Roots and Voices

We proudly invite you to join us on our unique 6-day pilgrimage

  • Join us for a life-affirming and eye-opening choral journey tracing the legacy of the Negro spiritual through the lived history of Freedom Seekers.

  • Travel Harriet Tubman’s path along the Underground Railroad from her birthplace on Maryland’s Eastern Shore to Niagara, New York, where she crossed to freedom in Canada.

  • This is not your traditional choir tour!
    You will be immersed in stories and music born of struggle, resistance, and hope, experienced on location.

  • Dialogue and reflection will be an integral part of the tour, encouraging personal growth and understanding.

Who is
this for?

Designed for music educators and conductors, this immersive journey offers a unique opportunity to explore spirituals as a living tradition. Together, we will engage with history, repertoire, and meaningful dialogue, gaining tools to teach this music with authenticity and cultural humility, while reflecting on its enduring relevance to issues of equity and social justice today.This pilgrimage is designed for members of:

  • Essence of Joy;

  • E2;

  • Essence of Joy Alumni Singers (EOJAS);

Pilgrimage Objectives

This immersive experience will help participants understand and experience:

  • How can we as singers understand our complicated world through song?

  • How can I face oppression through song?

  • How do I bring others along the way?

Arreon A. Harley-Emerson

Choral conductor, music educator, culture sharer

Guided by experienced choral director Arreon A. Harley-Emerson, who created and led this tour for his own singers, and a legendary composer in residence, this unique experience invites you to build deeper connections—with history, music, and each other.
Gain new perspectives on the spiritual and leave inspired to bring this understanding back to your singers.

pilgrimage Highlights

Key Stops Along the Pilgrimage

Our journey retraces some of the significant places tied to Tubman’s story and the broader history of the Underground Railroad:

  • Depart from State College, PA and begin in Washington, DC with visits to the National Museum of African American History and Culture and Lincoln’s Cottage, where the Emancipation Proclamation was written

  • Visit the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Museum and historic sites on the Eastern Shore, guided by local historians and storytellers

  • Learn about abolitionist Thomas Garrett and explore key sites in Wilmington, DE

  • Reflect and sing in the first Free Black Church in Philadelphia

  • Visit Tubman’s homestead and gravesite in Auburn, NY

  • Culminating stop at Niagara Falls, a departure point to freedom in Canada for Freedom Seekers, and visit the Underground Railroad Heritage Center

  • Transfer back to State College, PA for those who wish to return.

Walk the path. Lift your voice.
Grow from the ground up.

DETAILS

What Does it Include?

Everything you need for an amazing experience

  • Hotel Accommodations: six nights in carefully selected hotels.

  • Private Coach Transportation: high-comfort travel between performances, excursions, and accommodations.

  • Daily Breakfast & Group Dinners: Shared meals to nourish both body and spirit.

  • All Excursions: from exploring historical sites to enriching adventures

NOT INCLUDED

  • Travel to Washington, D.C.

  • Return travel from Auburn/Niagara

  • Tips, meals not listed, and personal expenses

SAMPLE ITINERARY

Tiered Pricing Options

Choose the rooming option that best suits your needs:

Single Occupancy

$3,419 pp

(+$70 per night for single supplement)

Double Occupancy

$2,999 pp

Quadruple Occupancy

$2,499 pp

Students will be placed in quads unless there is a medical reason and Dr. Emerson's approval

Flexible Payment Plan

To make joining simple, we offer a 2‑installment payment plan:*Not including processing fees

First Payment – $1,499.50 (50%)*

Due at registration to secure your spot. Just hit the button at the bottom of the screen!Refundable until the 15th April, 2026.

Final Balance – Remaining balance

Remaining balance, due May 30th, 2026.

What Was the
Underground Railroad?

The Underground Railroad
was not a literal railroad, but a vast network of safe houses, secret routes, and courageous individuals who helped enslaved African Americans escape to freedom during the 19th century.Highly secretive for safety reasons, it was operated by both free Black communities and allies such as Quakers and abolitionists. The network extended across the country, shepherding Freedom Seekers first to free states, and then to Canada, the Caribbean, or the Western Territories.

Harriet Tubman’s Journey

Harriet Tubman (c. 1822–1913) was born into slavery in Maryland’s Eastern Shore.After escaping, she risked her life to return thirteen times, guiding more than 70 enslaved people to freedom. Her courage, deep faith, and prowess to safely guide Freedom Seekers earned her the nickname “Moses”. Beyond the Underground Railroad, Tubman also served as a nurse, scout, and valued spy during the Civil War. When the war ended, she returned to Auburn, where she established The Harriet Tubman Home for the Elderly and Indigent Negroes. and supported women’s suffrage.