A world where music reconnects people to the planet, inspiring care, compassion, and stewardship.
Jerod Impichchaachaaaha' Tate
Ámmo'naka (In a Beginning)
Wednesday, April 22nd | 7:30 PM
Jo Ann Rooney Hall
Mundelein Center for the Fine and Performing Arts
Ámmo'naka̱ (In a Beginning) is a new work composed for the Loyola Choirs and The EcoVoice Project by Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate. With new poetry entirely conceived in the Chickasaw language by Lokosh Hinson, Ámmo'naka̱ combines Western technique and Chickasaw folk music to explore American Indian ecology and creation. Additional works by Andrew Balfour, Brent Michael Davids, and Sherryl Sewepagaham will round out the program.
This commission is supported by a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts.
In the months leading up to the premiere, Loyola will offer additional opportunities to engage with related topics. Keep reading to learn more.
Lecture with Daniel Hayden
Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Monday, April 20th | 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Skowronski Music Hall
Mundelein Center for the Fine and Performing Arts
Dr. Daniel Hayden, a postdoctoral scholar in the LUC School of Environmental Sustainability, will discuss his work to preserve traditional foodways and support food sovereignty.
Sponsored by the LUC Department of Fine and Performing Arts.
This event is free! RSVP encouraged.
Lecture with Lokosh (Joshua D. Hinson)
Anompa’ Chokma’si’: Poetry in Chickasaw Language
Tuesday, April 21 | 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Skowronski Music Hall
Mundelein Center for the Fine and Performing Arts
The Chickasaw people began to engage in language revitalization in the 1970s. Today, the modern Chickasaw language revitalization movement is active and dynamic, as new speakers are created and new forms of life for the language emerge. One of these forms is Chickasaw poetry. Lokosh will discuss his creative process and poetics in the greater context of Chickasaw language revitalization in 2026.
Sponsored by the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and Department of English.
This event is free! RSVP encouraged.
Panel Discussion
The Creation of Ámmo'naka
Wednesday, April 22 | 6:00-7:00 PM
Palm Court
Mundelein Center for the Fine and Performing Arts
Join composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, librettist Lokosh, American Indian music scholar Brandi Berry Benson, and conductor Kirsten Hedegaard as they discuss the collaborative process in the creation of Ámmo'naka.
This event is free! RSVP encouraged.
Birds in Plight Call for Scores
What does a changing sky sound like? The EcoVoice Project invites composers to give voice to birds in flight… and birds in plight
The EcoVoice Project is excited to announce its second annual call for scores. The “Birds in Plight” call for scores encourages composers to submit new choral works about or inspired by birds. While compositions do not need to be specifically about endangered species, pieces that address bird populations in decline will receive special consideration.
Five finalists will be chosen for the “Birds in Plight” performance in October 2026. The performance will feature professional singers from The EcoVoice Project, conducted by Kirsten Hedegaard. Additional performances will also be planned at other universities throughout North America. In addition to these live performances, composers will also receive professional recordings of their works.
COMPOSITION GUIDELINES
SATB works (divisi possible)
Unaccompanied or with piano
Subject: birds (consider themes such as migration, habitat loss, birdsong textures, human impact on ecosystems)
Three to six minutes in length
Sacred or secular text
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Composers should submit a PDF of their piece (without the composer’s name), along with a resume and short program note. If a midi recording is available, composers may also submit that along with their other materials.
Submissions should be sent to ecovoiceproject@gmail.com with “Birds in Plight” as the subject. Upon receipt of your email, you will receive a confirmation email acknowledging your submission. All scores are due by 5:00 PM (CST) on Friday, August 1st, 2026, and winners will be announced on September 1st, 2026.
The winning scores will be reproduced solely for performances by The EcoVoice Project and Loyola University Choirs. The EcoVoice Project will have a non-exclusive, world-wide perpetual license to perform the winning scores and will have the right to record the inaugural performance for archival purposes and to share with the composers.
The EcoVoice Project joined the Elgin Master Chorale’s outreach program for the Educational Connections Concert!
The EcoVoice Project’s director, Dr. Kirsten Hedegaard, conducted the Elgin Master Chorale for the annual “Educational Connections Concert” this February. More than 500 students came together for this powerful celebration of music, learning, and our shared responsibility to care for the planet.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this meaningful and inspiring experience possible!
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