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Britten-Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings with English Chamber Orchestra
Nicholas Phan sings Come you not from Newcastle? at WQXR
Nicholas Phan records Britten “Winter Words”
Nicholas Phan discusses his album, ‘A Painted Tale’
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“A star in the making…exquisitely artful…”

The Sunday Times, London

“Nicholas Phan, with his sweet, clear voice, is on a career roll.”

The New York Times

“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.”

Cleveland Plain Dealer

“…he took hold of the ­music with ­unerring ­musicality, ­precise diction, and ­conversational ­command of German.”

Alex Ross, The Rest is Noise

“…he penetrated deeply into the inner drama of each of the 16 songs.”

Boston Globe

“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.” ­

Washington Times

Nicholas Phan is a Grammy Award-winning lyric tenor, curator, and educator, celebrated for his expressive artistry and versatility across a repertoire spanning nearly 500 years. Described by the Boston Globe as “one of the world’s most remarkable singers,” he has earned international recognition for his captivating stage presence, keen intelligence, and natural musicianship. In 2010 he co-founded Art Song Chicago to promote art song and vocal chamber music, where he serves as artistic director.

Sought after as a curator and programmer, in addition to his work as artistic director of Art Song Chicago, 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. Praised by the Chicago Classical Review as “the kind of thoughtful, intelligent programming that should be a model,” 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.

To open the 2025-26 season, Phan curates and performs in Art Song Chicago’s 2025 Collaborative Works Festival. Now celebrating its 15th anniversary season, Art Song Chicago continues to redefine the art song recital as a dynamic and socially engaged form. This year’s festival, taking place September 4–6, 2025, is themed “Songs of War and Peace,” and explores the emotional and political landscapes shaped by conflict and reconciliation through a diverse array of vocal music.

Following the Chicago song festival, Phan makes his debut at the Rome Opera performing the role of Yonas in Kaija Saariaho’s Adriana Mater in a production directed by Peter Sellars. Other highlights of the 2025-26 season include returns to the New York Philharmonic and Cincinnati Symphony, a debut with ORCAM in Madrir, concerts inspired by his BACH 52 web series in New York City and Santa Fe, a Kennedy Center recital with pianist Myra Huang, and co-leading a day of concerts celebrating composer Rebecca Clarke at London’s Wigmore Hall with mezzo-soprano Kitty Whately and pianist Anna Tilbrook coinciding with the release of his new album Rebecca Clarke–The Complete Songs on Signum Records.

Phan won the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for his recording of Kaija Saariaho’s Adriana Mater with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony. His album, A Change Is Gonna Come, was nominated for the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. His previous albums, Stranger: Works for Tenor by Nico Muhly,Clairières, and Gods and Monsters, were nominated for the same award in 2023, 2020 and 2017. He is the first singer of Asian descent to be nominated in the history of the Best Classical Solo Vocal Album category, which has been awarded by the Recording Academy since 1959.

SEPTEMBER 2025