Ryan Cayabyab reveals talent fee

MANILA, Philippines — Dreaming of having a song composed for you by a National Artist like Ryan Cayabyab?

At the recent press conference for the world premiere of Ballet Manila’s “Florante at Laura,” for which Cayabyab composed the original score, the National Artist for Music got real about his price tag.

“If you ask me if I was expensive, very expensive!” Cayabyab declared.

“But it's worth it!” exclaimed the ballet company’s Creative Director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde.

“Getting the music for ‘Florante at Laura’ from Mr. C was my dream and my goal,” Lisa said, “but I will not deny that I was scared to ask (because of the talent fee).”

Last year, when the ballet company was still on a hunt for a composer, they already met and asked samples from several composers, “but it just didn't click for us,” said Lisa.

Having worked with Cayabyab for “Mahiwagang Biyulin,” Lisa took her chances if “Mr. C” would like to work with the ballet company again.

“I was floored when he said ‘yes’,” admitted Macuja-Elizalde, “Because I know that he’s very, very busy. I didn’t expect him to say ‘yes.’ But when he said ‘yes,’ I said, ‘Go! Let’s do this! We’re on!’.”

During “Mahiwagang Biyulin,” Lisa recalled Cayabyab gave them “a fantastic deal.”

“He said, ‘You know what, just give me P5,000 for every performance and I’m fine. And I’m like, ‘Can we have the same for ‘Florante at Laura’?,” recalled Lisa, sending Cayabyab, who was sitting beside her at the press con, into laughter.

“Si Mr. C nagugulat minsan, may P10,000 na dumadating sa kanya. Sabi n’ya, ‘Saan ‘to galing?’ Sabi ko, ‘Nag-dalawang performances kami!” Lisa shared. “And we continued performing ‘Mahiwagang Biyulin.’ I think he got P15,000 from our last round and ‘Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang’ (where ‘Mahiwagang Biyulin’ is among the segments).”

But since “Mahiwagang Biyulin” is just a 24-minute ballet, as opposed to “Florante at Laura,” which is about two hours long, and since Cayabyab did not do the musical arrangement for “Mahiwagang Biyulin” as he did with “Florante at Laura,” Lisa expected a higher quotation from Mr. C for the new show.

Cayabyab explained why such a higher price for the orchestration of Ballet Manila’s