Raymundo Cipriano Pujante Cayabyab, popularly known as Ryan Cayabyab (born 4 May 1954) is

a Filipino musician, composer and arranger. His works include theater musicals, choral pieces, pop music and
commercial recordings and musical scorings. He used to be the Director of the San Miguel Foundation for the
Performing Arts and a resident judge of Philippine Idol in 2006.
He is married to Emmy Punsalan. They were blessed with two children, Cristina Maria and Antonio Maria. He
and his wife run the Music School of Ryan Cayabyab. After earning a degree in Bachelor of Music, Major in
Theory and worked as a professor for two decades at UP in the Department of Composition and Music Theory.
He planned to migrate to the US with his family but Danding Cojuangco offered him a post in the San Miguel
Foundation for the Performing Arts. He served as its Executive and Artistic Director for seven consecutive
years.
Among Cayabyab's projects was the Ryan Cayabyab Singers, a group of seven young adult singers who are
similar to the former Smokey Mountain in the 1990's. He is also the executive director of the Philpop Music
Fest Foundation Inc., which is behind the Philippine Popular Music Festival. The Philippine Popular Music
Festival is a competition for songwriting which is exclusive for amateurs and professionals to encourage
Filipinos to safeguard their own musical personality.

Eleandre Basio Buenda, popularly known as Ely Buendia, and also once adopting the stage name, Jesus
"Dizzy" Ventura, is a Filipino musician, best known as guitarist and lead vocals of the iconic rock band The
Eraserheads. His retrospective and unorthodox rock compositions contributed to the development of Pinoy
rock during the 1990s, paving the way for a wave of rock and pop popularity in the Philippines. He currently
performs as guitarist and lead vocalist for the band, Pupil. In December 1989, Ely Buendia, Raimund
Marasigan, Marcus Adoro and Buddy Zabala formed the Eraserheads in their collegiate school, the University
of the Philippines, Diliman. The band found that they weren't good at covering other people's hits, so they
concentrated on writing their own materials instead. "After all, if we committed a mistake no one would
recognize it since they don't know the song, right?," Buendia explained. Performing their original songs live
soon earned them a cult following in their school which gradually spread outside the campus. One of the
songs, a pop song entitled, "Pare Ko," which Buendia wrote, became very popular, partly because of its lyrics
that included a few cuss words.
The Eraserheads eventually signed a three-year deal with BMG Pilipinas. Their debut album,
"UltraElectroMagneticPop!" featured no less than the ecletic "Pare Ko" and a host of other novelty pieces that
had people listening and discovering more about the quartet. The album also brought the underground college
rock scene into public awareness. 1993 saw the emergence of "Eraserheadsmania" because of successive hit
singles, sold-out concerts and thousands of fans.
Buendia continued to write songs for the band, many of which became hit singles and classics. The
Eraserheads' lasted for ten years before finally breaking up with Buendia and Adoro's departure. During those
10 years, the band produced eight studio albums along with other EPs and singles. Their gigs took them out of
the country, with tours in the USA and other countries. One album, "Aloha Milkyway, was released in the Asian
region. The Eraserheads were also the first ever Filipino artists to receive the "Moon Man" trophy for winning
the 1997 MTV Asia Viewer's Choice Award for the video of their song, "Ang Huling El Bimbo." This hit was also
written by Buendia, like many others that the band produced.
The Eraserheads is now considered the most influential OPM artist of all time. Their contribution to the local
music scene is so great, they are dubbed "The Beatles Of The Philippines". Because of Buendia's genius
songwriting and musical creativity, he is often referred to as the John Lennon of OPM.

Freddie Aguilar "Anak" (Filipino for child or more accurately my son or my daughter) is a Tagalog song written
by Filipino folk-singer Freddie Aguilar. It was a finalist for the inaugural 1977 Metropop Song Festival held in Manila.
It became an international hit, and was translated into 26 languages.[1] The lyrics speak of Filipino family
values.[2] The current copyright owner of the song is Star Music

Jose Maceda, composer, musicologist, teacher and performer, explored the musicality of the Filipino deeply. Maceda
embarked on a life-long dedication to the understanding and popularization of Filipino traditional music. Macedas
researches and fieldwork have resulted in the collection of an immense number of recorded music taken from the
remotest mountain villages and farthest island communities. He wrote papers that enlightened scholars, both Filipino and
foreign, about the nature of Philippine traditional and ethnic music. Macedas experimentation also freed Filipino musical
expression from a strictly Eurocentric mold.

Usually performed as a communal ritual, his compositions like Ugma-ugma(1963), Pagsamba (1968), and Udlot-
udlot (1975), are monuments to his unflagging commitment to Philippine music. Other major works include Agungan,
Kubing, Pagsamba, Ugnayan, Ading, Aroding, Siasid, Suling-suling.

Antonio J. Molina, versatile musician, composer, music educator was the last of the musical triumvirate, two of whom
were Nicanor Abelardo and Francisco Santiago, who elevated music beyond the realm of folk music. At an early age, he
took to playing the violoncello and played it so well it did not take long before he was playing as orchestra soloist for the
Manila Grand Opera House. Molina is credited for introducing such innovations as the whole tone scale, pentatonic scale,
exuberance of dominant ninths and eleventh cords, and linear counterpoints. As a member of the faculty of the UP
Conservatory, he had taught many of the countrys leading musical personalities and educators like Lucresia Kasilag and
Felipe de Leon.

Molinas most familiar composition is Hatinggabi, a serenade for solo violin and piano accompaniment. Other works are
(orchestral music) Misa Antoniana Grand Festival Mass, Ang Batingaw, Kundiman- Kundangan; (chamber
music) Hating Gabi, String Quartet, Kung sa Iyong Gunita, Pandangguhan; (vocal music) Amihan, Awit ni Maria
Clara, Larawan Nitong Pilipinas, among others.

Lucio San Pedro is a master composer, conductor, and teacher whose music evokes the folk elements of the Filipino
heritage. Cousin to Botong Francisco, San Pedro produced a wide-ranging body of works that includes band music,
concertos for violin and orchestra, choral works, cantatas, chamber music, music for violin and piano, and songs for solo
voice. He was the conductor of the much acclaimed Peng Kong Grand Mason Concert Band, the San Pedro Band of
Angono, his fathers former band, and the Banda Angono Numero Uno. His civic commitment and work with town bands
have significantly contributed to the development of a civic culture among Filipino communities and opened a creative
outlet for young Filipinos.

His orchestral music include The Devils Bridge, Malakas at Maganda Overture,Prelude and Fugue in D minor, Hope
and Ambition; choral music Easter Cantata, Sa Mahal Kong Bayan, Rizals Valedictory Poem; vocal music Lulay,Sa
Ugoy ng Duyan, In the Silence of the Night; and band music Dance of the Fairies, Triumphal March, Lahing
Kayumanggi, Angononian March among others.

Francisco Santiago (29 January 1889 28 September 1947) was a Filipino musician known as the Father
of Kundiman Art Song.
He was born on 29 January 1889 to musically-minded peasant parents, Felipe Santiago and Maria Santiago.
Poverty did not stop him from pursuing piano studies.
In 1908, he composed Purita and dedicated it to the first Carnival Queen, Miss Pura Villanueva, who later
married the distinguished scholar Teodoro Kalaw. He was a piano instructor in 1916, the same year
the University of the Philippines (UP) Conservatory of Music was established.
Santiago's masterpiece was the Concerto in B flat minor for pianoforte and orchestra. His most famous piece
"Kundiman, (Anak-Dalita)", was sung upon the request of King Alfonso XIII of Spain before the Royal Court of
Spain.
His other compositions were the kundiman "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". He was named UP Emeritus
Professor of Piano on 25 May 1946.
On 28 September 1947, as the UP Conservatory of Music celebrated its 30th anniversary, Santiago died of
heart attack. He was buried at the North Cemetery in Manila.
A hall in the Head Office of BDO (former PCIBank Twin Towers) was named in his honor. The Francisco
Santiago Hall was mainly used for kundiman contests of the Makati City Government and the awarding of
Service Awards of the former Equitable PCIBank and PCIBank
Juan Silos, Jr., also known as the "Father of Rondalla" is a prominent composer and arranger who formed
several rondalla groups includig school rondallas at St. Anthony's Institution, Centro Escolar
University, Assumption College, Stella Maris College, College of the Holy Spirit, University of Santo Thomas,
and the Far Eastern University.
One of the many songs he composed was "Waray Waray". He was also the person behind the success of the
"All-Star Filipino Rondalla" in 1949 which displayed its versatility with the performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano
Concert No. 1 in B-flat and Khatchaturian's Saber Dance during Benny Goodman's farewell concert in 1949.

Restituto Umali, a teacher of choral arranging and orchestration at the UST Conservatory of Music, majored in
Composition and Conducting at the UP Conservatory of Music, and Commerce at the Jose Rizal College. He even
passed an electricians course at the Philippine School of Arts and Trades before embarking on a rewarding career as a
musical scorer for movies. He studied harmony with Felipe P. De Leon. Umali won the FAMAS best music awards for the
films Sa Bawat Pintig ng Puso, Pinagbuklod ng Langit, Mga Anghel na Walang Langit, and Ang Alamat. He also
garnered the best music awards for Bitter-Sweet at the 1969 Manila Film Festival and Ang Agila at Ang Araw at the
1973 Olongapo Film Festival. His most popular songs are: Saan Ka Man Naroroon, Alaala ng Lumipas, Ang Pangarap
Koy Ikaw, Sa Libis ng Barrio, Di Ka Nag-iisa, and Paano Kita Lilimutin. He arranged the performance of Maestro
Federico Elizaldes Manila Little Symphony aired on radio stations DZRH and DZPI, apart from his stint as musical
director of Sampaguita Pictures.
Mike Velarde was born in Manila on 23 October 1913. He was the second of two children of Dr. Miguel
Velarde, Sr. and Dolores Guison. His family moved to Zamboanga when he was only one year old and there
he spent the succeeding eighteen years of his life. His exposure to the unaffected and unpretentious
environment of Basilan and Zamboanga influenced his creative imagination. His mother became his first music
teacher who helped him in his piano and violin lessons when he was six years old. He graduated from high
school at Zamboanga Normal School wherein he was a valedictorian and a member of the school orchestra.
He entered the University of the Philippines wherein he studied Medicine but did not finish his degree. He
eventually pursued studying music. He financed his studies by working as a bus conductor after his father
found out that he was not taking his medical studies seriuously. Dr. Antonio Molina and Ariston Avelino taught
him his first lessons in harmony and composition. During this time, he enjoyed jazz and American popular
tunes. He later got a job at a radio station wherein he was featured in programs such as "Sunrise Program" in
the morning and "Stardust Program" at night. He then opened a jazz school and became song editor for
the Philippines Free Press. Mike Velarde eventually went into writing Tagalog songs for the Filipinos wherein
he later composed the song 'Ugoy-Ugoy 'Blues' which eventually brought him towards working with movies. He
also had a jazz band named Mike Velarde's Jazztocrats. He later became the editor of the Literary Song Movie
Magazine which was owned by the late Congressman Pedro Vera. During the Japanese Occupation, Mike
Velarde began to write concertized arrangements of folk songs. He also became the musical director of the
Avenue Theater and most of his arrangements became popular overtures.
Mike Velarde married Luisa Guison with whom he has six children.
Some of his compositions:

Ugoy-Ugoy Blues, 1935

Ikaw (from Milagro ng Nazareno), 1935
Dahil Sa Iyo (from Bituing Marikit), 1938
Habang Buhay (from Lagot na Kuwintas), 1938
Lahat ng Araw (from Pasang Krus), 1939
Dating Sumpaan (from Ang Dating Sumpaan), 1939
Minamahal Kita (from Nia Bonita), 1940
Some of the movies that he starred in:

Milagro ng Nazareno (Parlatone Hispano-Filipino Pictures), 1935

Bituing Marikit (Sampaguita Pictures), 1938
Lagot na Kuwintas (Sampaguita Pictures), 1938
Pasang Krus (Sampaguita Pictures), 1939
Ang Dating Sumpaan (Excelsior Pictures), 1939
Nia Bonita (LVN Pictures), 1940

Andrea Veneracion, is highly esteemed for her achievements as choirmaster and choral arranger. Two of her
indispensable contributions in culture and the arts include the founding of the Philippine Madrigal Singers and
the spearheading of the development of Philippine choral music. A former faculty member of the UP College of
Music and honorary chair of the Philippine Federation of Choral Music, she also organized a cultural outreach
program to provide music education and exposure in several provinces. Born in Manila on July 11, 1928, she is
recognized as an authority on choral music and performance and has served as adjudicator in international
music competitions.

George Canseco (April 23, 1934 November 19, 2004) was a leading Filipino song composer. He is regarded
by music critics as one of the best sentimental music maker of his time. His music has become part of the
ground on which Original Pilipino Music stand on. Most of his songs were interpreted by the country's ace
balladeer, Basil Valdez, whose career as a solo artist took fortunate turns when he recorded "Ngayon at
Kailanman" in 1978. The songs "Kapantay Ay Langit," "Ikaw", "Gaano Kadalas Ang Minsan", "Paano", "Sana'y
Wala Nang Wakas", "Hanggang sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan", "Hiram", "Kahapon Lamang" and "Dito Ba?"
are but a few of Canseco's 300 compositions, all defining what classic hits should be. Meeting Del Rosario
proved to be the event that would turn his life around as Canseco wrote for the Megastar Sharon Cuneta the
song "High School Life" and "Langis At Tubig" in the 1980s. The producer's faith in Canseco's craft had never
worn out as Canseco was even able to fill in lyrics for other composers like Willy Cruz, Homer Flores and Ryan
Cayabyab, thus he went further from his own compositions and joined expert hands with other composers
throughout his time.
Canseco's songs caused some of our most talented performers rise to fame. With songs hitting where it really
hurts or loving where there's already love, Canseco's songs defined a part in the lives of Regine
Velasquez, Zsazsa Padilla, Pilita Corrales, Dulce, Kuh Ledesma aside from Basil Valdez and Sharon Cuneta.
Canseco's last recorded love song made its way to Martin Nievera's 2002 album.