FebFest 2026
About the Conductor
G. Phillip Shoultz III uses the power of the voice, through spoken word and song, to foster community and inspire action among people of all ages and abilities. As Associate Artistic Director of VocalEssence, he conducts the Chorus and is the founding conductor of the Singers Of This Age, a dynamic choral arts apprenticeship for Twin Cities teens. He is the Artistic Director of Sing Democracy 250, a national initiative of the Together In Hope Project, and the University of Minnesota Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Concert.
Phillip serves on the faculty of the University of St. Thomas, where he leads the Graduate Choral Conducting program. He is also Cantor for Worship, Music, and the Arts at Westwood Lutheran Church, where he writes liturgy, plans worship, and conducts choirs for children, youth, and adults.
His most recent venture as host for “Songs of Freedom” with Minnesota Public Radio further expands his already diverse portfolio of projects, which also includes “Table for More,” a conversation and consulting platform founded in the summer of 2020 to help organizations address issues related to innovation, equity, racial justice, and belonging in the arts.
Phillip is regularly engaged across the US and beyond as a conductor, workshop facilitator, and worship curator/leader. He is a published arranger with plans in the works for a new choral series with National Music Publishers.
The winner of numerous honors, including the ACDA Graduate Conducting Competition and multiple Teacher of the Year awards, Phillip coaches Flag Football and loves all things related to sports and food. He lives in St. Louis Park with his wife, Michelle, and their two children (Malachi and Lydia Grace).
Repertoire
Click to preview; sheet music provided as part of registration
- We Shall Overcome — setting by G. Phillip Shoultz, III (Galaxy Music)
- Ain’t a that Good News — Traditional Negro Spiritual, setting by William Dawson (Kjos Music)
- So Many Reasons to Rejoice! — Eddie Robinson, edited by Brandon Waddles
- Lovely Day — Bill Withers, setting by Robert T. Gibson
About FebFest
Febfest is a yearly program put on in partnership with The United Church of Santa Fe and Coro Lux. Singers from all around New Mexico come together under the baton of a guest conductor for a daylong workshop of rehearsals and educational sessions. This festival chorus then presents a free-will concert, raising money for local charitable initiatives.