Creative / Artistic Team

Ryan Cayabyab

National Artist for Music

Ryan Cayabyab has been hailed as the Maestro of Philippine contemporary music. At home with any genre, Cayabyab continues to excel as a composer of the eclectic, the modern, and popular music. He was conferred by the Philippine government in 2018 to the Order of National Artist for Music, the highest artistic award given to a Filipino citizen; a laureate of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards in 2019; he was also awarded in 1978 as one of TOYM (Ten Outstanding Young Men) of the Philippines, and in 2004, a Gawad CCP awardee for music. He emerged as the only Asian winner of the 2001 Onassis International Cultural Competitions in Greece for his composition MISA 2000.

His musical output consists of masses, award-winning film and television scores, short symphonic works, a dozen full-length Filipino musicals, a major opera, full-length ballets, solo and instrumental works, three one-man a cappella song albums, and scores of popular songs sung by top Filipino recording artists.

He has won countless awards from the film, television, and recording industries, aside from winning in international music festivals as a composer, music director, record producer/arranger, and television host.

He is currently a trustee of The Philpop Musicfest Foundation; sits on the board of trustees of two national orchestras; and is the President of The Music School of Ryan Cayabyab, now on its 38th year.