“Fresh from performances as the Evangelist in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the Hong King Philharmonic under the baton of Jaap van Zweden, three-time Grammy-nominated tenor Nicholas Phan – “one of the world’s most remarkable singers” (Boston Globe) – sings the same role with the same conductor leading the New York Philharmonic this spring (March 23–25). He also returns to the Dallas Symphony…”
Read More“Orchestra, chorus, soloists, and Pearlman combined to deliver the most compelling performance I’ve seen from Boston Baroque in years. That slate of soloists featured several names well known to anyone who’s been a regular at Boston Baroque, including..the keen and thoughtful tenor Nicholas Phan...” – Boston Globe
Read More“‘The Song of Chicago’ proved, once again, that CAIC is no pedestrian programmer. As tenor and Artistic Director Nicholas Phan made clear during his interstitial comments, this ‘Song of Chicago’ had not just a chorus but a well-researched thesis, arguing that Chicago was uniquely nurturing to composers in the 20th century. Its conservatories educated, if not always warmly welcomed, more Black musicians than peer institutions, and during the same period, the city’s pro-labor leftist movements gave refuge to artists who might have been forced to the fringes elsewhere — like Sandburg and his alliances with composers Ruth Crawford Seeger and Ernst Bacon.”
Read More“Two-time Grammy nominated tenor Nicholas Phan is “one of the world’s most remarkable singers” (Boston Globe), and the coming season showcases his artistry in music ranging from masterworks of the Classical and Baroque to new song cycles composed expressly for his voice. He returns to the New York Philharmonic under Jaap van Zweden for Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (March 23–25); joins Boston Baroque..”
Read More“Tuesday night tenor Nicholas Phan delivered thoughtful and eloquent songs that reflected universal aspects of immigration, from the thrill of anticipation to the vagaries of reality…To create one of the more arresting recitals in this summer’s Aspen Music Festival lineup, Phan built his whole evening around composer Nico Muhly’s “Strangers,” a song cycle that focuses on difficulties of immigration…Muhly’s music, so touching and spare, created an apt halo of sound for Phan’s poignant singing of these letters…” – Aspen Times
Read More“Phan’s deceptively halcyon tenor—clear and crystalline, but able, on a dime, to reflect the explosive storms of human experience—is an ideal vehicle for the emotional capaciousness that Muhly gives his texts…Phan’s tenor weaves itself into a lavender haze of unconditional love and unencumbered longing, accented by a holy minimalism in Brooklyn Rider’s accompaniment…The closing piece reminds us, as history snakes around itself, that what we are invariably left with in any era are people looking to connect.”
Read MoreCommissioned by the tenor Nicholas Phan and premiered in 2019, Nico Muhly's Stranger is undoubtedly one of the most moving new vocal works to come my way this year: setting texts including extracts from letters and interviews with immigrants from China and Sicily, the song-cycle explores what Muhly has described as 'different kinds of shared American stories', …
…The three of us connected over Zoom last month to discuss the genesis and reception of Stranger, the questions around identity and immigration which lie at the heart of the piece…
Read More“Composer and singer discuss the title-work on a new album from Avie, and consider the resonances of cultural identity explored in the new work, written for Phan
Nico Muhly’s Stranger, premiered in 2020, gives its name to a new album from Avie featuring the tenor Nicholas Phan. James Jolly caught up by video call with Nicholas Phan in San Francisco and Nico Muhly in New York to talk about the album, and how Stranger came into being.”
Read MoreWQXR celebrated AAPI Heritage Month with a program of works composed and performed by artists of Asian descent. Performers included the celebrated tenor Nicholas Phan and pianist Myra Huang, who performed works on the theme of immigration and migration…Click to watch the video!
Read More“Nicholas Phan’s eighth Avie Records album – Stranger: Works for Tenor by Nico Muhly – drops on July 1. Due for both physical and digital release, the new title comprises world premiere recordings of three of the composer’s major works: Impossible Things for tenor, solo violin and orchestra; Lorne Ys My Likinge for countertenor, tenor and piano; and Stranger for tenor and string quartet…”
Read MoreSan Francisco Performances has just announced their 2022 Salon Series, which will take place in early 2022. Nick curates and performs in this season's set of salon recitals, which take place over the course of four Thursday evenings in the Education Studio at the War Memorial Veterans Building…
Read More
