Tate Addis, Organist

Tate Addis

Organist, Pianist, Church Musician

Biography

A native of Kansas, Tate Addis’ performances have been described as ‘spectacular’ and acclaimed for their ‘deeply communicative musicality,’ leading the Kansas City Star to write ‘this organist has the right stuff.’ His recent solo recital appearances have taken him to Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and the Bloomfield Organ Series at Wichita State University. Additionally, his performances have been broadcast on American Public Media’s nationally syndicated program Pipedreams and in Europe on Radio Klassik Stephansdom.

Active as a church musician from an early age, Tate has held positions at New York City’s Brick Presbyterian Church, Second Presbyterian Church in Kansas City, and the Yale Berkeley Divinity School in New Haven. Currently, he serves as Associate Director of Music and Organist at First Baptist Church in Asheville, North Carolina, where he collaborates with the Pastor for Music and Worship in a comprehensive music program, directs the youth and adult handbell ensembles, and teaches organ and piano in the church’s Academy for the Arts. In addition, he is the assistant director and accompanist for the Asheville Symphony Chorus. As a collaborative pianist, he has performed with violinists Daniel Hope and Benny Kim, tenor Vinson Cole, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Tate Addis holds degrees from Wichita State University, the University of Missouri – Kansas City, Yale University, and Oberlin Conservatory. His principal teachers were James David Christie, Lynne Davis, Thomas Murray, Andrew Trechak, and Robert Weirich. Additional studies were with Marie-Louise Langlais and Roman Summereder. Tate is married to Rev. Laura Addis. They share their home in Asheville with their miniature pig Virgil.