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The Candaian-born concert organist, Aaron Tan, originally from the Philippines and Canada, started his musical upbringing on the piano and later added the violin and organ. He received his Associate (ARCT) diploma in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada at the age of 12 and went on to earn his Licentiate (LTCL) and Fellowship (FTCL) diplomas in Piano Performance from Trinity College of Music, London, England, at 13 and 15 years of age, respectively (Class of 2004). When he was 18, he also completed his ARCT diploma in violin performance.
In 2004, under the auspices of the Barwell Scholarship (awarded to pianists interested in learning the organ), he began organ studies with John Tuttle while concurrently entering as a freshman in Engineering Science at the University of Toronto (2004-2007). Since then, he has gone on to complete both Associate (ARCCO) and Fellowship (FRCCO) diplomas in organ from the Royal Canadian College of Organists (RCCO) (2007-????). His primary musical tutelage has been with John Tuttle, David Palmer, Joel Hastings, Martin Jean, and David Higgs. In addition, he has also won numerous noteworthy competitions and scholarships including First Prize at the American Guild of Organists 2018 National Young Artist Competition in Organ Performance, the Toronto RCCO Young Organists Competition, the Osborne Organ Competition of the Summer Institute of Church Music (Ontario), the RCCO’s National Organ Playing Competition, the Charlotte Hoyt Bagnall Scholarship for Church Musicians, the Lilian Forsyth Scholarship, the 2012 Poland International Piano Festival Competition, the West Chester University Organ Competition, the Arthur Poister Scholarship Competition, and the Sursa American Organ Competition.
Having recently received both MM and MMA degrees in organ from Yale University, Aaron Tan is currently pursuing doctoral studies at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester New York. Aaron also holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan (Class of 2012) and worked there as a postdoctoral researcher in the University’s Laboratory for Complex Materials and Thin Films Research, studying the dielectric and thermal properties of polymer thin films.
Aaron Tan is a leading young artist in North America. In October 2021 he was awarded First Prize at the 2021 Canadian International Organ Competition as well as several additional awards for performances of specific works at the competition (The Sir Ernest MacMillan Award for Canadian competitors, the award for best performance of a work by Marcel Dupré, and best performance of a work by a Canadian composer). He is an organist and pianist who enjoys multi-faceted careers as a musician and a materials scientist.
Aaron Tan has served as Organ Scholar at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Detroit, Michigan (2010-September 2014), Artist in Residence at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit, Assistant Organist at Christ Church Cranbrook, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (January-August 2018), and Organ Scholar at the Church of the Resurrection, New York City. He currently serves as Director of Music at St. Alban’s Catholic Church in Rochester New York (since August 2021), and Director of Music and Organist at The Episcopal Church of St. Luke & St. Simon Cyrene in Rochester, New York (since October 2023).
In the education field, Aaron Tan has been middle school music teacher at St. John Bosco Schools in East Rochester, New York (September 2022-June 2023); Instructor of Piano at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York (since September 2023). |
