Native American Moon String Quartets

Description

We are honored to present a concert centered on the Moon through the music and storytelling of two distinguished Native American composers. A member of the Cherokee and Quapaw Nations, Louis W. Ballard is regarded as one of the first Native American composers to have achieved national prominence in classical music. His Fire Moon String Quartet reflects upon the military alliance between the French and the Quapaw people in the nineteenth century. Written near the end of his compositional career, the work stands as one of Ballard’s most personal artistic statements, serving as a poignant tribute to his ancestry and heritage. Acclaimed Chickasaw composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate brings a different yet equally compelling perspective in MoonStrike, composed for the Apollo Chamber Players in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. Combining live narration with music inspired by Indigenous storytelling traditions, the work weaves together three American Indian legends and is framed by an arrangement of a Calusa Corn Dance. For many Southeastern Indigenous peoples, the Green Corn Dance was associated with renewal, gratitude, and the Harvest Moon, giving the work both cultural and celestial resonance.