Matthew Cates is an avid lover and player of classical music. He studies currently at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with Dr. Timothy Olsen. He has a deep love for the Impressionist music of the French such as Ravel, Debussy, and Duruflé.

His love for French organ music also spills over into composition as he is an avid composer as well. His compositions have been performed in North America and across Europe. Matthew has studied and performed in Europe as well. He studied at L’Académie Internationale d’Orgue in Paris, France, where his teachers included Frédéric Blanc, Baptiste-Florian Marle-Ouvrard, François Espinasse, François-Henri Houbart, and others.

He has won two superior prizes for piano performance in the 2013 and 2014 ACSI piano competitions. He also placed first in the 7th annual UNCSA Organ Competition and Festival, and he also placed first and won the prize for the interpretation of Bach in the 2018 ECU Organ Competition.