As fans took their seats for the Wolfpack football team’s home opener at Carter-Finley Stadium, the music of the “Power Sound of the South” NC State marching band fired up the crowd and ushered in a new season.
Months earlier and thousands of miles away, members of the NC State Chorale dazzled European music lovers in Italy, performing in historic venues in Rome, Florence, Venice and Vatican City. The school year prior, the NC State Jazz Orchestra shined at the esteemed Midwest Clinic in Illinois.
All of the programs and unique student experiences are part of a rich, impactful music history at NC State that now spans over a century. This school year, NC State’s music department, now named the Department of Performing Arts and Technology (DPAT), is celebrating “100 Years of Music,” culminating with a February showcase that will feature the school’s choir, pep band, jazz band, orchestras and symphonic band.
“We’re extremely excited to be able to present ensembles that represent the decades of rich history in our community,” said Stuart Benkert, the Department of Performing Arts and Technology’s department head. “We’ve had a long and rich existence at NC State, and we’ve touched thousands if not hundreds of thousands of lives. We’ve been making art now for over 100 years, and we are excited to celebrate that legacy this year.”
Below is a timeline of significant events in NC State’s music history. For a full timeline, visit historicalstate.lib.ncsu.edu/timelines/music
What Makes Music Special at NC State?
Over the course of his career, Benkert has also spent time in various music leadership roles at Colorado State University Pueblo and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Throughout his 30-plus year career, Benkert has interacted with and observed numerous music departments. So, what makes music special at NC State? For Benkert, it’s the way the program brings together students from a wide variety of majors, colleges and disciplines, united by their love and passion for music.
“These are students who are choosing to do something additional with their lives,” Benkert said. “Their careers are going to be in other areas, but art is so important to them that they are taking their time, which they don’t have a lot of, to come spend that with us, to have a musical experience with colleagues, and also present that to the community. We are a college community-based program, we are here for all of the students, not just our majors, and that creates a special dynamic. There’s a lot of energy involved with that. It’s always been like that here. And that’s what sets us apart from others.”
As the department works to continue providing students with transformative experiences throughout their college careers, Benkert praised the leaders of the various music units for the work they do.
I couldn’t ask for a better group of faculty to be here at this time with these students.
“Not only do we have students who are energetic and excited to be here, but we have the right faculty leading those students,” Benkert said. “We have the right faculty plugged in and leading those ensembles. I couldn’t ask for a better group of faculty to be here at this time with these students.”
As DPAT celebrates its history, this year is also an ideal time to celebrate the program’s future.
Today, DPAT provides opportunities for students through choirs, concert bands, jazz ensembles, orchestras, the marching band and pep band in addition to a wide range of courses and academic offerings. This is the first year the department has offered a degree, under University College, with the first class of students enrolled in the new music technology major.
“I think it’s wonderful,” Benkert said. “Even though we have a major, it’s not the same kind of major many others are offering. This music technology major is one of only a few in the country. It’s as distinct as NC State. It’s tech forward, but it’s artistic at the same time.”
Read more about the past 100 years of music at NC State, and learn how you can support the efforts and be a part of the experience.
This post was originally published in DASA.
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