Voice, Piano, Guitar
Stephen Tappe began his piano studies at the age of five, and took up the guitar at age nine. He was playing in a small band by the age of thirteen, and continued to play and perform throughout high school.
After attending the Boston Conservatory, Stephen completed his Bachelor of Music in Composition (cum laude) at the Hartt College of Music in West Hartford, CT. He then worked as an assistant organist in Los Angeles, CA, and as an organist near New Haven, CT. Winning two scholarships and a Teaching Assistantship in keyboard harmony, Stephen earned two Master's degrees from Yale University, including one in Organ Performance from the Yale School of Music.
As the Organist and Director of Music at Saint John's Cathedral in Denver, Stephen performed as an organist and choral/orchestral conductor for fourteen years. He also served as a tour accompanist for the American Boychoir and various churches throughout the US. Stephen founded and managed weeklong summer training courses for young choral singers and organists in both Tulsa and Denver from 1998-2009. Many of his former students are now pursuing careers in music. His compositions are published both in the UK and by various US publishing houses.
A choral conductor is a teacher by nature, and Stephen has taught singers and instrumentalists of all ages for many years. He wants all students to learn to express themselves - not just through music, but in every way throughout their lives. This is accomplished by securing a strong technical foundation and discovering what each student has to express: what each has to say, musically, about life.