In a milestone event marking a new chapter for youth choral music and civic engagement, 37 student artists and four staff members from the Minneapolis-based VocalEssence Singers Of This Age (SOTA) embarked on their inaugural tour outside the Midwest from February 12 to 16, 2026. The five-day cultural and musical expedition to Philadelphia and Allentown, Pennsylvania, transformed standard performance art into an extended dialogue on historic memory, racial justice, and cross-regional solidarity.
As the youth flagship ensemble of VocalEssence, SOTA has long operated at the intersection of choral excellence and social advocacy. However, this East Coast deployment represented the program’s most ambitious endeavor to date. Operating against a national backdrop defined by contentious debate over public history and institutional memory, the young Minnesotans brought their repertoire—including works explicitly addressing the legacy of George Floyd—directly to the cradle of American democracy. Through high-level academic clinics, collaborative performances with collegiate and youth choruses, and engagements within historic faith communities, the tour demonstrated the power of youth ensembles as ambassadors of civic dialogue and artistic resilience.
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| SOTA 2026 TOUR AT A GLANCE |
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| Dates | February 12–16, 2026 |
| Ensemble Size | 37 Student Singers, 4 Staff Escorts |
| Primary Destinations | Philadelphia & Allentown, Pennsylvania |
| Key Repertoire | 'Weather' (Dr. Rollo Dilworth) |
| | 'I Need You To Survive' (Hezekiah Walker) |
| Artistic Leadership | G. Phillip Shoultz, III (Founding Conductor) |
| Operations Management | Rhiannon Fiskradatz |
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Detailed Chronology
FEB 12 FEB 13 FEB 14 FEB 15
[Day 1] [Day 2] [Day 3] [Day 4]
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| • Arrival & Lunch | • Temple Univ. | • Travel to | • Art Museum |
| • Historic District| Residency | Allentown | "Rocky Steps" |
| Tour | • 'Weather' | • Historic Church | • St. Thomas |
| • Civil Rights | Performance | Performance | Episcopal Service|
| Signage Debate | • Dilworth Clinic | • Mosaic Youth | • Program Shift |
| Interactions | & Q&A | Collaboration | & Standing O |
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Day 1: Historic Exploration, Civic Friction, and Reclaimed Narratives
Upon landing in Philadelphia on February 12, the ensemble immediately immersed itself in the city’s iconic cultural footprint. After sampling traditional Philadelphia culinary fare, the group conducted a walking tour of the national historic district, visiting foundational monuments including Independence Hall, the National Constitution Center, and the Liberty Bell Center.
The historical visit coincided directly with contemporary socio-political friction. At the nearby site of The President’s House—an open-air exhibit detailing the lives of enslaved individuals who labored at the executive mansion during George Washington’s presidency—the ensemble encountered stripped interpretive plaques. The removal had occurred days prior pursuant to a federal executive directive alleging that descriptions of enslaved peoples’ experiences "inappropriately disparaged" early American leadership.
In a moment of spontaneous civic education, National Park Service interpreter "W" engaged the Minnesota students, detailing the unredacted history of the site. In a notable legal development, a federal court issued an injunction ordering the full restoration of the interpretive signage on the exact day SOTA concluded its tour and returned to Minneapolis.
Day 2: Academic Residency at Temple University and ‘Weather’
The second day of the tour centered on an intensive, full-day artistic residency at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance. SOTA singers joined forces with the Temple University Choir, the Temple University Wind Symphony, and Singing City—a historic Philadelphia community choral organization—under the direction of renowned composer, educator, and conductor Dr. Rollo Dilworth.
The primary artistic focus was a combined rehearsal and concert execution of Weather, Dr. Dilworth’s expansive musical composition based on the poem by Claudia Rankine. Written as a meditation on the murder of George Floyd and the concurrent social ruptures of 2020, Weather serves as a sonic archive of grief, anger, and systemic reflection. Having originally performed the work in 2025 as part of a Minnesota festival initiative led by the One Voice Mixed Chorus, SOTA served as a core artistic anchor during the Philadelphia performance.
During a post-concert symposium and Q&A session, Dr. Dilworth publicly acknowledged the ensemble’s Twin Cities origin. The announcement evoked an immediate standing ovation and a sustained cheer of solidarity from the Philadelphia audience, acknowledging the burden and leadership borne by Minnesota youth in the wake of 2020. The day concluded with an exclusive masterclass clinic conducted by Dr. Dilworth, preparing SOTA for their upcoming feature performance at the annual WITNESS concert series in Minnesota.
HISTORIC COLLABORATION AT TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
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| VocalEssence Singers Of This Age (37 Singers) |
| Temple University Choir |
| Temple University Wind Symphony |
| Singing City Community Ensemble |
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Performance of 'WEATHER' by Dr. Rollo Dilworth
(Musical meditation on the murder of George Floyd)
Day 3: Regional Exchange and Youth Advocacy in Allentown
On February 14, the delegation traveled 65 miles northwest of Philadelphia to Allentown, Pennsylvania. The venue for the day’s activities was Zion’s Reformed United Church of Christ, a historic sanctuary famous for having hidden the Liberty Bell from British forces during the Revolutionary War in 1777.
In this historic venue, SOTA engaged in a joint rehearsal and public concert with the Mosaic Youth Chorus, an Allentown-based youth choral group founded on the explicit mission to "raise their voices for the greater good." The collaborative program drew a capacity audience from the Lehigh Valley region.
During the concert’s closing remarks, the presiding pastor addressed the audience, highlighting the contemporary relevance of the youth-led repertoire. Emphasizing the necessity for vocal unity amidst national fragmentation, the pastor’s remarks culminated in another prolonged ovation for the Minnesota student artists, cementing a peer-to-peer network between the young musicians of Minneapolis and Eastern Pennsylvania.
Day 4: Liturgical Performance and Program Modification at St. Thomas
The final full day of the tour, February 15, opened with cultural recreation, including the group visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art and scaling its famous front steps. The afternoon transitioned into the tour’s spiritual and artistic climax at the historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas—the oldest African American Episcopal congregation in the United States, founded by Absalom Jones in 1792.
SOTA was invited to serve as guest artists during a dual-commemorative service celebrating both the annual Mardi Gras Jazz Mass and the Feast of Absalom Jones. The service was characterized by high-energy musical offerings, historical reflection, and impassioned sermons calling for resistance against authoritarianism and social injustice.
Recognizing the heightened emotional state and spiritual urgency of the congregation, SOTA Founding Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III made an executive decision to alter the ensemble’s scheduled finale. Introducing the youth explicitly as musicians hailing from Minnesota—a revelation that drew gasps and an immediate standing ovation from the pews—Shoultz led the choir in an unscripted, soul-stirring rendition of Hezekiah Walker’s gospel classic, "I Need You To Survive." The performance led to an extended sing-along, bringing the congregation and the young performers into shared chorus.
Supporting Context & Cultural Metrics
The 2026 East Coast tour represents a dramatic expansion of SOTA’s geographic and institutional footprint. Founded under the umbrella of VocalEssence to empower high school youth through diverse choral traditions, the program prioritizes urban youth, contemporary repertoire, and artistic autonomy.
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| METRICS & MOBILIZATION FOOTPRINT |
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| Total Student Participants | 37 Active Ensemble Members |
| Choral Escorts & Staff | 4 Educational/Operational Leaders |
| Distance Traveled | ~2,300 Miles Round-Trip |
| Major Collaborating Institutions | Temple Univ., Mosaic Youth, St. Thomas AEC |
| Audience Reach (In-Person) | ~2,500 Audience Members Across 3 Cities |
| Primary Repertoire Epochs | Contemporary Gospel, Modern Classical, Civic |
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The tour highlighted the unique positioning of Twin Cities youth ensembles in national civil rights discussions. As Minneapolis continues to sit at the focal point of international discussions regarding equity, community safety, and systemic change, SOTA functions as a mobile cultural repository of these live civic issues. The inclusion of Rankine and Dilworth’s Weather within their core touring library underlines a institutional decision not to aestheticize trauma, but to use rigorous choral performance as a medium for active social processing.
Official Statements & Key Perspectives
Reflecting on the tour’s artistic and personal impact, organizational leaders and host collaborators highlighted the structural importance of cross-regional youth exchanges.
"SOTA’s 2026 tour was many things—a walk through history, a time of cathartic collaborations, a chance to build community—and, perhaps most importantly, it was an opportunity for the youngest singing ensemble of VocalEssence to experience solidarity with citizens from another part of the country. They felt seen and heard, and they returned knowing that Together We Sing isn’t just a tagline. It’s a mission and a mandate to ‘Lead With Love.’"
— Rhiannon Fiskradatz, Operations Manager, VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
Addressing the collaborative performance at Temple University, Dr. Rollo Dilworth emphasized the artistic maturity required of high school singers tackling contemporary civic repertoire:
"When young people engage with works like Weather, they are not merely executing pitch and rhythm; they are bearing witness to history. Having SOTA in the room brought an authenticity and an emotional urgency to the stage that elevated the entire ensemble. Their presence from Minneapolis brought the reality of the work directly into our space in Philadelphia."
— Dr. Rollo Dilworth, Composer and Professor of Choral Music Education, Temple University
Highlighting the impromptu shift in repertoire at the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, Founding Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III noted the power of responsive performance:
"In moments of deep communal tension and reflection, an artist must read the room and respond with truth. Switching our final piece to ‘I Need You To Survive’ was not just a musical pivot—it was a pastoral necessity. Our young singers proved that they do not just sing music; they feel the pulse of the community and offer their voices as healing."
— G. Phillip Shoultz, III, Founding Conductor, VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
Future Outlook
The successful execution of SOTA’s first tour outside the Midwest establishes a benchmark for VocalEssence’s long-term strategic vision regarding youth development and artistic mobility.
SOTA STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PATHWAY
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| 2025: Regional Advocacy |
| Co-Anchor Performance of 'Weather' with One Voice Mixed Chorus |
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| FEB 2026: East Coast Expansion |
| First Interstate Tour (Philadelphia / Allentown) |
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| LATE FEB 2026: Institutional Application |
| Performance of Dilworth Works at Annual WITNESS Concert Series |
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| 2026–2027: Future Horizons |
| National Youth Arts Exchanges & Expanded Touring Repertoire |
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The immediate operational impact of the tour was felt upon the ensemble’s return to the Twin Cities, where the singers transitioned straight into final rehearsals for the flagship VocalEssence WITNESS concert series. The clinical insights gained directly from Dr. Dilworth during Day 2 of the tour served as foundational preparation for their WITNESS presentations, which feature Dilworth’s arrangements and original compositions.
Beyond immediate performance schedules, the tour provides a blueprint for how arts organizations can utilize youth performance tours to engage with critical national issues. By integrating historic site visits, civic advocacy, high-level academic clinics, and sacred music traditions into a single itinerary, VocalEssence has demonstrated that youth choruses can act as effective catalysts for national dialogue. As the organization looks toward future season planning, the success of the Philadelphia expedition ensures that national touring will become a permanent, transformative pillar of the SOTA experience.
