National Artist Ryan Cayabyab’s Music Takes Center Stage at LIYAB on September 20

Few composers have shaped Filipino music as widely and as deeply as Ryan Cayabyab. On September 20, the National Artist for Music will take center stage at The Theatre at Solaire for Unang Siklab LIYAB: Mga Himig ng Dakilang Pag-Ibig, a large-scale celebration spanning his most celebrated pieces.

The National Artist will be joined by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, with Jonathan Velasco and Toma Cayabyab conducting, alongside an ensemble that includes Lea Salonga, Martin Nievera, Ogie Alcasid, Bituin Escalante, Jed Madela, Gigi De Lana, Sofronio Vasquez, and Arman Ferrer. A 200-member LIYAB Grand Chorale will also bring together singers from the Ateneo Chamber Singers, Imuscapella, Konsertus, Mass Appeal, Novo Concertante, PCSO Chorale, UP Concert Chorus, and UP Manila Chorale.

This concert grew from Cayabyab’s earlier wish to hear more of his sacred music performed live. The repertoire includes “Misa,” “Magnificat,” “Ang Birhen ng Casaysay,” and “Lorenzo,” but the idea eventually expanded into a broader survey of music built around faith, country, friendship, and love, among other thematic directions.

The scale reflects the range of a career that has moved across nearly every corner of modern Philippine music. Cayabyab first made a national mark when “Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika” won the grand prize at the inaugural Metro Manila Popular Music Festival in 1978, before going on to write songs such as “Araw Gabi,” “Tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling Ka,” “Kailan,” “Paraiso,” and “Da Coconut Nut.”

Of course, his work for the stage has been equally substantial, from the landmark pop ballet Rama Hari and the musical Katy! to El Filibusterismo, Noli Me Tangere: The Musical, Magnificat, Lorenzo, and the opera Spoliarium. He also brought music into Filipino homes through Ryan Ryan Musikahan, which ran on television from 1988 to 1995. His choral work MISA 2000 later earned him the top prize at the Onassis International Cultural Competition in 2001. Cayabyab was conferred the Order of National Artist for Music in 2018 and received the Ramon Magsaysay Award the following year, milestones in a career that has come to define both popular and concert music in the Philippines for nearly five decades.

Likewise, for producers Melfred and Arlene Hernandez and Mon and Monique Eugenio, LIYAB is intended to introduce Cayabyab’s work to younger audiences while giving Filipino music a stage proportionate to its cultural weight. Ducks Entertainment hopes the format can eventually travel to the Visayas and Mindanao, with local choirs and artists shaping future editions rather than simply recreating the Manila production.

The project enjoys a philanthropic component, as well. Portions of proceeds will benefit the Philippine General Hospital Medical Foundation, the UP-PGH Department of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines International Scholarship Fund.

Unang Siklab LIYAB: Mga Himig ng Dakilang Pag-Ibig takes place on September 20, 2026, at The Theatre at Solaire, with performances at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets available at Ticketworld.