Pauline Tan (she/her)

Get To Know Performer Pauline Tan

1. What has been your favorite part of working on the Amplify Series thus far?

It’s been a joy to be a part of a team whose focus is to ‘amplify’ the voices of those who have been put at the margins. I’ve loved getting to know the poets through email and creating small connections that I hope to last.

2. How did you discover your passion for singing and what is the most exciting part about it?

I discovered my passion for singing after I joined my university choir back home in the Philippines. I was studying political science and history when I met my first voice teacher, who introduced me to all these amazing singers and the rich repertoire of art song. Not long after, I shifted my attention to music and began my journey to study in the US and create a career for myself here. The most exciting part has been the many collaborations I’ve made with musicians who continue to inspire me, enhancing human connection through song.

3. How has this music differed from the music you perform more regularly, if at all?

I’d say the only real difference this music has is the context in which it has been written — having a personal connection with both the composer and the poet and knowing that we are all striving for the same thing, which is to bring to the forefront art that would otherwise not have been created. It makes my preparation for it much more motivated and special.