Cherokee choir debuts newest CD for annual holiday

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — The nationally acclaimed 40-member Cherokee National Youth Choir will debut new songs from its 10th CD “Cherokee America” during six different performances at the 60th Cherokee National Holiday.

The choir was founded in 2000 and made up of Cherokee youth in sixth- through 12th grade who sing in the native Cherokee language to continue its survival. The group has performed at top venues ranging from Ground Zero to the Native American Music Awards.

“This new CD is very patriotic,” said Choir Director Mary Kay Henderson. “We’ve taken some classic songs you’d learn in childhood like ‘Yankee Doodle’ or ‘Oh, Susannah’ and put Cherokee history and words to them.”

Sequoyah’s Syllabary contribution is set to the “Yankee Doodle” tune and Cherokee Nation’s home in Tahlequah is set to “Oh, Susannah.”

The choir performs Saturday, Sept. 1 during Principal Chief Bill John Baker’s State of the Nation address at the Cherokee Courthouse in downtown Tahlequah, which begins at 11:30 a.m.. The choir is also holding a public concert at 2 p.m. at the Tahlequah Armory Building, 100 S. Water St. and 4 p.m. at the Veteran’s Reception at the Place Where They Play.

Other performances include a 7 p.m. Aug. 25 showing at the Miss Cherokee competition at Cornerstone Church and 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31, at the art show opening, also at the Tahlequah Armory. All shows are free.

The patriotic “Cherokee America” CD also features “This Land is Your Land,” “God Bless America” and “The Star Spangled Banner” in Cherokee. The CDs are expected to be on sale at those events and the Cherokee Nation Gift Shops for $10.

During the Holiday weekend, music enthusiasts can also enjoy a fiddler’s competition from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1 at the Talking Leaves Job Corps gym on Bald Hill Road, just off Highway 62. And a gospel singing is also being held at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31 and 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1, west of the tribe’s W.W. Keeler Complex, 17675 S. Muskogee Ave.

For information about the Cherokee National Youth Choir, please call 918-453-5638 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.