Willem Tanke studied organ and improvisation with Jan Welmers, music theory with Joep Straesser and electronic music with Ton Bruynel at the Utrecht Conservatory. In 1985, he finished his studies with the Performance Diploma for Organ with full marks (the grade of 10 and honours), and also with diplomas for music theory and improvisation.

In his concert career as an organist, he has specialized in the works of J.S. Bach and Olivier Messiaen, major works by Max Reger, contemporary Dutch music and improvisation. In 1994, he performed Messiaen's complete organ works in Haarlem and Mexico. His recording of Messiaen's complete oeuvre on eight CDs has been critically acclaimed and selected as Star Recording in The Organ. For this achievement, the Parisian Société Académique “Arts-Sciences-Lettres” awarded him the Diplôme de médaille d'argent.

From 1988 until 2000, Willem Tanke was a professor of organ as a main subject at Utrecht University of Professional Arts Education. From 1998 till 2000,  he played with musicians from Ghana and Cameroon, learning about forty of their traditional songs. In 2000, Willem Tanke performed Ton Bruynel's complete works for organ and soundtracks at the Holland Festival in Amsterdam. This performance, and also organ works by J.S. Bach, Joh. Brahms, Max Reger, Jan Welmers and Roderik de Man, have been issued on CD. Since 2001, he has been teaching improvisation and music theory at Rotterdam Conservatoire, where he also organizes annual Messiaen Study Days.

Actually, his aim is to liberate and deepen the interpretation of organ works by J.S. Bach, by developing an original, 21st century language as a pianist and an organist, inspired by Olivier Messiaen, John Coltrane and music from the East. This is the subject of a PhD-research he is carrying out at Leiden University and Orpheus Institute, Ghent, called Combining the avant-garde and the historical in improvisation, composition and interpretation.