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NICK PERFORMS WITH JAKE HEGGIE FOR SAN FRANCISCO PERFORMANCES' 45th ANNIVERARY GALA

NICK PERFORMS WITH JAKE HEGGIE FOR SAN FRANCISCO PERFORMANCES' 45th ANNIVERARY GALA

"San Francisco Performances opened its 45th season with a gala song recital by tenor Nicholas Phan and pianist and composer Jake Heggie. This Oct. 4 performance in Herbst Theatre was a celebratory, warm, and intimate occasion, like you were in someone’s living room among a small group of good friends...it was the performers’ artistic approach that truly created the intimacy. Phan can color his voice endlessly, and while there’s power when he wants it, he’s far more likely to lure you in with a thousand degrees of soft singing. Heggie’s pianism is discreet and understated, far more supportive than attention-getting..."

2024Nicholas PhanOctober 9, 2024ReviewsComment

NICK MAKES ROLE DEBUT AS YONAS IN KAIJA SAARIAHO'S 'ADRIANA MATER' WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

NICK MAKES ROLE DEBUT AS YONAS IN KAIJA SAARIAHO'S 'ADRIANA MATER' WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

“The four singers…were superb as individuals and as an ensemble...Tenor Nicholas Phan sang and acted brilliantly as the impulsive Yonas, who slowly matures as he comprehends the generosity and hope behind his mother’s behavior.”

– San Francisco Classical Voice

2023Nicholas PhanJune 14, 2023Reviews, San FranciscoComment

NICK GIVES THE WORLD PREMIERE OF NEW ORCHESTRATION OF 'STRANGER'

NICK GIVES THE WORLD PREMIERE OF NEW ORCHESTRATION OF 'STRANGER'

“…Stranger, Muhly’s song cycle for tenor (Nicholas Phan) was lucid and concise in an earlier version for string quartet; now, it glints with greatness…Tenor Phan, always a commanding presence, brought especial tenderness to these songs…”

2023Nicholas PhanMay 17, 2023Reviews, StrangerComment

NICK RETURNS TO THE NY PHIL FOR THE EVANGELIST IN BACH'S 'ST MATTHEW PASSION'

NICK RETURNS TO THE NY PHIL FOR THE EVANGELIST IN BACH'S 'ST MATTHEW PASSION'

“the soloists were outstanding. Tenor Nicholas Phan was an Evangelist brimful of such empathy as to be quite heartbreaking…” – The Financial Times

“…The tenor Nicholas Phan was a lyrical, actorly guide through the story as the Evangelist…” – The New York Times

2023Nicholas PhanMarch 31, 2023Reviews, BachComment

NICK SINGS BACH FOR BOSTON BAROQUE'S 50th

NICK SINGS BACH FOR BOSTON BAROQUE'S 50th

“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

2022Nicholas PhanOctober 28, 2022ReviewsComment

"NO PEDESTRIAN PROGRAMMER": CHICAGO TRIBUNE REVIEWS 2022 COLLABORATIVE WORKS FESTIVAL CONCERTS

"NO PEDESTRIAN PROGRAMMER": CHICAGO TRIBUNE REVIEWS 2022 COLLABORATIVE WORKS FESTIVAL CONCERTS

“‘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.”

2022Nicholas PhanSeptember 19, 2022Reviews, Chicago, CAICComment

NICK PERFORMS A RECITAL IN ASPEN CENTERED ON 'STRANGER'

NICK PERFORMS A RECITAL IN ASPEN CENTERED ON 'STRANGER'

“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

2022Nicholas PhanAugust 13, 2022Reviews, Stranger, WomenComment

VAN MAGAZINE REVIEWS 'STRANGER'

VAN MAGAZINE REVIEWS 'STRANGER'

“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.”

2022Nicholas PhanJuly 22, 2022Stranger, Reviews, Recording ProjectsComment

CHICAGO CLASSICAL REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS COLLABORATIVE WORKS FESTIVAL IN 'BEST OF 2021' YEAR-IN-REVIEW

CHICAGO CLASSICAL REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS COLLABORATIVE WORKS FESTIVAL IN 'BEST OF 2021' YEAR-IN-REVIEW

CAIC's 2021 Collaborative Works Festival: Strangers in a Strange Land was highlighted twice among Chicago Classical Review's 'Best of 2021'.

The opening concert of the festival, Songs of the New World, was listed as number three on Chicago Classical Review's "Top Ten Performances of 2021" and the closing concert of the festival, The Songs We Carried, was listed amongst the review's round-up of honorable mentions.

2021Nicholas PhanDecember 23, 2021Best Of, ReviewsComment

NICK RETURNS TO THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC FOR MESSIAH

NICK RETURNS TO THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC FOR MESSIAH

THE NEW YORK TIMES

“…This ‘Messiah’ offered as rewarding a quartet of soloists as you are likely to hear this holiday season. The appealing tenor Nicholas Phan set the mood for the evening in the recitative ‘Comfort ye, my people,’ performed with melting sound and beguiling sincerity, and the rousing aria ‘Ev’ry valley shall be exalted.’..”

2021Nicholas PhanDecember 15, 2021ReviewsComment

NICK EARNS GRAMMY NOMINATION & PLACES ON NEW YORK TIMES & BOSTON GLOBE'S “Best of 2020” LISTS

NICK EARNS GRAMMY NOMINATION & PLACES ON NEW YORK TIMES & BOSTON GLOBE'S “Best of 2020” LISTS

“As the year draws to a close, tenor Nicholas Phan continues to win accolades for his most recent recording, Clairières, an homage to composers Lili and Nadia Boulanger. As well as being featured on the New York Times’ list of Best Classical Music Tracks of 2020, the album has been nominated for a 2021 Grammy Award in the Best Classical Solo Vocal Album category, for which the final round of voting ends on January 4. This marks the second Grammy nomination for Phan and his regular collaborator, pianist Myra Huang, who were previously nominated in 2017 for their Romantic collection Gods & Monsters. The tenor remains the first and only Asian singer to be nominated in the history of the Best Classical Solo Vocal Album category, which has been awarded since 1959.”

Nicholas PhanDecember 21, 2020Press Releases, Grammys, Best Of, ReviewsComment

NICK CURATES AND PERFORMS IN CAIC'S 2020 COLLABORATIVE WORKS FESTIVAL

NICK CURATES AND PERFORMS IN CAIC'S 2020 COLLABORATIVE WORKS FESTIVAL

“…there was something ineffably satisfying in hearing Phan return to an earlier repertory. Phan’s intrinsically plangent timbre was beautifully showcased in this music, as was his singular gift in straightforward expressivity…Those who doubt the power of music as a panacea in challenging times would have been convinced here; Women of the Baroque easily demonstrated why CAIC has emerged as one of the classiest vocal performance options in the city.”

- Opera News

Nicholas PhanNovember 1, 2020ReviewsComment

BBC RADIO 3 FEATURES ‘CLAIRIÈRES’ AMONG TOP 5 RECORDINGS OF WOMEN COMPOSERS

BBC RADIO 3 FEATURES ‘CLAIRIÈRES’ AMONG TOP 5 RECORDINGS OF WOMEN COMPOSERS

Boulanger has a distinctive style – she always does something you’re not quite expecting…Phan has an absolutely gorgeous floating sound…Huang is so responsive to Boulanger’s harmonic twists and turns…Very well programmed – an enjoyable listen all the way through…Rewarding and rich recital”. - BBC Radio 3 Record Review

Nicholas PhanAugust 15, 2020Reviews

NICK DEBUTS IN MIAMI WITH NEW WORLD SYMPHONY

NICK DEBUTS IN MIAMI WITH NEW WORLD SYMPHONY

“Tenor Nicholas Phan was unquestionably the afternoon’s star. From the moment he took the New World Center’s stage, Phan exhibited authoritative command of diverse vocal offerings, an engaging personality and a voice that seemed born to sing French opera and song.” - South Florida Classical Review

Nicholas PhanMay 20, 2020Reviews

‘CLAIRIÈRES’ RECEIVES RAVE REVIEWS

‘CLAIRIÈRES’ RECEIVES RAVE REVIEWS

“Phan’s wonderfully poised and precise singing matches it perfectly...It’s hard to imagine these Boulanger songs could have more convincing advocacy.“ - The Guardian

Nicholas PhanMay 20, 2020Reviews

NICK MAKES LAST MINUTE DEBUT IN GENEVA WITH 'LES ILLUMINATIONS'

NICK MAKES LAST MINUTE DEBUT IN GENEVA WITH 'LES ILLUMINATIONS'

“the American tenor Nicholas Phan made a very strong impression, with a plush, incisive voice, comfortable with all the expressive and technical rollercoasters of the score, projecting far French of a beautiful quality.” - Tribune de Geneve

Nicholas PhanMay 20, 2020Reviews

NICK CURATES AND PERFORMS IN EMERGING VOICES PROJECT FOR PCMS

NICK CURATES AND PERFORMS IN EMERGING VOICES PROJECT FOR PCMS

“This tour de force by Phan and the PCMS provides a shot of adrenaline to the Philadelphia chamber music scene, attracting a more diverse audience to discover art songs and the picture they paint of history and social change.“

- Broad Street Review

Nicholas PhanMay 20, 2020Reviews, Emerging Voices

2019 COLLABORATIVE WORKS FESTIVAL LISTED AMONGST ‘BEST OF 2019’

2019 COLLABORATIVE WORKS FESTIVAL LISTED AMONGST ‘BEST OF 2019’

“This is the kind of thoughtful, intelligent programming that should be the model in a city like Chicago and sadly isn’t.” - Chicago Classical Review

Nicholas PhanMay 20, 2020Reviews

NICK DEBUTS TITLE ROLE IN HANDEL'S JUDAS MACCABBAEUS

NICK DEBUTS TITLE ROLE IN HANDEL'S JUDAS MACCABBAEUS

“Sunday’s performance in Berkeley’s First Congregational Church did rejoice in tenor Nicholas Phan’s vivid and heroic performance as Judas. This was a clarion account, with the music emerging vigorously at the top of his range” - San Francisco Chronicle

Nicholas PhanMay 20, 2020Reviews

SAN FRANCISCO PERFORMANCES HERBST THEATER RECITAL

SAN FRANCISCO PERFORMANCES HERBST THEATER RECITAL

“it was Phan’s interpretive authority and finesse that gave the evening its shaded colors, nuance, and overall dramatic presence. Again and again he delivered a sense of present-tense musical meaning to the lines…”

Nicholas PhanMay 20, 2020Reviews