Loksi' Shaali' (Shell Shaker) at Mount Holyoke College

Mount Holyoke College will present the East Coast premiere of Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate’s opera Loksi' Shaali' (Shell Shaker) on February 28, 2025. This landmark production features the Mount Holyoke Symphony Orchestra and the Mount Holyoke College Glee Club, conducted by Tianhui Ng. The opera tells the Chickasaw origin story of sacred turtle shell shakers and is notable for being the first opera composed entirely in an American Indian language. Lead roles include Cristina María Castro as Loksi' and Katelyn Morton, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, singing the titular character.