Ryan Cayabyab shares his ‘trade secrets’

RYAN Cayabyab doesn’t rest on his laurels. “I don’t go for what’s easy or convenient, because I find joy and excitement in discovering new things—like a unique voice or an unconventional talent. So, in my projects, mas importante sa akin na may challenge—kasi, if it’s too ‘comfortable,’ there’s nothing for me there,” Ryan shared with us during a rare lull in the hectic rehearsals for “RCS 7,” the fifth anniversary concert of his latest wards, the Ryan Cayabyab Singers. The song-and-dance feast goes onstage on July 7, 7:30 p.m. at Music Museum (call 0917 874-3499 or 721-0635).

Doesn’t he mind sharing his “trade secrets” with his talents? Mr. C beams, “My passion for training talented individuals comes from my belief that the next generation should be better than ours. Teach them everything you know, it doesn’t matter if that entails revealing your ‘trade secrets,’ because that’ll benefit the community, which is more important than yourself.

“But, there’s a catch: Training has to be in a controlled environment—you don’t just give free training, tapos bahala na sila pagkatapos nilang matuto. Dapat may goal at follow-through, kasi kung tutulong ka lang with no rhyme nor reason, parang nagcha-charity work ka lang! That way, the commitment becomes reciprocal.”

Complementary voices

We have worked with a lot of singers and actors since we began dabbling in the performing arts in 1995—but, directing RCS has made us realize what sets Mr. C’s vocal septet apart from other singing groups: While they complement one another, the sound they create doesn’t come from homogeneous voices.

With RCS, was it a conscious decision to create a unified sound from disparate voices? Ryan nods, “That’s the idea—put different genres and voice types together, and make them complement one another. They’re not a choir—I didn’t want a sound kung saan pare-pareho ang tunog ng tenors, baritones, sopranos and altos. My taste in music is very eclectic—it’s halu-halo! I like creating fusion.”

Before RCS, Ryan also famously mentored Smokey Mountain, Kaya and 14k (from which Jolina Magdangal—who performs a special number in the concert—originated). But, the well-loved Music Man says that his affinity for vocal groups actually began when he was a senior in high school: “A cousin of mine wanted to put up an all-male vocal pop group—and that was how I met Tony Meloto (of Gawad Kalinga). Yes, he also sings—so, every time I see him now, he jokingly tells me, ‘Buti na lang hindi naging magaling ang grupo natin—kasi, kung nagkataon, kawawa sana ang career mo ngayon (chuckles)!”

Singing groups

Thereafter, Mr. C became a part of The Charaders (whose musical director was Raul Sunico, now CCP president), People Like Us, the New Minstrels and the Ambivalent Crowd, where he discovered

“Cynthia Patag, who struck me because of her unusual voice. Kaiba s’yang mag-perform, which was what drew me to her.” Later, he worked with other singing groups, like the Tux and the Company.

Cayabyab notes, “Makikita mo talaga ang hilig ko sa vocal group performance. My experiment with musical and vocal fusion continues with RCS, composed of Kaich Tiuseco, Anezka Alvarez, Poppert Bernadas, Erwin Lacsa, Vince Lim, VJ Caber and Celine Fabie.

“When I put up the group, I wanted singers who could also move and dance well. Five years later, I never imagined they could reach the level they’re at now—it inspires me to see them work so hard! They have different but complementary personalities—and they enjoy one another’s company!”