The Sunday Times, London“A star in the making…exquisitely artful…”
The New York Times“Nicholas Phan, with his sweet, clear voice, is on a career roll.”
Cleveland Plain Dealer“Phan is a tenor whose renown is well-earned. His voice is supple throughout an admirably wide range, whether he is called upon to unleash stormy passions or whisper love’s most delicate shadings. His long experience performing opera showed plainly in the full spectrum of emotion and drama.”
Alex Ross, The Rest is Noise“…he took hold of the music with unerring musicality, precise diction, and conversational command of German.”
Boston Globe“…he penetrated deeply into the inner drama of each of the 16 songs.”
Washington Times“It’s Mr. Phan’s voice that puts him in another league, however. Trim and slight of build, he possesses a commanding, yet subtly resourceful instrument. To see this level of mastery in a young singer, particularly in the famous aria “Una furtiva lagrima” (“a furtive tear”) is to expect great things of his future.”
Described by the Boston Globe as “one of the world’s most remarkable singers,” American tenor Nicholas Phan is increasingly recognized as an artist of distinction. An artist with an incredibly diverse repertoire that spans nearly 500 years of music, he performs regularly with the world’s leading orchestras and opera companies. An avid recitalist and a passionate advocate for art song and vocal chamber music, in 2010 Phan co-founded Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago, an organization devoted to promoting this underserved repertoire.
A celebrated recording artist, Phan’s most recent album, A Change Is Gonna Come, was released to critical acclaim in May 2024. His album, Stranger: Works for Tenor by Nico Muhly, was nominated for the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. His previous albums, Clairières and Gods and Monsters, were nominated for the same award in 2020 and 2017. He is the first singer of Asian descent to be nominated in the history of the category, which has been awarded by the Recording Academy since 1959.
Sought after as a curator and programmer, in addition to his work as artistic director of CAIC, Phan is the host and creator of BACH 52, a web series examining the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. He has created programs for broadcast on WFMT and WQXR and has also served as guest curator for projects with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Bravo! Vail Music Festival, San Francisco Opera Center, and San Francisco Performances, where he served as the vocal artist-in-residence from 2014-2018. Phan’s programs often examine themes of identity, highlight unfairly underrepresented voices from history, and strive to underline the relevance of music from all periods to the currents of the present day.
AUGUST 2024