Journey Together: American Indian Expressions

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American Indian Expressions Saturday, October 16, 2021

Featuring Jerod Impichchaachaacha' Tate Abitahánta’: The Hunter Who Was Not So Great for Solo Violin and Narrator

Maureen O'Boyle, violin Jerod Tate, narrator

Hózhó (Navajo Strong) for Solo Soprano, Cello, and Piano

Jana McIntyre, soprano Monty Lawson, cello Rob Muraoka, piano

MoonStrike for String Quartet

Prologue Calusa Corn Dance I. Origin of the Moon (Kalispel) Rockies Powwow Song, Apache Bird Song II. The Man Who Married the Moon (Isleta Pueblo) Pueblo Lullaby, Choctaw Hymn 139 III. Raven Steals the Moon (Haida) Haida Play Song and War Song Epilogue Calusa Corn Dance

Corbin Bodley, violin Sarah Bailey, violin Jeff Smith, viola Erica Parker, cello Jerod Tate, narrator

The use of cameras and recording devices is strictly prohibited.

As a courtesy to others around you, please turn off cellular phones.

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Program Notes Abitahánta’: The Hunter Who Was Not So Great Like many stories from around the world, Chickasaw people have ancient legends that teach lessons about life, relationships and, of course, humility! The story of Abitahánta' is one such legend. This arrangement for solo violin and narrator is meant to entertain children and parents alike. The beginning violin overture is a lively transcription of an old Warrior Dance Song, which is the basis for all the musical material in this work.

Hózhó (Navajo Strong) is composed for Sophina Calderon and is a musical reflection of her account of being a family doctor during the Covid-19 pandemic on the Navajo reservation. It is based upon key words from her poem, “Navajo Nation Strong” and contains reflections of traditional Navajo songs. This work is dedicated to Sophina and her Navajo community.

MoonStrike is a work composed for Apollo Chamber Players, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and features American Indian stories with a live narrator. American Indian legends are very colorful and have a tendency to take twists and turns within the narrative. Regarding the Moon, it is very consistent that the traditional tales involve trickster characters and competitions for ownership of this precious object. MoonStrike involves three diverse American Indian legends, includes traditional songs and is bookended with an arrangement of a Calusa Corn Dance. For Southeast Indians, the Green Corn Dance took place during the annual, fall Harvest Moon. MoonStrike is dedicated to the memory of Margo AragonHerrington. It was Margo’s wish that John Herrington and I would collaborate with American Indian astrological stories and it is my joy and honor to realize this dream.

Jana McIntyre has been praised for her “dancer’s grace, mercurial wit, and

vibrant soprano tone” (Opera News). This season, Ms. McIntyre appears at Opera Santa Barbara as Semele in Semele. She recently joined the casts of Palm Beach Opera’s The Magic Flute and Tulsa Opera’s Rigoletto to cover the roles of The Queen of the Night and Gilda. She was also slated for debuts with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and the Canadian Opera Company which have been postponed. Last season Ms. McIntyre made her debut with Heartbeat Opera in New York City singing Ännchen (role debut) in a new production of Weber’s Der Freischütz. She also debuted with Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera singing selections from Così fan tutte and Le nozze di Figaro as Despina and Susanna. During the 2018-2019 season, Ms. McIntyre reprised the role of The Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute with Toledo Opera and Opera Grand Rapids. She also made company debuts with Arizona Opera in Le nozze di Figaro, The Santa Fe Opera in Jenůfa, and with Tulsa Opera singing the roles of Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Water in Rachel Portman’s The Little Prince. In addition, she covered La Fée in Laurent Pelly’s iconic production of Cendrillon at Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Ms. McIntyre was a national finalist in the 2020 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and top prize winner of the George London Foundation Awards.

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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 was appointed 2021 Cultural Ambassador for the U. S. Department of State. He 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.

His commissioned works have been performed by the National Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and Chorus, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Ballet, Canterbury Voices, Dale Warland Singers, Santa Fe Desert Chorale and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.

Tate has held Composer-in-Residence positions for Music Alive, a national residency program of the League of American Orchestras and New Music USA, 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. Tate was the founding composition instructor for the Chickasaw Summer Arts Academy and has taught composition to American Indian high school students in Minneapolis, the Hopi, Navajo and Lummi reservations and Native students in Toronto.

Mr. Tate is a three-time commissioned recipient from the American Composers Forum, a Chamber Music America’s Classical Commissioning Program recipient, a Cleveland Institute of Music Alumni Achievement Award recipient, a governor-appointed Creativity Ambassador for the State of Oklahoma and an Emmy Award winner for his work on the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority documentary, The Science of Composing.

In addition to his work based upon his Chickasaw culture, Tate has worked with the music and language of multiple tribes, such as: Choctaw, Navajo, Cherokee, Ojibway, Creek, Pechanga, Comanche, Lakota, Hopi, Tlingit, Lenape, Tongva, Shawnee, Caddo, Ute, Aleut, Shoshone, Cree, Paiute and Salish/Kootenai.

Among available recorded works are Iholba' (The Vision) for Solo Flute, Orchestra and Chorus and Tracing Mississippi, Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, recorded by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, on the Grammy Award winning label Azica Records.

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Signature Symphony Staff ORCHESTRA MANAGER Joseph Falvey

EVENT COORDINATOR Susan Martin LIBRARIAN Ed Morse

DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Isaac Sheets PERSONNEL Ashley Allison

VanTrease PACE Staff DEAN OF VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS Kelly Clark ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Michelle Dixon

INTERIM PRODUCTION MANAGER Justin Peer LIGHTING DESIGN Justin Peer

SOUND DESIGN Jon Kreilaus

OPERATIONS MANAGER Ginelle Gordon ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT Jessica Gray

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This performance presented with additional support from