"We've got 8 billion people in the world. Which means there is 8 billion ways to be a person. And everybody that is alive is literally their own universe; their own beautiful universe of experience and perspective, with an incredibly colorful story."

Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, is a classical composer, citizen of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma and is dedicated to the development of American Indian classical composition. His Washington Post review states that “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.”

Tate is Guest Composer/Conductor/Pianist for San Francisco Symphony 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.

Recent commissions include Shell Shaker: A Chickasaw Opera for Mount Holyoke Symphony Orchestra, Ghost of the White Deer, Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra for Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Hózhó (Navajo Strong) and Ithánali (I Know) for White Snake Opera Company. His music was recently featured on the HBO series Westworld.

Jerod is the type of person who has a deep and intimate understanding of the craft and the business of being a musician. It felt as though every other sentence was a masterclass on becoming the person you know you can be. He exuberates absolute positivity with an optimistic perspective toward progress. This perspective is constant throughout our conversation, peppered inside of fascinating stories about his mother, a choreographer who commissioned Jerod’s first piece; his father, a judge in tribal and American law; as well as advice on finding your superpowers as an individual, accepting the ups and downs of being a composer, the language of the Chickasaw tribe, and so much more on episode 27 of the Making Noise Podcast.

I hope you enjoy it!

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Follow Jerod's work: jerodtate.com

Check out his YouTube channel: youtube.com/c/JerodTateVideos

Follow him on the socials:
Facebook: facebook.com/jerodtate
Instagram/Twitter: @Jerodtate

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where you can listen to music, purchase scores, and learn how to commission a new piece for your ensemble.