Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate facts for kids

Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate (born July 25, 1968) is a talented Chickasaw composer and pianist. He creates classical music that is inspired by the history, culture, and spirit of North American Indian people.

His music has been played by many big orchestras. These include groups in Washington, DC, San Francisco, Detroit, and Minneapolis. In 2008, the San Francisco Symphony Chorus performed his piece Iholba'. This was special because it was the first time they sang in Chickasaw or any American Indian language.

Jerod Tate also started and leads the Chickasaw Chamber Music Festival. He helped create and taught at the Chickasaw Summer Arts Academy too.

About Jerod Tate

Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate was born in 1968 in Norman, Oklahoma. He is a member of the Chickasaw Nation. He works hard to create classical music that celebrates American Indian culture. The Washington Post newspaper once called him one of the "22 for ’22: Composers and performers to watch this year." They also said he is special because he mixes classical music with American Indian traditions.

Awards and Recognition

Jerod Tate has received many important awards. In 2022, he was added to the Chickasaw Hall of Fame. He also received a Distinguished Alumni Award from The Cleveland Institute of Music in the same year. In 2021, he was named a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State.

He has been a guest composer, conductor, and pianist for the San Francisco Symphony's Currents Program. He also worked with the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

His Music and Performances

Many famous orchestras have performed Jerod Tate's music. These include the National Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Other groups like the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra have also played his works.

He has written music for ballets, choirs, and even an opera. His opera, Shell Shaker: A Chickasaw Opera, was written for the Mount Holyoke Symphony Orchestra. His music was also featured on the TV show Westworld.

Teaching and Residencies

Jerod Tate has been a "Composer-in-Residence" at several places. This means he worked closely with music groups and organizations. He taught composition to American Indian high school students. He worked with students from the Hopi, Navajo, and Lummi reservations. He also taught Native students in Toronto, Canada.

He has received awards from groups like the American Composers Forum. He also won an Emmy Award for his work on a TV documentary. This documentary was called The Science of Composing.

Working with Different Cultures

Besides his own Chickasaw culture, Jerod Tate has worked with music and languages from many other tribes. These include the Choctaw, Navajo, Cherokee, Ojibway, and Creek tribes, among others.

Recorded Music

You can find some of Jerod Tate's music on recordings. His works Iholba‘ (The Vision) and Tracing Mississippi were recorded by the San Francisco Symphony. These were released on the Grammy Award-winning label Azica Records.

In 2021, Azica released his album Lowak Shoppala' (Fire and Light). It featured the Nashville String Machine and the Chickasaw Nation Children's Chorus. Critics have praised his music for blending Western classical traditions with his Native culture.

Education and Early Career

Jerod Tate studied piano at Northwestern University. He then earned his master's degree in piano and composition from The Cleveland Institute of Music. Before becoming a full-time composer, he played piano for Broadway shows. He also worked with ballet and dance companies.

Meaning of His Name

Jerod Tate's middle name, Impichchaachaaha', is his family's traditional Chickasaw house name. It means “his high corncrib.” A corncrib is a small building used to store corn and vegetables. In traditional Chickasaw culture, these were built high off the ground. This kept the food safe from animals.

His Compositions

Jerod Tate has written many pieces of music. Some of his works were specially requested, which are called "commissioned works."

Commissioned Works

• Ghost of the White Deer (2020) - a concerto for bassoon and orchestra, played by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
• Muscogee Hymn Suite (2016) - for a solo singer, children's choir, and orchestra.
• Standing Bear: A Ponca Indian Cantata (2015) - a cantata for a solo singer, piano, and string group.
• Misha’ Sipokni' (The Old Ground) (2015) - a large piece for orchestra, choirs, and singers.
• Oka’ Aya’sha’ (The Water Place) (2014) - for chorus, woodwinds, and percussion.
• Pisachi (You See) (2013) - for string quartet, performed by ETHEL.
• Waktégli Olówaŋ (Victory Songs) (2012) - for a solo singer and orchestra.
• Visions of a Child (A Pueblo Lullaby) (2012) - for chorus.
• Theme music for the movie To the Wonder (2012).
• Taloowa’ Chipota (Children's Songs) (2011) - for a youth choir.
• À Bec Quintet (2009) - a woodwind quintet.
• Shakamaxon (2007) - for string orchestra.
• Nitoshi’ Imali (2006) - a concerto for guitar and orchestra.
• Lowak Shoppala’ (Fire and Light) (2006) - for orchestra, children's choir, singers, and narrators.
• Film score for Indian Country Diaries: A Seat at the Drum (2005).
• Worth of the Soul: A Tribute to American Indian Warriors (2004) - for wind ensemble and chorus.
• Tracing Mississippi (2002) - a concerto for flute and orchestra.
• Iholba' (The Vision) (1999) - for solo flute, orchestra, and chorus.
• Dream World (1997) - for woodwinds, percussion, and narrator.
• Garfish Song (1997) - for chorus and piano.
• Diva Ojibway (1994) - an operetta score.
• Film score for First Americans Journal (1994).
• Iyaaknasha’ (1993) - for double bass and orchestra.
• Winter Moons (1991) - a ballet score.

Other Works

• Talowa' Hiloha (Thunder Song) (1997) - for solo timpani.
• Inchokkillissa (1994) - for guitar and percussion.
• Oktibihah (1994) - for solo timpani, strings, and piano.

Music for Film and Media

• To the Wonder (2012)
• Spider Brings Fire (2010)
• Meeting in the Center with Respect (2009)
• Indian Country Diaries: A Seat at the Drum (2005)
• American Composer Forum – promotional DVD (2003)
• First Americans Journal (1994)

Honors and Achievements

• 2025 - Inducted into the Academy of Arts and Letters.
• 2024 - Received a United States Artists Fellowship.
• 2023 - Awarded the Barlow Commission in Music Composition.
• 2022 - Named Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State.
• 2022 - Inducted into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame.
• 2022 - Received the Distinguished Alumni Award from The Cleveland Institute of Music.
• 2016 - Became a Composer-in-Residence with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra.
• 2011 - Won a regional Emmy Award for his work on the documentary The Science of Composing. This film showed how he taught composition to scientists.
• 2008 - Appointed Creativity Ambassador for the State of Oklahoma.
• 2006 - Received the Joyce Award to create Nitoshi’ Imali.
• 2006 - Received the Alumni Achievement Award from the Cleveland Institute of Music.
• Also received awards from Meet the Composer and the Percussive Arts Society.

Discography

• 2008 – Works by Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate. This album includes Tracing Mississippi and Iholba'. It features Christine Bailey Davis and Thomas Robertello on flutes, with the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus.