Biography
Timothy Tate's passionate, poetic performances have been praised for their musical integrity and depth of atmosphere. Timothy's sensitive interpretations of his wide ranging repertoire have been warmly acknowledged by distinguished musicians and audiences in various settings from international concert stages, guitar and music societies and festivals, to weddings and corporate functions.
Having taken up the guitar at the age of eight, Timothy Tate went on to study music specialising in Classical guitar performance at the Norwegian Academy of Music, Oslo, studying with Sven Lundestad, and with John Mills and Christopher Stell at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff where he graduated with a Bachelor of Music with a distinction in performance, a prize for highest academic marks, the John Mills Prize for the most outstanding guitar performance in competition and a Masters degree focusing on Contemporary chamber music with guitar. He went on to have lessons with Graham Devine and Mark Ashford and win scholarships to attend both the West Dean and Bath International Guitar Festivals, taking numerous masterclasses with guitarists including David Russell and John Williams.
Timothy has gone on to give concerts at music festivals and for music societies throughout the UK and Europe. Following a performance at the William Walton Festival in Oldham attended by Lady Walton, Timothy was invited to perform at her estate on Ischia, Italy the following year. He has also played for the Singaporean Prime Minister, and at the Bolivar Hall International Guitar Festival in London and at international festivals in Germany, France and Slovenia.
Photo: Richard Burns
His passion for chamber music saw him create duos with cello, singers and with flautists, and led to his formation in 2003 of 'Cardiff New Music Collective' an ensemble of mixed instruments dedicated to performing and commissioning new works including works by Keith Tippett and a guitar concerto by Andrew Wilson-Dickson which was premiered by the ensemble in December 2005. Timothy has also worked on projects with the Sherman Theatre and Welsh National Opera.
In 2008 he recorded his debut CD 'Timothy Tate Classical Guitarist' featuring music by Granados, Villa-Lobos, Barrios, Jorge Morel and himself. He recorded two further albums in 2014 & 2015 in Paris, 'Revoir Paris' featuring French music, and 'In South America' dedicated to music from that continent. All three CDs are available to buy, further details can be found here.
Inspired by the growing scene of the 'Cinéconcert' in Paris, in 2010 he formed dots. filmband, a group of instrumentalists who take short silent films and compose or create soundtracks to perform live in cinema, taking in improvisatory and written and compositional elements from both Classical and Jazz traditions. In 2011 they were awarded Arts Council Wales funding to tour their show around cinemas and arts centres across the country.
Since moving to Paris in 2009, he regularly performed as soloist in concerts and functions in Paris and surrounds; in the Dordogne, Champagne region and St. Tropez and in Mallorca, and as a chamber musician with The Flute Project, the Baroque trio Voces Intimae and 20th Century Spanish songs with Soprano Sarah Nassif in Bourgogne, Van Gogh's residence in Auvers-Sur-Oise, Festival Guitares en Picardie, and throughout Paris and the Ile de France. Most recently in 2015 he has given concerts with American violist Kyle Collins in Paris in addition to dozens of weddings in some of Paris' most luxurious hotels and famous restaurants and across the regions of France.
From 2011-2015, he was professor of Classical guitar at the British School of Paris and the American Conservatory of Paris.
Since August 2015 he has returned with his family to Cardiff, UK where he focuses on performing Classical guitar at concerts, weddings and events and composing music for documentaries, film and other media.