For the first time in the ensemble’s history, the VocalEssence Singers Of This Age (SOTA) boarded a plane to embark on a tour outside the Midwest!

From February 12-16, 2026, 37 SOTA singers and 4 staff members traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on a trip that included both extraordinary choral experiences and important cultural engagements.

On day #1, having arrived just in time for lunch, the group got their first taste of Philly cheesesteaks before walking to the historic district that’s home to many important American landmarks. They visited the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the National Constitution Center, learning much about the first years of our country’s existence.*

Day #2 centered around an all-day visit to Temple University, where composer Dr. Rollo Dilworth teaches. SOTA joined members of the university’s choir, wind symphony, and Dr. Dilworth’s community ensemble, Singing City, in a rehearsal and performance of Weather, a musical meditation on the murder of George Floyd which SOTA had performed in 2025 as part of a festival choir spearheaded by One Voice Mixed Chorus.

During a post-concert question and answer session, Dr. Dilworth mentioned that SOTA was visiting “from Minneapolis,” which elicited a cheer of solidarity—the first of many the group encountered during their visit. After the performance, SOTA had the opportunity to participate in a clinic with Dr. Dilworth—a fortuitous turn of events given their performance of some of his music at WITNESS the following week.

Allentown, PA is 65 miles northwest of Philadelphia, and on day #3, that’s where the tour group headed. In a 250+ year old church that hid the Liberty Bell from British troops during the Revolutionary War, they met and performed with the fellow teens of Mosaic Youth Chorus. Founded with the mission to “raise their voices for the greater good,” Mosaic was a beautiful fit with SOTA. The singers got along extraordinarily well and performed together for a packed house at the end of the day. In an address toward the end of the program, the pastor of the church noted the salience of the music that had been presented and spoke passionately about the need for voices of unity in this historic moment, and for the second time on the trip, SOTA—as representatives of Minnesota—were cheered by new friends and voices of solidarity.

After some last-minute sightseeing on day #4—including running up and down the “Rocky steps” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art—SOTA arrived at the historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, where they were invited to perform as part of a service that was both the Mardi Gras jazz mass and the Feast of Absalom Jones, a commemoration of the birthday of the church’s founder. The many fantastic musical performances and fervent speeches throughout the evening were punctuated by familiar calls to resist authoritarianism, prompting SOTA founding conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III to change SOTA’s final song at the last minute. Introducing them as Minnesota musicians—prompting a gasp and a standing ovation—the group performed a version of Hezekiah Walker’s “I Need You To Survive,” with many congregants singing along.

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, as our good friend Melanie DeMore says, “Lead With Love.”

*In a sign of the times, an immersive exhibit outside the Liberty Bell Center, called The President’s House, had only days earlier been stripped of its interpretive signage due to an executive order claiming the descriptions of enslaved peoples’ experiences “inappropriately disparaged” American history. A wonderful (and furious) national park employee named W was happy to regale the group with the stories they’d missed out on. Note: On the day SOTA returned to Minnesota, a federal judge ordered the signage restored.

—Shared by Rhiannon Fiskradatz, SOTA Operations Manager