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Jerod Tate
Chickasaw Classical Composer
Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, born on July 25, 1968, is a Chickasaw classical composer and pianist whose compositions are inspired by North American Indian history, culture, and ethos.1 He is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma and is dedicated to the development of American Indian classical composition.123 "Tate is rare as an American Indian composer of classical music. Rarer still is his ability to effectively infuse classical music with American Indian nationalism".13
Tate's middle name, Impichchaachaaha', which means “his high corncrib,” is his inherited traditional Chickasaw house name.35 He earned a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Northwestern University and master’s degrees in piano performance and composition from the Cleveland Institute of Music.5
Tate has received many honors and held several prominent positions:
- Creativity Ambassador: He was appointed Creativity Ambassador for the State of Oklahoma.12
- Cultural Ambassador: He was appointed as a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State.15
- Awards: Emmy Award-winner for his work on the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority documentary, The Science of Composing.123 He is also a three-time commissioned recipient from the American Composers Forum and a recipient of the Cleveland Institute of Music Alumni Achievement Award.123 In 2022, he was inducted into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame and received a Distinguished Alumni Award from The Cleveland Institute of Music.1
- Composer-in-Residence: Tate has held Composer-in-Residence positions for Music Alive, First Americans Museum, the Joyce Foundation/American Composers Forum, Oklahoma City’s NewView Summer Academy, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and Grand Canyon Music Festival Native American Composer Apprentice Project.127
- Other Positions: Founder and Artistic Director of the Chickasaw Chamber Music Festival.14 He was also the founding composition instructor for the Chickasaw Summer Arts Academy.12347
- Guest Composer: Guest Composer, conductor, and pianist for San Francisco Symphony's Currents Program, Thunder Song: American Indian Musical Cultures, and was recently Guest Composer for Metropolitan Museum of Art's Balcony Bar Program, Home with ETHEL and Friends, featuring his commissioned work Pisachi (Reveal) for String Quartet.13
His commissioned works have been performed by major orchestras such as the National Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and Chorus, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and Minnesota Orchestra.1 In 2008, the San Francisco Symphony Chorus performed and recorded his work Iholba' which marked the first time the chorus had sung in Chickasaw or any American Indian language.1 His music was also featured on the HBO series Westworld.1356