Greer's OC

Grammy-nominated tenor Nicholas Phan will serve as guest artistic director of the 16^th Annual Laguna Beach Music Festival taking place February 7-11 in Laguna Beach. Phan is the first vocal soloist to serve in this capacity. The Festival is a platform for the discovery of up-and-coming artists with its presentations of world-class musicians in intimate venues.

The Festival highlights include appearances by special guest artists, the world premiere of a new song cycle by composer Missy Mazzoli (“Brooklyn’s post-millennial Mozart” - Time Out New York), a new multimedia event around Leoš Janáček's powerful The Diary of One Who Disappeared, and free engagement events for students, seniors and the community. Guest artists include sopranos Joélle Harvey and Alyson Cambridge, Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor, baritone Edward Nelson, and pianists Myra Huang, Shannon McGinnis, and Doug Peck.

The Laguna Beach Music Festival is a co-presentation of Laguna Beach Live! and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County.

Appearing regularly in the world’s premier concert halls, music festivals and opera houses, American tenor Nicholas Phan continues to distinguish himself as one of the most compelling tenors performing today. Phan was recently nominated for a 2018 Grammy in the best classical solo vocal album category for his album Gods & Monsters. The album, recorded in collaboration with pianist Myra Huang, is an expression of Phan’s life-long fascination with myths and legends, and a testament to this singer’s great gift for storytelling through the medium of song.

Opening Night of the 2018 Laguna Beach Music Festival on Friday, Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. at Laguna Playhouse features vocal and instrumental pieces by Bach and the Schumanns, as well as Brahms’ irresistibly charming set of Liebeslieder Walzer (“Love-song Waltzes”), Op. 52, for vocal quartet and piano four-hands. 

The next evening on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 8 p.m. at Laguna Playhouse, “Diaries: The Art of the Confessional” features the world premieres of a commissioned song cycle from Missy Mazzoli’s operas and a multimedia event built around Leoš Janáček’s compelling The Diary of One Who Disappeared, with its exploration of the enduring power of love.

In his final program, “The American Sabbath,” on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 3 p.m.  at Laguna Playhouse, Nicholas Phan and special guests take listeners on a musical road trip exploring the American art song tradition through songs of faith and praise, and a program that explores the life and influence of the Virgin Mary told through songs spanning all genres: German Lieder, Spirituals, Rock, R&B, Broadway, among others. The program features everything from Bernstein, Barber, and Copland to Patty Griffin, Lennon and McCartney.

Tickets start at $38. For an entire list of events and tickets, visit philharmonicsociety.org/LBMF