Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate was born in 1968 in Norman, OK and is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. Dedicated to the development of American Indian classical compositions, he is currently Composer-in-Residence for the Chickasaw Summer Arts Academy and the Grand Canyon Music Festival's Native American Composer Apprentice Program. His works have been performed by the National Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Colorado Ballet, and the Dale Warland Singers, to name a few. He holds commissions from the National Symphony Orchestra; Christine Bailey, principal flute of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; The American Composers Forum; James VanDemark, and double bass faculty for the Eastman School of Music; among many others. Jerod received a BM in Piano Performance from Northwestern University and a MM in Piano Performance and Composition from The Cleveland Institute of Music.
The Joyce Award supported the American Composers Forum to commission Tate to write a new concerto for guitar and orchestra that incorporates traditional music from Chickasaw and Lakota traditions. The three-movement concerto augments the percussion section with American Indian instruments and is dedicated to his wife, Ursula Running Bear.