Wilmington Concert Opera to Debut LOKSI' SHAALI' at 2026 Opera America Conference
The performance will feature singers of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Mvskoke, Pueblo of Acoma, Taíno, and Tiwa Nations and heritages.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Feb. 16, 2026
On May 14, 2026 at 8:00pm and May 16, 2026 at 2:00pm, Chickasaw American composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate's first opera Loksi' Shaali' (Shell Shaker), comes to Wilmington Concert Opera during the 2026 Opera America Conference. Loksi' Shaali' is the first opera written by an American Indian composer to be sung and premiered entirely in a U.S. tribal language, and features a stellar, primarily Indigenous cast. This groundbreaking work, performed here in the world premiere chamber version, includes Chickasaw translation by Lokosh (Joshua D. Hinson) of Tate's original libretto and will feature operatic singers of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Mvskoke, Pueblo of Acoma, Taíno, and Tiwa Nations and heritages. Wilmington Concert Opera, a women- and minority-founded and run company, focuses on accessibility and inclusion.
Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate's two-act opera Loksi' Shaali' (Shell Shaker) depicts the Chickasaw origin story of the tribe's sacred turtle shell shakers, used in traditional stomp dancing and social songs. Loksi' Shaali' (Shell Shaker) made its world premiere with Canterbury Voices and the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, conducted by TianHui Ng at Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma City on Sunday, October 27, 2024 and its East Coast premiere led by TianHui Ng at Mount Holyoke College on February 28, 2025.
Soprano Katelyn Morton, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma who created the lead role, sings the lead role of Loksi' (Turtle) in this story of a Chickasaw girl who is teased for being too slow to keep up with the other children. After seeking wisdom from her grandmother, family, and the tribe's trusted River Spirit, the young girl learns she must leave home to find her purpose. She sets out on a long woodland journey, returning a cultural hero, enriched by the divine gift of the turtle shell shakers and knowledge of the Chickasaw people's new homelands.
The cast also includes Hugo Vera (Tiwa) as Hiloha/Loksi' Sipokni' (Hiloha/Old Turtle), Kirsten C. Kunkle (Mvskoke) as Ippo'si'/Loksi' Ippo'si (Grandmother/Grandmother Turtle), Nicole Van Every as Ishki' (Mother), Mark Billy (Choctaw) as Inki' (Father) and Okhina (River), Dylan Aguayo (Taino) as Shawi' (Racoon), Sage DiPalma (Cherokee) and Issi' (Deer), Kevin Patrick as Nanni' (Fish), Bo Shimmin (Pueblo of Acoma) as Fani' (Squirrel), and Suzannah Waddington as Bakbak (Woodpecker).
Tate says, "I am thrilled for my people to hear their language sung on the concert stage and I hope they feel proud when the world witnesses our rich legacy, expressed in a dramatic and theatrical performance."
The cast includes Katelyn Morton (Cherokee) as Loksi' (Turtle); Hugo Vera (Tiwa) as Hiloha/Loksi' Sipokni' (Hiloha/Old Turtle); Kirsten C. Kunkle (Mvskoke) as Ippo'si'/Loksi' Ippo'si (Grandmother/Grandmother Turtle); Nicole Van Every as Ishki' (Mother); Mark Billy (Choctaw) as Inki' (Father) and Okhina (River); Dylan Aguayo (Taino) as Shawi' (Racoon); Sage DiPalma (Cherokee) as Issi' (Deer); Kevin Patrick as Nanni' (Fish); Bo Shimmin (Pueblo of Acoma) as Fani' (Squirrel); Suzannah Waddington as Bakbak (Woodpecker); Christa Schimitsch as Loksi' (Cover); Nicklaus Porter as Hiloha/Loksi' Sipokni' (Cover); Anita Lyons as Ippo'si'/Loksi' Ippo'si (Cover); Kevin Patrick as Inki' and Okhina (Cover); and Suzannah Waddington as Ishki' (Cover). The production team includes TianHui Ng as Conductor, Reese Revak as Pianist, Joshua D. “Lokosh” Hinson (Chickasaw) as Translator and Diction Coach, Margaret Wheeler (Chickasaw) as Costume Designer, Kirsten C. Kunkle (Mvskoke) as Artistic Director of Wilmington Concert Opera, Marisa Robinson as Executive Director of Wilmington Concert Opera, and Jennifer Grackin Steinberg as Board President of Wilmington Concert Opera.
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