Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate
He // Him // His
[ID: A Chickasaw man with braided hair smiles brightly. He is wearing a dark suit jacket and a traditional shell-carved medallion.]
Portrait photo by Shevaun Williams.
Oklahoma City, OK
2024 USA Fellow
This award was generously supported by the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts.
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Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate is a devoted father, classical composer, and citizen of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma. Tate is dedicated to the development of American Indian classical composition. The Washington Post selected him as one of “22 for ’22: Composers and Performers to Watch This Year” and raved about his rare ability to “effectively infuse classical music with American Indian nationalism.” His commissioned works have been performed by the National Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Colorado Ballet, and many more.
Tate was appointed a 2022 Chickasaw Hall of Fame Inductee, a 2021 Cultural Ambassador for the US Department of State, and is a governor — appointed Creativity Ambassador for the State of Oklahoma. He won an Emmy for his work on the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority documentary, The Science of Composing, and his music was featured on the HBO series Westworld. Tate served as Guest Composer, conductor, and pianist for San Francisco Symphony’s Currents Program, and was Guest Composer for Metropolitan Museum of Art’s program Home with ETHEL and Friends.
Tate’s middle name, Impichchaachaaha’, means “their high corncrib” and is his inherited traditional Chickasaw house name.