CLEVELAND, Ohio — Chickasaw American composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate is no stranger to telling stories through music.

The Cleveland-rooted musician returns to the area with a brand-new piece: “Ko’koom’fena: Our Grandmother,” a world premiere commissioned and performed by CityMusic Cleveland chamber orchestra, under the baton of John McLaughlin Williams.

From Oct. 16–19, audiences across Northeast Ohio will hear Tate’s latest orchestral work, featuring soprano Kirsten C. Kunkle in the titular role — the archetypal grandmother spirit who shapes the earth, gifts her people their culture and language, and embraces the mystery of what they will become.

The piece, sung entirely in Shawnee with translation by Joel Barnes, is dedicated to three noted Shawnee women: Ruthe Blalock Jones

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