OKLAHOMA CITY – Internationally celebrated Chickasaw classical music composer Jerod Tate will be on hand Sunday, Oct. 27 to see Oklahoma’s award-winning chorus –– Canterbury Voices –– perform the world premiere of his opera “Loksi' Shaali' (Shell Shaker).”
There’s just one problem – the 3 p.m. show at the Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall conflicts with Tate’s nephew’s lead performance in Byng High School’s presentation of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.”
The play traces the life of Brown, an American socialite, philanthropist and survivor of the Titanic disaster in April 1912.
Aiden Tate will portray Molly’s husband, J.J. Brown, in the Byng show. Aiden is the son of Ryan Tate and Traci Crossland.
“I am just in awe of the fact how a typical Chickasaw family can be so busy with entertainment and showmanship we have to miss each other’s big performances,” Jerod Tate said, quickly adding such roadblocks are not unusual for Chickasaw families. “I would love to see Aiden’s performance,” he said.
Aiden Tate feels the same way. “I was planning on attending the Oklahoma City premiere, but there just isn’t time to fully enjoy it since we are so busy.”
The Byng musical will open 7 p.m. each night of its run Oct. 24-26. Aiden, 17, said “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” will include actors as young as seventh graders to seniors. He is a senior and plans to attend Oklahoma State University in autumn 2025 majoring in marketing communication management.
Jerod Tate’s world premiere with Canterbury Voices is the first opera composed entirely in a language of a First American tribe. The opera is in Chickasaw, and Joshua D. Hinson assisted Tate with translating lyrics into the Chickasaw language. Hinson is executive officer of language preservation division for the Chickasaw Nation Department of Culture and Humanities.
Additionally, Margaret Roach Wheeler, internationally renowned textile and fashion expert, constructed all of the costumes used in the opera. The costumes accurately show the culture, heritage and legacy of early Chickasaw citizens.
“Canterbury is thrilled to debut Jerod Tate’s groundbreaking opera," Julie Yu, artistic director of the 165-member choral group said. “And that it will be premiered in Oklahoma makes it an even more momentous and singular experience for our state.” Additionally, a sizable contingent of musicians in Canterbury Voices are members of tribes representing Chickasaw, Cherokee, Caddo, Seminole, Choctaw and Muscogee, officials confirmed.
“I am thrilled for my people to hear their language sung on the concert stage, and I hope they feel proud when the world witnesses our rich legacy, expressed in a dramatic and theatrical performance,” Tate said.
In his two-act opera, Tate depicts the Chickasaw origin story of the tribe’s sacred turtle shell shakers, used in traditional stomp dancing and social songs. Soprano Katelyn Morton, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, sings the lead role of Loksi' (Turtle) in this story of a Chickasaw girl who is teased for being too slow to keep up with the other children. After seeking wisdom from the tribe’s trusted River Spirit, she sets out on a long woodland journey from which she returns a cultural hero, enriched by the divine gift of the turtle shell shakers and knowledge of the Chickasaw tribe’s new Homeland.
Tickets for “Loksi' Shaali' (Shell Shaker)” are currently available for purchase.
For more information, visit CanterburyOKC.com or call (405) 232-7464.
Advanced tickets for Byng High School’s production of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” may be purchased by going to bhssdrama.booktix.com.