“…’Reiner Geist, lass doch mein Herz,’ …a beautiful work that shows more than a touch of Italian opera influence. Much less celebratory than the surrounding Bach cantatas, the piece in this performance owed much to Phan, who was a phenomenal soloist. His legato was unshakeable…“. – San Francisco Chronicle

“Nicholas Phan is a fine protagonist, steering this provocative course between cantata and musical theatre. His fervent, crystalline diction fuels the revolution, not that the electrically democratic Palaver Strings are short of ideas. Phan gives Farayi Malek the final word, and it’s a soulful call to action”

“…[Phan] opened the evening with “Comfort ye,” not only comforting but also smiting with his expressiveness. In “Every valley shall be exalted” he gave a virtual a master class in how to sing a melisma…”

“…tenor Nicholas Phan, who gave a stunning concert of solo Baroque vocal music with the Bach Collegium San Diego (BCSD) directed by Ruben Valenzuela this past weekend…Phan’s elegant phrasing, pellucid German, and resonant vocal sonority combined with the customary panache of BCSD could not have been more rewarding…”

"...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..."

“…Phan interpreted them with both force and delicacy, shaping the music in close fusion with the instruments and nicely emphasizing Wallen’s key message of unifying hearts through his intense engagement...”

“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

“…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…”

“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

“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

“‘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.”

“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

“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.”

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.

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.’..”

“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.”

“…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

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

“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

“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