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Two years ago, Grimsley High School senior Curtis Moore-Tate  tried out for the school’s Madrigal Singers at the urging of his friends.

“They all said, 'You know you’ve got a really good voice, you should try out,’” he said.

He made it into that group, and two years later, he auditioned for the state Honors Chorus. Not only did Moore-Tate make the choir, he had the best score in his voice part. He sings Tenor II.

“I was not at all surprised,” said Marshall Johnson , the director of choral music at Grimsley. “Curtis is one of the finest young musicians in the state.”

Moore-Tate performed with the Honors Chorus on Nov. 8 in Winston-Salem.

He also has been playing the violin since the first grade and  is concertmaster of the school orchestra.

His original symphonic compositions have been premiered at Grimsley under his direction.

Like almost everyone, Moore-Tate’s mother, Nancy Tate , didn’t know her son could sing.

“We had never heard him sing, but at the end of his freshman year he decided to audition for the Grimsley Madrigals,” she said. “We supported him in his desire to audition, not knowing the level of his talent.”

She still did not hear her son sing until the showcase for parents after the choir’s camp.

“I remember him opening his mouth and the most beautiful, pure tone came out,” she said. “I was floored, trying to hold back tears.”

During Moore-Tate’s first year with the Madrigal Singers, he auditioned for the Honors Chorus and missed it by a few points.

“I tried out again this year, and I guess I did pretty well,” he said.

Johnson agrees.

“Honors Chorus is the single greatest honor and achievement possible for high school singers in North Carolina, so it’s a big deal,” Johnson said. “Curtis is a choir director’s dream — he has impeccable musicianship and has a range that sits him comfortably as a tenor or bass.”

Moore-Tate has not yet applied but hopes to attend Appalachian State and is leaning toward a music education or a music performance major, his mother said.

Contact Tiffany S. Jones at 373-7157 or tiffany.jones@news-record.com