The Dover Quartet's Premiere of Jerod Tate's Woodland Songs Featured in The Strad

“I’m allowing myself to be impulsive and just imagine what a quartet can do.” —Composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate

The two-time GRAMMY-nominated Dover Quartet, the Penelope P. Watkins Ensemble in Residence at Curtis, recently gave the world premiere performance of acclaimed composer and pianist Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate’s theatrical new five-part suite for string quartet Woodland Songs, on Friday, August 2, 2024, at the Kingston Chamber Music Festival. Highlighted as The Strad‘s “Premiere of the Month,” this exciting new work celebrates the animals that represent different clans of the Eastern Woodlands People–including squirrel, bird, deer, raccoon, and fish–through the use of traditional Chickasaw melodies mixed with classical techniques, such as canons and polytonality.

“The movements are quite obvious in style,” says Mr. Tate. “Squirrel is very chattery with lots of energy packed into it. It starts strong, is very fast and multi-metered [a characteristic of American Indian folk music]. In Bird I’ve gone for a fluttery and busy sound. It is a little warmer but still high energy. Deer is a moment of poetic repose. I’m really diving into her spirit. It’s very focused and has this deep romantic energy. Fish has an oceanic and undulating sound to it, with ‘soaring melodies’ on top. And Raccoon, another high-energy movement, expresses the survivor spirit of the animal. It finishes with a fast, celebratory warrior dance.”

The piece was one of two works performed in the concert with connections to Mr. Tate, whose arrangement of Pura Fé Crescioni’s (Tuscarora) Rattle Songs was featured alongside works by Jessie Montgomery and Antonín Dvořák. The Dover Quartet will present the Philadelphia premiere of Woodland Songs on October 25, 2024, at 7:30 p.m., at Field Concert Hall here at Curtis. The performance is currently sold out, but audiences can join the waitlist to be notified when additional tickets become available.  

Read The Strad article HERE.

Visit the official websites of the Dover Quartet and Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate.

Photo of the Dover Quartet by Roy Cox. Portrait of Mr. Tate by Shevaun Williams. Photo of Mr. Tate speaking before the Dover Quartet’s premiere of Woodland Songs at the Kingston Chamber Music Festival, courtesy of the composer’s official Facebook page.