Tanner Winchester 

Tanner Winchester began his piano studies with Sharon Stricklin at age seven. He continued his piano studies with Dr. Paul Nitsch and Ginger Wyrick, both of Queens University of Charlotte. After moving to Raleigh, NC, in 2010, he studied with Dr. Richard McKee of Campbell University and Dr. Kent Lyman of Meredith College.

 

Tanner is a three-time recipient of the Robert Stigall Organ Scholarship, awarded by the Charlotte Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (AGO), where he studied with Nancy Watson and subsequently with Ginger Wyrick, both of Queens University of Charlotte. Tanner also received additional scholarships from the Durham-Chapel Hill AGO chapter and Queens University of Charlotte.

 

Tanner was selected to participate in Musical Heirs, an honors choir in Charlotte, NC, during middle school. He performed and recorded numerous classical and sacred works by Bach, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Faure, and John Rutter, among others, in collaboration with members of the Charlotte Symphony.

 

His career as a pianist has included serving as a collaborative pianist for the International Young Artists Project in Monte San Savino, Italy in 2015, where he pursued intensive study under Francesco Attesti and Professor Hector Moreno of the Conservatory of Siena and collaborated with Maestro Federico Bardazzi of Florence and Maestro Paolo Bellocci of Opera di Firenze. 

 

In May 2017, Tanner performed Dan Goeller's work, "In His Own Words," at the 500th anniversary of the reformation in Wittenberg, Germany, in collaboration with the choir and orchestra of Colonial Baptist Church, Cary, NC, and The Master's Seminary, Los Angeles, CA.

 

Tanner is active as a collaborative pianist/organist and interim music director for churches and schools in North and South Carolina. He also serves as collaborative pianist for musicians in the North Carolina Symphony, the Durham Symphony, The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, the Raleigh Flute Choir, and has served as accompanist for Theatre Raleigh.

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In addition to being a performer, Tanner is active as an adjudicator and currently serves on the Executive Board for the Central North Carolina chapter of the American Guild of Organists.