Press Quotes

“A dreamy fruitcake of parts, tranquil even through its anarchy.”

— LOS ANGELES TIMES

“Kline’s score, like toy chimes floating on the cold air, brings magic to the long, dark winter nights.”

— THE NEW YORK POST

“The Rockettes notwithstanding, you’d be hard pressed to find a more authentically New York City holiday tradition.”

— THE NEW YORKER

“The effect of Kline's music is gorgeous. Bell sounds lap up against buildings and ricochet all around, and the nondenominational spirit of it can warm even the coldest of hearts.”

— THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

“A taste of what it’s like to be a snowflake, drifting euphorically through shared, crystalline space.”

— AIR MAIL

“Existing somewhere near the intersection of public artwork and holiday caroling parties, Unsilent Night is a participatory, spatial soundscape that has endured as a beloved yuletide tradition for the past 30 years.”

— FLAGPOLE

“Immerses the listener in suspended wonderment, as if time itself had paused inside a string of jingle bells.”

— THE NEW YORK TIMES

“A brilliant bond of public space and listening public.”

— THE VILLAGE VOICE

“The annual tyranny of cheesy Christmas music is unavoidable. But for the last quarter of a century, Phil Kline’s offered New Yorkers a gorgeous, 45-minute respite from 'Frosty the Snowman' and the like.”

— THE NEW YORK POST

“A shimmering mass of music that may thaw even the most frozen holiday hearts.”

— THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

“One of the loveliest communal new-music experiences you'll ever encounter.”

— TIME OUT NEW YORK

“The point is that everyone’s together, simultaneously playing Kline’s wintry wonderwork, bringing joy, cheer & light to corners too numbed by despair to know they even need ‘em.”

— PHILADELPHIA WEEKLY

“Over the course of 45 minutes, chiming and chants bounce off walls and windows, transforming the coldest urban area with the warmth of musical fellowship.”

— NPR

“A marvelously fluid, traveling spatial sound sculpture that disintegrates and reforms at nearly every stop light.”

— THE VILLAGE VOICE

“If you’ve ever yearned to be part of a band or orchestra and have zero musical ability, then this is the event for you.”

— MadhattersNYC

“Perhaps the most striking aspect of Unsilent Night was the benign sense of wonder it instilled in observers.”

— SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

“The music bounces off cars and buildings, joined in an Ivesian 'universe symphony' by taxicab horns and cheers from passersby.”

— THE NEW YORK TIMES

“Unearthly but strangely comforting at the same time.”

— NEW YORK DECODER

“The most eccentrically beguiling experience of the holiday season.”

— TORONTO LIFE

“A shimmering sound-wall of bells and chimes that is dreamlike to wander through in the December nip.”

— THE VILLAGE VOICE

“Caroling has never been so epic.”

— FLAVORPILL

“It's a 44-minute exercise in musical democracy and Christmas cheer. It's a tradition for our times, a modern twist on strolling minstrels and caroling parties.”

— BALTIMORE SUN

“Gorgeously ambient.”

— NEW YORK MAGAZINE

“It's the caroling of the future.”

— SAN FRANCISCO WEEKLY

“A nondenominational, open-ended, kid-friendly celebration of avant-garde composition.”

— FLAVORWIRE

“The sound blooms like a giant music box coming to life and the procession through the city begins.”

— NPR

“Uncommercial, unclassifiable, unearthly, unforgettable, Unsilent Night. It felt like being in a movie, or a dream, heavenly music made of bells and chimes and God knows what else underlining your every move, propelling you through our never-more-wondrous town.”

— IMBY (In My Back Yard), Hudson NY