“…Phan was the program’s anchor, shining each time he took the stage. Even some of the greatest opera singers have had limited success in the art-song repertoire…To be successful, a singer does not so much perform art songs as enter into and inhabit these miniature worlds, serving more as a musical storyteller than an actor. Phan is the epitome of such an interpreter…”

“…Recital singing is essential for singers, he added. “It’s the place where they can be most vulnerable and at the same time, have the most autonomy. There’s no conductor in front of them; they’re dealing with poetry on their own terms…”

– The Mercury News