Tate Addis, Organist

Biography

Organist Tate Addis’s performances have been described as “spectacular” and praised for their “deeply communicative musicality,” prompting The Kansas City Star to write, “this organist has the right stuff.” His recent solo appearances have taken him to major cities across the United States—including Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Princeton, Tacoma, and Washington, D.C.—as well as to the Bloomfield Organ Series at Wichita State University. Internationally, he has performed in Germany, the Netherlands, and in Austria for a series of concerts commemorating the centennial of organist and composer Anton Heiller. His performances have been broadcast throughout North America on American Public Media’s Pipedreams and in Europe on Radio Klassik Stephansdom.

A church musician since his childhood, 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 Organist and Associate Conductor at Centenary United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In this role, he works alongside the Director of Music and Arts in a comprehensive music ministry, accompanies the Centenary Choir in rehearsals, worship, and performances, and serves as the principal keyboardist for traditional worship services. He is the collaborative artist for Blue Ridge Consort, a professional vocal ensemble serving Western North Carolina. Additionally, he is Artist-in-Residence at St. James Episcopal Church in Hendersonville, North Carolina, where he presents annual organ recitals and accompanies the St. James Choir in their Evensong services. As a collaborative pianist, he has performed with violinists Daniel Hope and Benny Kim, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and tenor Vinson Cole.

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, as well as in masterclasses with Leon Fleisher and Jerome Lowenthal. Tate makes his home in Winston-Salem with his spouse and partner, Rev. Laura Addis, and their daughter, Maggie.

Revised, May 2026.
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