Two Key Firsts on Horizon for Tenor Nicholas Phan as He Sings Tamino in Boston and Makes Debut at Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Praised by the Baltimore Sun as “one of the most eloquently communicative tenors on the scene today,” Nicholas Phan makes two key debuts this spring, beginning in April with his first Tamino in Mozart’s The Magic Flute with Boston Baroque and its music director, Martin Pearlman, at Boston’s Jordan Hall (April 15, 16). The following month, he makes his debut at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center singing Schubert’s Auf dem Strom (May 3) before reuniting with the Philharmonia Baroque and Nicholas McGegan for performances as Inverno (Winter) in the New York premiere of Scarlatti’s serenata La gloria di Primavera (May 6). Earlier this season Phan recorded the Scarlatti with these same forces, and the album is slated for release today, Friday, April 8. An early review in San Francisco Classical Voice calls the recording, “simply superb,” noting, “Tenor Nicholas Phan sings marvelously, with great strength and heroic timbre.” Additional performances will follow next month in Costa Mesa, CA (May 10) and this summer at the Tanglewood Festival in Lenox, MA (Aug 25). A third performance by Phan in New York City this spring pairs him with The Knights and violinist Colin Jacobsen for the U.S. premiere of Nico Muhly’s Impossible Things (June 9), part of the 2016 NY PHIL BIENNIAL.
Regarding his spring role debut as Tamino, Phan observes:
“I’m most excited to be finally tackling Tamino in Mozart’s Magic Flute this season. I’ve wanted to sing the role for many years now, and it only feels right that my first foray in Tamino’s shoes will be with Boston Baroque, which has been so innovative in its approach to presenting opera throughout its 40-year history.”
A strong advocate for vocal chamber music, Phan joins renowned horn player Radovan Vlatković and pianist Gloria Chien for his Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center debut on May 3. Schubert wrote his Auf dem Strom (“On the River”) for Tenor, Horn, and Piano in the last year of his all-too-short life as a tribute to his hero Beethoven, and gave its premiere on March 26, 1828 on the first anniversary of Beethoven’s death; it was the only concert Schubert ever gave devoted entirely to his own music. The text is a poem by Ludwig Rellstab that was originally given to Beethoven for musical setting, but he did not live long enough to accomplish the task.
Described by its composer as “a Valentine to Benjamin Britten,” Nico Muhly’s Impossible Things for Tenor, Violin and String Orchestra was commissioned by the Britten Sinfonia, Muziekcentrum Frits Philips and Tapiola Sinfonietta, and given its world premiere in January of 2010. The upcoming June 9 performance of the piece at the NY Phil BIENNIAL reunites Phan with The Knights for their third collaboration; previously the tenor performed Britten’s Serenade for tenor, horn and strings and De Falla’s El retablo del Maese Pedro with the chamber orchestra.
Other highlights for Phan this spring and summer include his first recital at the Oregon Bach Festival (June 24), where he returns for the fifth consecutive season; performances of Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Dallas Symphony under the direction of Nicholas Carter (April 28-May 1), in London with the Royal Philharmonic and Charles Dutoit (May 31), and at the Bravo! Vail Music Festival with the Dallas Symphony led by Hans Graf (June 29); an all-Britten program at the Princeton Festival (June 10); and a tour of Bach cantatas through the “Bach cities” of Weimar, Erfurt, Eisenach and Leipzig with the Weimar Bach Cantata Academy at the Thüringer Bachwochen festival, conducted by Helmuth Rilling (Aug 15-21).
A complete list of Phan’s spring and summer tour dates follows.
High-res photos can be downloaded here.
Nicholas Phan: Spring/Summer 2016 engagements
April 15 & 16
Boston, MA
Jordan Hall
Boston Baroque / Martin Pearlman
Mozart: The Magic Flute (Tamino)
April 28 – May 1
Dallas, TX
Meyerson Symphony Hall
Dallas Symphony / Nicholas Carter
Orff: Carmina Burana
May 3
New York, NY
Alice Tully Hall
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Schubert: Auf dem Strom
May 6
New York, NY
Carnegie Hall Presents
Zankel Hall
Philharmonia Baroque / Nicholas McGegan
Scarlatti: La gloria di Primavera (Inverno)
May 7
Purchase, NY
SUNY Purchase
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Schubert: Auf dem Strom
May 10
Costa Mesa, CA
Philharmonic Society of Orange County
Segerstrom Concert Hall
Philharmonia Baroque / Nicholas McGegan
Scarlatti: La gloria di Primavera (Inverno)
May 14 & 15
Minneapolis, MN
MacPhail Center for Music
Minnesota Bach Ensemble / Andrew Altenbach
Bach: selected arias
Handel: selected arias
May 31
London, England
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Charles Dutoit
Orff: Carmina Burana
June 9
New York, NY
NY Philharmonic BIENNIAL
Rose Theater – Jazz at Lincoln Center
The Knights / Eric Jacobsen
Muhly: Impossible Things (U.S. Premiere)
June 10
Princeton, NJ
Princeton Festival
Concordia Chamber Players
Britten: Canticle III – Still Falls the Rain
Britten: selected folk song arrangements
June 23
Eugene, OR
Silva Hall
Oregon Bach Festival / Matthew Halls
Bach: Mass in B minor
June 24
Eugene, OR
Beall Hall
Oregon Bach Festival
Britten: Canticle I – My Beloved is Mine
Britten: Canticle III – Still Falls the Rain
Britten: selected folk song arrangements
Schubert: Auf dem Strom
Schubert: selected songs
David Riley, piano
TBD, horn
June 29
Vail, CO
Bravo! Vail Music Festival
Dallas Symphony Orchestra / Hans Graf
Orff: Carmina Burana
July 2
Eugene, OR
Silva Hall
Oregon Bach Festival / Matthew Halls
Bach: Magnificat
Aug 15
Weimar, GERMANY
Thüringer Bachwochen
Stadtkirche St. Peter und Paul
Weimar Bach Cantata Academy / Helmuth Rilling
Bach: Mass in G major, BWV 236
Aug 16
Weimar, GERMANY
Thüringer Bachwochen
Stadtkirche St. Peter und Paul
Weimar Bach Cantata Academy / Helmuth Rilling
Bach: Cantata 149 “Man singet mit Freuden vom Sieg”
Aug 17
Weimar, GERMANY
Thüringer Bachwochen
Stadtkirche St. Peter und Paul
Weimar Bach Cantata Academy / Helmuth Rilling
Bach: Cantata 130 “Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir”
Bach: Cantata 50 “Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft”
Aug 18
Weimar, GERMANY
Thüringer Bachwochen
Stadtkirche St. Peter und Paul
Weimar Bach Cantata Academy / Helmuth Rilling
Bach: Cantata 19 “Es erhub sich ein Streit”
Aug 19
Erfurt, GERMANY
Thüringer Bachwochen
Augustinerkloster
Weimar Bach Cantata Academy / Helmuth Rilling
Bach: Mass in G minor, BWV 235
Aug 20
Leipzig, GERMANY
Thüringer Bachwochen
Thomaskirche
Weimar Bach Cantata Academy / Helmuth Rilling
Bach: Mass in G major, BWV 236
Bach: Cantata 149 “Man singet mit Freuden vom Sieg”
Bach: Cantata 130 “Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir”
Bach: Cantata 19 “Es erhub sich ein Streit”
Aug 21
Eisenach, GERMANY
Thüringer Bachwochen
Georgenkirche
Weimar Bach Cantata Academy / Helmuth Rilling
Bach: Mass in G major, BWV 236
Bach: Cantata 149 “Man singet mit Freuden vom Sieg”
Bach: Cantata 130 “Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir”
Bach: Cantata 19 “Es erhub sich ein Streit”
Aug 25
Lenox, MA
Tanglewood Music Festival
Ozawa Hall
Philharmonia Baroque / Nicholas McGegan
Scarlatti: La gloria di Primavera (Inverno)
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