November 26th, 2021 • Music Education
National Native American Heritage Month
In honor of National Native American Heritage Month, we asked Conservatory Voice Artist-Faculty member Cody Jorgensen to share some insights for us. Cody teaches music as part of the Conservatory’s partnership program with the St. Augustine Indian Mission School on the Winnebago Reservation. Keep reading to learn a bit about composer Jerod Tate and his Cantata entitled “Standing Bear: A Ponca Indian Cantata in Eight Tableaux,” which tells the story of Chief Standing Bear.
“God made me, and I am a man.” -Chief Standing Bear
If you are like me, you may recognize the name “Standing Bear” as an important Native American figure. And also like me, you may not know much about him beyond that.
“Standing Bear: A Ponca Indian Cantata in Eight Tableaux” was written in 2016 by Jerod Tate and tells the story of Chief Standing Bear. Tate’s Cantata serves as an excellent starting point to begin learning about this incredible figure. Below is a link to the premier performance from November 4, 2016. This performance also includes Viola Artist-Faculty member Jesse Griggs.
The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska’s website has a ton of great historical information about Chief Standing Bear and the circumstances surrounding the events portrayed in Jerod Tate’s Cantata.
