1927, he took up Fine Arts at the
University of the Philippines, but he had to abandon his studies to make a
living. He played the trombone in cabarets and circuses, and later worked
as an assistant conductor of the Nueva Ecija High School Orchestra, where
he started composing music. To improve his composing skills he again
enrolled to the University of the Philippines, and graduated in 1939 with a
diploma of music teacher and conductor. Much later, he continued his
studies under Vittorio Giannini at the Juilliard School in New York, U.S.

De Leon married pianist Iluminada Mendoza with whom he had six

children, including Bayani, a prominent composer, and Felipe Jr., a writer.

LUCIO SAN PEDRO

LUCIO SAN PEDRO
Lucio Diestro San Pedro, Sr.[2] (February 11, 1913 – March 31, 2002) was
a Filipino composer and teacher who was proclaimed a National Artist of
the Philippines for Music in 1991.[3] Today, he is remembered for his
contribution to the development of Filipino regional band music[4] and for
his well-known compositions such as the Filipino lullaby, "Sa Ugoy ng
Duyan" and the symphonic poem, "Lahing Kayumanggi".

San Pedro came from a family with musical roots and he became his career
early. When he was still young, he succeeded his deceased grandfather as
the local church organist. By then, he had already composed songs, hymns
and two complete masses for voices and orchestra. After studying with
several prominent musicians in the Philippines, he took advanced
composition training with Bernard Wagenaar of the Netherlands. He also
studied harmony and orchestration under Vittorio Giannini and took
classes at Juilliard in 1947.

His other vocation was teaching. He has taught at the Ateneo de Manila
University, virtually all the major music conservatories in Manila[citation
needed], and at the College of Music of the University of the Philippines,
Diliman, where he retired as a full professor in 1978. He later received the
title professor emeritus from the university in 1979.[5] He also became a
faculty member of the Centro Escolar University Conservatory of Music in
Manila. San Pedro was known for composing the official march of Makati.

He married Gertrudes San Pedro with whom he had five children:

Rhodora, Bienvenido, María Conchita, María Cristina and Lucio, Jr.

San Pedro's works include a great variety of musical forms ranging from
band music, concertos for violin and orchestra, choral works, cantatas,
chamber music, and songs for solo voice. He also served as a conductor of
many Filipino bands such as Peng Kong Grand Mason Concert Band, the
San Pedro Band of Angono, and the Banda Angono Numero Uno.[4]
Major Works

The Devil's Bridge

Malakas at Maganda Overture
Lulay
Sa Ugoy ng Duyan (with the collaboration of Levi Celerio)[1]
Dance of the Fairies
Lahing Kayumanggi

San Pedro died of cardiac arrest on March 31, 2002, in Angono, Rizal, at
the age of 89.[1] Many peers from the Order of National Artists attended
his tribute at the Tanghalang Pambansa, including: Napoleon Abueva,
Daisy Avellana, Leonor Goquingco, Nick Joaquín, Arturo Luz, José
Maceda, and Andrea Veneración. He is buried in his hometown of
Angono, Rizal.

LOSENDO SANTOS JR.

ROSENDO SANTOS JR.
Rosendo E. Santos, Jr. was born September 3, 1922 in Cavite City,
Philippines, son of the late Rosendo and Castora Santos and died
November 4, 1994 at home in Swoyersville, Pennsylvania. He was
educated in Cavite schools and was a graduate of the University of the
Philippines, Conservatory of Music where he later served as a faculty
member. He received his master’s degree in theory and composition from
the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and later served
on the faculty of the Catholic University, West Virginia University, and
Howard University.

At age 11, he started composing band marches, instrumental and vocal

scores and Catholic masses. He was later named a UNESCO scholar and
received the Composer of the Year Award. In Manila he was Composer of
the Year in 1956 and 1957, and won 12 prizes consecutively in
composition contests. Most recently, he received the title of “The
Philippine Composer of the Century.”

Professor Santos joined the faculty at Wilkes University, Pennsylvania in

1968, where he performed as a timpanist, pianist, and conductor with
several orchestral groups. He has also conducted church choirs in
Maryland, New Jersey, and most recently at Lehman, Huntsville and
Shavertown United Methodist Churches in Pennsylvania.

He composed the background music for J. Arthur Rank Films at Pinewood

Studios in London, England, where he worked with Muir Mathieson and
Malcolm Arnold. Among his teachers were Aaron Copland, Irving Fine,
Humphrey Searle and conductor Norman Del Mar.

Mr. Santos is listed in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
A prolific composer, his works include concertos, sonatas, symphonies,
symphonic poems, five operas in Philippine dialect, numerous band
overtures and more than 200 marches. He wrote 50 masses in Latin and 20
in English and has more than 1,000 musical compositions in the library of
the University of the Philippines.

An honored member of the Senior Mozart Club of Wyoming Valley, Pa,

Mr. Santos privately taught more than 2,000 children since arriving in the
Wyoming Valley in 1968. His last musical work, “Melinda’s Masquerade,”
his only ballet, was performed in 1995, after his death in 1994.

He was married in 1966 to Harriet L. Clendenin (1939- ), and then had

three children, Erik (1967- ), Nathan (1970- ), and Jason Santos (1972- ).

ALFREDO BUENAVENTURA
ALFREDO BUENAVENTURA
Buenaventura studied at Santo Tomas University and Centro Escolar
University as well as at the Gregorian Institute. He has held several
teaching positions and has served as organist at the Manila Cathedral. He
also served as dean of the Centro Escolar University Conservatory.
Buenaventura's compositions are nationalist and employ Romantic,
impressionist and contemporary styles.

Alfredo Santos Buenaventura was born in Santa Maria, Bulacan in 1929

and studied music at the University of Santo Tomas, the Centro Escolar
University and the Gregorian Institute. His career brought him teaching
appointments at the Philippine Women’s University, St. Scholastica’s
College and at the Centro Escolar University, where he became Dean of
Music at the conservatory. He was formerly organist at the Metropolitan
Cathedral in Manila and, among many other honours, received the
Republican Cultural Heritage Awards in 1964 and 1972 and the Bonifacio
Centennial Awards.

The compositions of Alfredo Buenaventura include a number of operas,

symphonic poems, vocal works and chamber music.

Bueneventura also had formal music lessons. At the age of 12 to 13, he

already arranged and conducted band in his hometown.
Alfredo S. Buenaventura is an excellent musician, composer,conductor and
music education teacher.
He is among the few composers in the Philippines who composed five full-
length operas. He has his own set of ideas about music and composition.
His minor works which number over 50 are mostly religious songs and
hymns for specific celebrations such as the Sixteenth Centenary of St.
Augustine,Mass for the 400th Year of the Augustinian Recollect and the
Philippine Music Festival.
His other creative musical works have been commissioned by the Cultural
Center of the Philippines, Metropolitan Theater and NAMCYA.
He also became a member of the League of Filipino Composers and
received numerous outstanding awards in music industry such as the
Republic Cultural Heritage Awards that he won twice.
MUSIC
COMPOSITIONS
Maria Makiling (1961)
Ang Ating Watawat (1965)
Prinsesa Urduha (1969)
Gomburza (1981)
Pasko ng Barangay (1964)
Diego Silang (1966)
Dakilang Lahi (1971)
Rizal, the Great Malayan Antagonist (1990)
He created a combination of contemporary and conventional, kept his
melodies simple and understandable but he used contemporary harmonies
to suit the intellectuals.

RYAN CAYABYAB
RYAN CAYABYAB
Raymundo Cipriano Pujante Cayabyab (born; May 4, 1954), known
professionally as Ryan Cayabyab, is a Filipino musician, composer and
conductor. Regarded as one of the pillars and icons of Original Pilipino
Music (OPM). He was the Executive and Artistic Director for several years
for the defunct San Miguel Foundation for the Performing Arts. He was
named National Artist of the Philippines for Music in 2018.

His works range from commissioned full-length ballets, theater musicals,

choral pieces, a Mass set to the unaccompanied chorus, and orchestral
pieces, to commercial recordings of popular music, film scores and
television specials.

Famous for composing the Da Coconut Nut Song performed by his

Smokey Mountain band,[5] Cayabyab's current project includes the Ryan
Cayabyab Singers (RCS), a group of seven young adult singers comparable
to Smokey Mountain in the early 1990s. After FreemantleMedia decided
not to renew the Philippine Idol franchise, Cayabyab transferred to rival
show Pinoy Dream Academy, replacing Jim Paredes as the show's
headmaster. PDA 2 started on June 14, 2008. He also became the chairman
of the board of judges for GMA Network's musical-reality show To The
Top.

He is the executive director of the PhilPop MusicFest Foundation Inc., the

organization behind the Philippine Popular Music Festival. This
songwriting competition for amateurs and professionals puts the spotlight
on songwriters and encourages Filipinos to preserve their unique musical
identity.

Born Raymundo Cayabyab on May 4, 1954 in Santa Cruz, Manila[citation

needed], he was among the four children of Alberto Austria Cayabyab and
Celerina Venson Pujante. Ryan Cayabyab's mother was an opera singer
and a professor at the University of the Philippines's (UP) College of
Music. As early as age four, Cayabyab was already having piano lessons
from music students' boarders while accompanying his mother in the UP
campus. He was also often brought to music rehearsals in the Abelardo Hall
by his mother. When Cayabyab was six years old, his mother died due to
cancer and shortly prior to her death at age 43 requested that the none of
her children take up a career in music.[6] According to Cayabyab later in
life, that his mother discouraged him and his sibling from pursuing a
musical career due to hardship his mother herself experienced as a
musician.

After his mother's death, Cayabyab stumbled upon a box full of piano
pieces left behind by UP music students using the manuscript to teach
himself play the piano. By age 14, he was able to perform Johann Sebastian
Bach's preludes and a solo piano reduction of George Gershwin's Rhapsody
in Blue.

Graduating from high school, at age 15 he was able to secure a job as a

pianist of a bank's chorale group. His earnings would later fund his
collegiate studies.Cayabyab initially took up a bachelor's degree in business
administration major in accounting at the University of the Philippines,
Diliman, as a way to honor his mother's request.

In 1972, Cayabyab became involved with the Philippine Madrigal Singers

and became acquainted with Victor Laurel who is a reputed film and
theater actor at the time, who often worked with actress-singer Nora
Aunor. Then-Senator Salvador Laurel taking notice of Cayabyab's talent in
music convinced him to pursue collegiate studies in music and offered him
a scholarship. With the consent of his father, Cayabyab moved to the UP
College of Music the following year.

Cayabyab took ten years to graduate from the UP College of Music due to
doing tours within that period.He earned a Bachelor of Music, Major in
Theory degree in 1983.
After graduating from college, he became a full-time professor for the
Department of Composition and Music Theory in the UP Diliman for
almost two decades.

At the turn of the 21st century, Cayabyab was considering a move to

migrate abroad with his family. Danding Cojuangco (President of the San
Miguel Corporation) offered him a position to produce and perform new
music to add to the Philippine music scene; Cayabyab accepted the offer as
Executive and Artistic Director of the San Miguel Foundation for the
Performing Arts. He served there for several years until the sudden closure
of the foundation.

As music director, conductor and accompanist, Cayabyab has performed in

the United States with leading Philippine music figures, at venues
including Avery Fisher Hall in the Lincoln Center in New York City;
Carnegie Hall (both the Main and Recital halls) in New York; the
Kennedy Center and the Washington Convention Center in Washington,
D.C.; the Shrine in Los Angeles; the Orpheum in Vancouver; and Circus
Maximus of Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip.

He has traveled as music director in most of the Southeast Asian cities, in

the cities of Australia as well as in (Germany), France, Spain, the
Netherlands, Japan, and the United States. He has worked in the same
shows with Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra, as well as conducted the
Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra for special performances of American
jazz singer Diane Schuur and pianist Jim Chappel.

He has performed as music director in command performances for King

Hasan II in Rabat, Morocco, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia of Spain
in Manila, King Fahd of Saudi Arabia in Tangiers, Queen Beatrix at the
Noordeinde Palace in the Netherlands, and U.S. President Bill Clinton in
Boston, Massachusetts.
In Manila, he has conducted the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, at the
Cultural Center of the Philippines for a concert of Philippine and
American contemporary music; and the Manila Chamber Orchestra for a
concert of his original works.

Cayabyab only wrote at least three songs in the 2010s, due to focusing on
promoting Original Pilipino Music for most of the period. In 2020, due to
the idle time caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Cayabyab was able to
write at least ten songs in 2020 alone, two of which was made available in
Spotify.

Cayabyab composed a jingle for an advertisement of the softdrink brand

Sarsi, entitled "Sarsi: Angat sa Iba" (Sarsi: Different from Others) in 1989.
The commercial became the most creative TV ad of that year.

Under collaboration with Philippine fruit juice brand Locally, Cayabyab

did the composition for "Prutas Pilipinas" a 2020 contemporary folk song
which featured fruits cultivated in the Philippines. The lyrics was written
by Noel Ferrer and the song was performed by The Company.

Ryan Ryan Musikahan, the television show, has won a total of fourteen
awards as Best Television Musical Show and for Cayabyab, the Best Show
Host in various television award-giving bodies. Likewise, as an artist,
producer, arranger, and composer, he has won a total of eighteen awards
from the recording industry for various commercial recordings. He has
produced albums of the popular Filipino teen group Smokey Mountain,
Broadway and West End's diva, Lea Salonga, and Spain's internationally
acclaimed singer Julio Iglesias.

In 1987 he rearranged the classical tinged version of ABS-CBN jingle

(penned by Phil Delfino), which was used in the network's Station ID from
1987-1995. He also composed the "ABS-CBN Millennium Overture",
which was used in the ABS-CBN New Millennium Station ID in 2000.
Among his many works, his theater musicals El filibusterismo (1993) and
Noli Me Tángere (1995) have won acclaim and have been performed
extensively in the cities of Japan in 1994 and 1996. They received a special
NHK broadcast in November 1996, and in Kuala Lumpur in the same
year. Another musicale, Magnificat, has had nearly 200 performances.

His other popular musicals include Katy (words by Jose Javier Reyes),
Alikabok, Ilustrado and the classic pop-ballet Rama Hari (words by 2006
National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera). Katy would become
Caybyab’s most famous musical in the 1980s.[12]

His latest opera, Spoliarium (libretto by Fides Cuyugan-Asensio),

premiered in February 2003 at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo of the
CCP, and is to be followed by another opera also with Asensio, Mariang
Makiling at Ang Mga Nuno sa Punso, with music also by Ryan Cayabyab.

In 2011, he lent his genius once more by composing music for the concert
Ageless Passion (libretto by Kristian Jeff Agustin), which was commissioned
by the family of retired Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban, and staged at
the Meralco theater. In 2016, "Ageless Passion" was staged as a full musical,
reuniting Cayabyab and Agustin.

LORENZO, a musical on the life of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, also showcases

music composed and arranged by Cayabyab. LORENZO started its runs in
September 2013.

Cayabyab composed "Mabuhay", the opening song of Miss Universe 1994

pageant, held in Manila, Philippines.

In 2005, Cayabyab composed the official soundtrack for the 23rd edition of
the Southeast Asian Games in Manila.
In 2006, Cayabyab signed on as a resident judge for the first season of
Philippine Idol, offering critiques for the contestants on the reality-talent
show. He was chosen by the top guns of Philippine Idol, while the other
two judges, Pilita Corrales and the late Francis Magalona, had to undergo
auditions. He also composed the themes of TV Patrol and The World
Tonight in 1993 and it was used until 1996 for TV Patrol (The World
Tonight has since been using his composed theme from 1996 up to now).

In 2019, Cayabyab composed the theme song for the 30th edition of the
Southeast Asian Games, "We Win as One"; with lyrics by playwright Floy
Quintos, and sung by Lea Salonga.

Ryan Cayabyab is 2004's Gawad CCP para sa Sining in MUsic. On

February 2, 1999, he was selected as one of the 100 awardees of the CCP
Centennial Honors for the Arts . He became the first recipient of the
Antonio C. Barreiro Achievement Award on May 4, 1996 for significant
and lasting contributions to the growth and development of Filipino music.
Likewise, on June 18, 1996, Awit Awards, the recording industry awards,
awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award for "invaluable contribution
and outstanding achievements in the promotion and development of
Filipino music." The University of the Philippines Alumni Association has
conferred upon him the Professional Award in music for the year 1998. In
2012, Ryan won the prestigious MYX Magna Award in the Myx Music
Awards 2012 for his achievements in music and in the OPM industry.

The Music School of Ryan Cayabyab specializes in developing outstanding

performance artists is run by Emmy Cayabyab, Ryan's wife. Established in
1986, the music studio has trained a whole generation of young singer-
performers who have become nationally known Filipino performing artists.

Ryan Cayabyab was also the Executive and Artistic Director of the San
Miguel Foundation for the Performing Arts for several years. He was the
conductor of the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra (SMPO) and the San
Miguel Master Chorale (SMMC). Under his direction, the SMPO and the
SMMC recorded seven award-winning albums to date: Great Filipino
Love Songs (2004), Great Original Pilipino Music by Ryan Cayabyab
(2004), The Sacred Works of Ryan Cayabyab (2004), Pasko I and Pasko II
(2005), Great Original Pilipino Music from the Movies (2006), and
Dancing in the Rain (2006).

But in a swift and silent move, the big cheeses at San Miguel Corporation
(SMC) have already disbanded the SMMC and the SMPO. Late January
2007, instrumentalists of the SMPO and SMMC were summoned one by
one by the big bosses who informed them of the non-renewal of their
contracts. Insider reports say that the SMC was "more inclined" on
supporting its four professional basketball teams.

Cayabyab said that he considered the experience with San Miguel as a

learning one. The following are excerpts from the said interview by Rito
Asilo of The Inquirer.