This summer, the Children's Chorus of Washington and our partners at the Choir School of Delaware (CSD) will be producing the Stand Up: Harriet Tubman Tour. Starting in Washington, our combined chorus will travel through Cambridge, MD; Wilmington, DE; and complete our journey in Philadelphia, PA. Participants will perform, learn from local historians, and visit sites that played a role in the Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman's journey to freedom. They will learn from and alongside other choirs, connect songs to the physical terrain and landmarks, and engage in dialogue about Harriet Tubman’s legacy and its continued impact, connecting the past and present through music. 

Planning for Stand Up started in 2020. Artistic Director Margaret Nomura Clark was inspired by a program produced by Joy Hirokawa at the Bel Canto Youth Chorus of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem. Ms. Hirokawa hosted a summer camp around the theme of the Underground Railroad that Ms. Clark observed and which led to follow-up conversations about how to expand on the idea. This ultimately grew into the Stand Up: Singing the Underground Railroad program, which premiered in June 2021.

Meanwhile, Ms. Clark began iterating on the concept and reached out to CSD's Director of Music & Operations Arreon Harley-Emerson to invite CSD to join the tour as a creative partner. They shared the goal of creating a curriculum that inspires collaboration and encourages cultural competency.

Once the core partnership with CSD was established, we wanted to include other youth choruses along the route. We reached out to Bel Canto Youth Chorus from Bethlehem, PA and Commonwealth Youthchoirs from Philadelphia, PA and were thrilled to learn they were able to join the tour for the Philadelphia leg. CCW is excited for our students to sing with these other youth groups, as well as with CSD's intergenerational chorus across the 4-day journey.

Another important part of this project is our continued relationship with the esteemed composer and choral educator Dr. Brandon Williams. Last year, we commissioned Dr. Williams to compose a new work celebrating Tubman's legacy while focusing on the more just future she sought. Using text from poet and educator Zetta Elliott, Dr. Williams had this to say about his new composition:

Zetta Elliott's poem, "You, Too, Can Fly," is an inspirational message that serves as a light in what can seem like a dark world. The poem's themes of perseverance and hope were an ideal addition for the Stand Up: Harriet Tubman Tour since they parallel the traits that are representative of Tubman's life and work. Internalizing Zetta's text was a personally cathartic experience that helped summon my inner strength while navigating our country's recent reckoning with race and equity. I hope this piece can provide that comfort for others.

Our first stop in Washington, DC will include a museum experience at the National Museum of African American History & Culture, and a rehearsal and dinner at CCW’s rehearsal venue, the Whittle School & Studios. We will be joined by musician, artist, activist, and Harriet Tubman historian Linda Harris, who recently walked the Underground Railroad trail while raising money for the Harriet Tubman Museum and Mural in Cambridge. Ms. Harris will also be our guide the following day as we make our way to the eastern shore of Maryland to visit the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Park.

We will celebrate Juneteenth in Wilmington, DE and mark the occasion with a performance at Quaker Hill and the Delaware Historical Society.

In Philadelphia, our combined choruses will present a concert at the first Black Episcopal church, The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, singing alongside the world famous St. Thomas Gospel Choir. The premiere of Dr. Williams’ new song will be a highlight of this final concert.

This month marks the 200th anniversary of Tubman's birth in Dorchester County, Maryland. This tour is one way our chorus is using the arts to educate and to create change. We look forward to sharing more about this tour as we move forward through June 2022.