Christoph Tietze was born in 1956 in Cologne, Germany. He began studying organ at age 10 and started playing in church at age 12. When he was 14, his family emigrated to California. After high school, he attended San Jose State University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree. After a year of private organ study in Paris, Tietze won the Tournemire Prize in Improvsation at the Saint Alban's International Organ Competition in England. From 1979 to 1982, he attended the Institute of Sacred Music of Yale University, earning the degrees Master of Music and Master of Musical Arts. His organ teachers included Philip Simpson, John Walker, Jean Langlais, and Gerre Hancock.

In the Fall of 2002, he took a sabbatical break to further his studies at St. Benet's Hall, Oxford University, and in 2003 received a Doctor of Sacred Music degree from the Graduate Theological Foundation in South Bend, IN, where he is also a Fellow, and, most recently, Professor of Sacred Music in their E-Tutorial program. His publications include "Sigfrid Karg-Elert: Dual Nature and Dual Expression" (also translated into German for the "Nachrichten der Karg-Elert Gesellschaft"), "The Use of Old Latin in the Non-Psalmic Introits" (published by Cantus Planus in Hungary), "Hymn Introits for the Liturgical Year" (Liturgy Training Publications/Hillenbrand Books), and "Introit Hymns for the Church Year" (World Library Publications), and he collaborated in many music documents for the Archdioceses of New York and San Francisco.