"Mr. Castagner is one of the most promising tenors since the late Alfredo Kraus. The manner is fresh, appealing, and winning, the voice saucy, wide-ranging, flexible....It was moving to see a few old-timers rush to the footlights (like people used to do more often) to cheer the young singer. They were on to something: with luck and the right opportunities, Mr. Castagner could be a major tenor of his generation."

"His sound at the start was light and tightly focused...by the fourth song...deliberate understatement had given way to passion and nuanced coloration..."

"His voice is secure from the top to the bottom of his range. His thrilling high notes are effortlessly produced, and his lower register is much stronger than that of most young tenors."

"As 'Acis,' Phillippe Castagner sang the lead fluently."

"He is clearly a major discovery and at 25, one of the most promising singers in the country. It's time we heard him, and his passionately expressive Schubert, back home."

"How the part should sound is how the 22-year-old tenor Philippe Castagner sang it: lyrically and with bravura. This is an amazing young singer...Without ever straining, Castagner sang this intensely difficult and long part heroically and with feeling. There are great things ahead."

"Canadian tenor Philippe Castagner is a dashing figure with a voice that might one day develop the dimensions of a romantic hero."

"Philippe Castagner sang with style and sensitive phrasing."

"His voice is beautiful, light and shimmering with subtlety. He's no crooner though, and he can rattle the rafters with the best of them. But it is his quieter, more emotional singing that is his best feature. He phrases instinctively and gorgeously, and he has the big breath to make this phrasing possible."