Raised in Winston-Salem, NC, Tan studied at the NC School of the Arts, Boston University, and Carnegie Mellon University with professors including Vartan Manoogian, Stephen Shipps, Peter Zazofsky, Roman Totenberg and Andrés Cárdenes. Summer studies and festivals include the Brevard Music Center Summer Institute, IU String Academy, Eastern Music Festival, National Orchestral Institute, Kent Blossom Music Festival as well as participation in 2 European tours with NCSA, Disney's All American College Orchestra, and the World Youth Orchestra in Malaysia. Prior to joining the Ft Wayne Philharmonic, he was a member of the WV Symphony and Sarasota Opera also having performed in Charlotte, Richmond, Indianapolis, Nashville, Youngstown, Maryland, Fairfax Symphonies and Erie and Boston Philharmonic. He currently spends summers with his wife, Colleen, as members of the Lake String Quartet performing at the Lake Hotel in Yellowstone National Park.