Chickasaw composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate talks about his unofficial role as an unofficial ambassador Indian country to the fine arts world, a new work recorded by the Dover Quartet and encouraging the next generation, including his young son, to be involved in music.

I first heard Tate’s music in 2005, when I wrote about the National Symphony’s premiere of his work “Iholba” for The Washington Post.

That composition for chamber orchestra and chorus took my breath away, and in the review, I praised Tate’s “ability to effectively infuse classical music with Native American nationalism.”