Raymundo Cipriano Cayabyab was named National Artist of the Philippines for Music in 2018. Now 71 years old, Ryan, as he is popularly known, is a living national treasure; therefore, any new project with his name attached to it is worth seeking out and supporting. His latest, the Ryan Cayabyab’s MaestroClass Concert Series at the Proscenium Theater, Rockwell Center, is a must-see for anyone who loves music, has more than a passing interest in OPM (Original Pilipino Music) history, or just loves a night of wonderful singing, composing, and storytelling.

The concept for the Proscenium show is a nostalgic throwback to Ryan Ryan Musikahan, a highly regarded and awarded television show that ran on ABS-CBN from 1988 to 1995. As the host, Ryan would recount his musical career, discuss music theory, educate and entertain, and bring on special guests throughout the show. With MaestroClass, that same template has been expanded to a still-tight two hours.

Brought on as special guests for this maiden voyage of the MaestroClass were Lani Misalucha, Martin Nievera, and the Ryan Cayabyab Singers. If you’re reading this and still have a chance to catch a performance, don’t miss out. The Proscenium Theater becomes Ryan’s living room, the Steinway piano the centerpiece of his converted ‘sala’, and we are his honored guests. It’s one anecdote after another, then he segues into songs he has composed through the decades, and brings on the guests when they provide dramatic impact for the composition he’s referring to.

This routine works poignantly when he introduces a song about a father and his son, and mentions that he had the crooner Bert Nievera in mind when he wrote the song. Of course, Bert is the father of Martin, who walks on the stage, with no introduction, and proceeds to sing the sentimental composition. After the number, Ryan talked about how, during rehearsal, Martin was moved to tears during the song, as it’s the first time he sang it without his father as a duet.

Lani Misalucha was the proverbial powerhouse, her rendition of Ryan’s Araw-Gabi my favorite among the songs she belted out. First released in 1986 by Nonoy Zuñiga, versions by The Company, by Regine Velasquez, and Aiza Seguerra have kept this song on the public’s radar, and it’s really a beautiful piece. It’s a love song that Ryan wrote for Emmy, who became his wife. Lani even showed her operatic range.

The Ryan Cayabyab Singers is a musical singing group composed of four men and three women. They were great as well, and I liked their Da Coconut Nut version. This was a song first recorded by Smokey Mountain, and Ryan half jokingly called it the song he is most known for, after having composed full-length ballets, theater musicals, choral pieces, a Mass, and numerous popular music pieces, film scores, commercial jingles, and television theme songs.

My fervent hope is that Ryan has found a new home at the Proscenium Theater and that these MaestroClass series become a regular at the Proscenium Theater. He can bring new guests on with each class, and touch on different aspects of his composing career, and I loved the little bits of teaching that occur. It was a wonderful way to spend my Friday night.