Dover Quartet and Curtis Studio Present 'Woodland Songs': Music of Jerod Impichcha_achaaha' Tate, Pura Fé, and Dvorák

World premiere recordings of Tate's Abokkoli' Taloowa' (Woodland Songs), commissioned by the Dover Quartet, and Tate’s orchestration of Pura Fé’s Rattle Songs, available August 15 via Curtis Studio

—Watch album trailer here—

New York (July 31, 2025) — The two-time GRAMMY-nominated Dover Quartet, declared one of the greatest string quartets of the last 100 years by BBC Music Magazine and “the next Guarneri Quartet” by the Chicago Tribune, releases Woodland Songs: Music of Jerod Impichcha_achaaha' Tate, Pura Fé, and Dvorák on August 15 via Curtis Studio, the recording label of the Curtis Institute of Music, where the quartet was formed in 2008 and serves as the Penelope P. Watkins Ensemble in Residence.

“This album is, at its heart, an exploration of the rich inheritance of music from the North American continent,” wrote the members of the Dover Quartet in a joint statement. “While the three works contrast each other substantially in style, expression, and historical context, they all share the common influence of music native to North America. Each piece exists in its own sonic and textural world, while informing and enriching the way we listen to the others.” 

The album features the world premiere recording of Abokkoli' Taloowa' (Woodland Songs) by the Chickasaw-American composer Jerod Impichcha_achaaha' Tate, and of his orchestration for string quartet of Rattle Songs, by the Tuscarora/Taino singer-songwriter Pura Fé, a founding member of the Native women’s a cappella group Ulali. Both modern artists find inspiration from the traditional music of their respective tribes and traditions, but also imbue their music with wholly original ideas.

Dover Quartet | from left to right: Joel Link (’11), violin; Julianne Lee (violin ’05), viola; Camden Shaw (’10, ’11), cello; Bryan Lee (’11), violin

That was also the case for Antonín Dvorák when he composed the String Quartet No. 12 in F major, “American,” in 1893, while vacationing in a Czech immigrant community in Spillville, Iowa. Though, of course, Dvorák was not of Native heritage, his aim for the piece was to inspire an “American” sound. Like in his famous Symphony No. 9, Dvorák was drawn to the music of American traditions, blending them with his own musical roots.

Commissioned* for the Dover Quartet, Abokkoli' Taloowa' (Woodland Songs) is a modern Chickasaw composition about animals from Tate’s Southeastern homelands, where traditional woodland animals are so revered that family clans are named after them and each animal has a special ethos. Tate, whose own family is Shawi' Iksa'—Raccoon Clan, represents five woodland animals with his piece: Squirrel, Woodpecker, Deer, Fish, and Raccoon. “Each movement is like an epitome—a deep, dramatic, and rhapsodic expression of my feelings of being a Chickasaw man from a beautiful and robust culture,” he writes in his program note. “I encourage each listener to create their own emotional story of each animal and imprint these legends into their hearts.”

Woodland Songs is full of Chickasaw melodies and rhythms. Sometimes these elements appear very clearly, when melodies soar above the ensemble; sometimes they are abstracted into the texture of the quartet and hidden inside the spirit of each animal. “I allow myself to fluidly dance between cultural clarity and modern expressionism,” Tate continues. “I am deeply inspired by our modern Native artists, choreographers, authors, and filmmakers—each proudly expressing their individual identity within rich ancestry.”

Rattle Songs is a suite that Pura Fé composed for Ulali. The group’s 1994 album Mahk Jchi (Our Hearts), which includes the original vocal version, modernizes Native songs through innovative arrangements and rich harmonies. The piece brings together songs from different parts of Indian Country and brilliantly couches them in traditional woodland shell-shaking styles.

Jerod Impichcha_achaaha' Tate; Pura Fé

 “[Ulali’s] work had a powerfully deep impact on my personal vision as a Native composer,” says Tate. He shares a passion for Mahk Jchi with Camden Shaw, the Dover Quartet’s cellist, who asked Tate to make the orchestration. “I have created these orchestrations that are classically impressionistic in a postmodern style,” says Tate. “I make no deliberate attempt to imitate the exact sound of rattles from the original songs; rather, I have created a new home for them in the string quartet. Pura Fé created Rattle Songs as a homage to her Native North American cousins and it is my hope that my orchestrations create another layer of honoring our people.”

*Abokkoli' Taloowa' (Woodland Songs) and the orchestration of Rattle Songs were commissioned for the Dover Quartet by Curtis Institute of Music and the following co-commissioners: Arizona Friends of Chamber Music; Cal Performances, UC Berkeley; Carnegie Hall; Chamber Music Houston; Chamber Music Northwest; Chamber Music Pittsburgh; Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth; Friends of Chamber Music Denver; Kingston Chamber Music Festival; Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music; and Shriver Hall Concert Series.

For more information, please visit doverquartet.com, curtis.edu/WoodlandSongs, and jerodtate.com.

 

Dover Quartet and Curtis Studio Present Woodland Songs: Music of Jerod Impichcha_achaaha' Tate, Pura Fé, and Dvorák 

Rattle Songs, by Pura Fé, orchestrated by Jerod Impichcha_achaaha' Tate

1. No. 1, Shanoojhee
2. No. 2, Viri Kuta
3. No. 3, Haweheemo
4. No. 4, Grammah Easter's Lullaby
5. No. 5, For the Pepper (In Memory of Jim Pepper)
6. No. 6, Women’s Shuffle
7. No. 7, Great Grandpa’s Banjo

Abokkoli' Taloowa' (Woodland Songs), by Jerod Impichcha_achaaha' Tate

1. No. 1, Fani' (Squirrel)
2. No. 2, Bakbak (Woodpecker)
3. No. 3, Issi' (Deer)
4. No. 4, Nani' (Fish)
5. No. 5, Shawi' (Raccoon)

String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96, B. 179, “American,” by Antonín Dvorák

1. I. Allegro ma non troppo
2. II. Lento
3. III. Molto vivace
4. IV. Finale. Vivace ma non troppo

Performed by Dover Quartet

• Joel Link, violin
• Bryan Lee, violin
• Julianne Lee, viola
• Camden Shaw, cello

• Executive producer: Vince Ford
• Producer: Alan Bise
• Recording engineer: Drew Schlegel
• Mastering engineer: Alex Santilli
• Atmos engineer: Stan Kybert
• Assistant producers: Daniel J. Armistead, Vince Ford
• Liner notes: Jerod Impichcha_achaaha' Tate, Daniel J. Armistead
• Recorded: September 13–14, 2024; January 8–9, 2025 in Gould Rehearsal Hall at Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, PA
• Release date: August 15, 2025

From left to right: Camden Shaw, Julianne Lee, and Joel Link, recording Dvorák’s “American” Quartet in
Gould Rehearsal Hall at the Curtis Institute of Music, September 13–14, 2024

About the Dover Quartet 
The two-time Grammy-nominated Dover Quartet, hailed by BBC Music Magazine as one of the greatest string quartets of the past century, is among the world’s most in-demand chamber ensembles. Winners of top prizes at the Banff, Fischoff, and Wigmore Hall competitions, they have also earned prestigious honors including the Avery Fisher Career Grant and Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award. Formed in 2008 at the renowned Curtis Institute of Music, the members of the quartet now serve on the school’s faculty. 

Acclaimed for their celebrated recordings, including Beethoven Complete String Quartets and The Schumann Quartets, their 2025–26 season features collaborations with leading artists such as Edgar Meyer and Marc-André Hamelin, performances in internationally renowned venues from Carnegie Hall to Konzerthaus Berlin, and premieres of commissioned works by Jerod Impichcha_achaaha' Tate, from which this album arose. Learn more at doverquartet.com.

About Jerod Impichcha_achaaha' Tate
Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate is a Chickasaw-American father, classical composer, and citizen of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma, dedicated to the development of American Indian classical composition.  

Commissioned by esteemed groups such as the New York Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Cantori NY, Turtle Island Quartet, and Dover Quartet, Tate received a 2025 award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award from the Cleveland Institute of Music, was appointed a Cultural Ambassador for the U. S. Department of State in 2021, and was inducted into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame. He is a governor-appointed Creativity Ambassador for the State of Oklahoma, and an Emmy Award-winner for The Science of Composing. His music was also featured in the HBO series Westworld.

Tate’s middle name, Impichchaachaaha', means “their high corncrib” and is his inherited traditional Chickasaw house name. Learn more at jerodtate.com.

About Curtis Studio
Curtis Studio—the recording label of the Curtis Institute of Music—is dedicated to the discovery of new and traditional works performed by inspiring artists of our time. Recordings are available on all major digital streaming platforms and feature performances of established alumni, renowned faculty, in-house ensembles and, of course, Curtis students. Learn more at curtis.edu/curtis-studio. 

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