Classical album by Chickasaw students

Album contains work by Chickasaw Nation student composersAmerica’s premier postclassical string quartet, ETHEL, recently announced the recording and creation of a new album of contemporary classical works by 11 American Indian students (ages 13-19) of the Chickasaw Nation. Slated for a Summer 2010 release on the Thunderbird Records label, the album is the first in history to release works of American Indian student composers (students of composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, a citizen of and official composer-in-residence of the Chickasaw Nation). The recording session will take place Jan. 22-24 at Oklahoma City University’s Wanda L. Bass School of Music.

The recording project is made possible by the Chickasaw Nation and Gov. Bill Anoatubby, and is part of the ongoing groundbreaking initiatives created by the Chickasaw Nation Division of Arts and Humanities. ETHEL has brought several workshops, tours, and performances to hundreds of children of American Indian reservations over the ensemble’s 11-year history, both as part of ETHEL’s TruckStop® project, as well as in its role as Ensemble-in-Residence as part of the Native American Composers Apprenticeship Project (NACAP). Collectively, these experiences add an essential ingredient to the album.Comment:  For more on Chickasaw musicmaking, see Multimedia Chickasaw Cultural Production and Chickasaws Subsidize CD. For more on classical music, see Mixing Classical and Indigenous Music and Classical Native at the Kennedy Center.