This year, NC State LIVE, NC State’s presenting organization for the performing arts, is celebrating 50 years of bringing renowned artists to campus. 

According to Sharon Moore, the director of NC State LIVE since 1990, the organization’s main responsibility is to invite local and traveling artists to campus. The organization works primarily with jazz, world music, contemporary dance, theater and children’s artists.

NC State LIVE was founded in 1972 after the opening of Stewart Theatre, and fulfilled the vision of Gerald Erdahl, the first director of NC State’s College Union and student center.

“[Erdahl] really knew that this union really needed to emphasize and encompass the arts for the students of NC State,” Moore said. “Clearly being a more focused STEM institution, he understood that … bringing the arts in the lives of the students was so important to fulfill that full educational mission of the institution.” 

According to Moore, some of NC State LIVE’s highest-profile artists performed as part of what was then called Stewart Theatre Presentations in the ‘70s and ‘80s. This included jazz legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Dave Brubeck and Dizzy Gillespie.

“It truly brought in the best artists around the world,” Moore said. “Everybody who was anybody in jazz performed on this stage.”

While much of NC State LIVE’s work involves inviting artists to perform for the community, Moore said they also host artist residency programs, where the artists can spend a few days or weeks on campus, educating and interacting with students and community members beyond performance.

“Our mission is very simple, you can say it in just a few words — it’s to connect artists and audiences,” Moore said. “And that is what we do, and I think that’s what we’ve been about from day one.”

Matthew Wright, a graduate student studying art and design is one of the many student beneficiaries of NC State LIVE’s programs. During his undergraduate studies and in the time since, Wright has performed and learned dancing skills alongside the Los Angeles-based urban Latin dance company CONTRA-TIEMPO.

Along with the opportunity to learn and dance alongside CONTRA-TIEMPO, NC State LIVE also provided Wright with funding to attend CONTRA-TIEMPO’s 2017 summer dance intensive, which he said had a significant impact on his skills.

“Going to their intensive was really cool because if NC State LIVE hadn’t provided that opportunity for me to go, I don’t think I would’ve been able to secure that opportunity myself,” Wright said. “Getting that experience firsthand with that company and seeing how they worked, seeing what their days looked like, seeing what their rehearsals were like, it helped me become a better artist because those are things I carry with me today. And I have that same mentality now because of that experience then.”

NC State LIVE celebrated the anniversary with a block party in Stafford Commons Sunday afternoon with birthday cake and larger-than-life performances from artists and student groups. The party included a return performance from progressive rock band Squonk, complete with giant hand puppets, as well as performances from Wolfgang A Cappella and Fusion Dance Crew.

Abby Buenviaje, a fourth-year studying biological sciences and dancer in Fusion Dance Crew, reflected on her time in the program and the importance of the celebration.

“I think it’s important just to be appreciative of what we have,” Buenviaje said. “I feel like people can get so caught up in life, especially as a student. Being in Fusion and applying for grad school, it’s just a lot, and an event like this is a way to remember why we’re here and why [we] should appreciate it. Not everyone gets this.”

Wright said he is proud to be a part of NC State LIVE’s history through his eight years involved with the organization, including the time dancing with CONTRA-TIEMPO between his undergraduate and graduate studies.

“In a way, we’re all celebrating this,” Wright said. “As much as this is NC State LIVE’s anniversary, they are celebrating everything that we’ve contributed to that history as well as us celebrating everything that they contributed to our history. I love that we can share this moment together and bring together all those people.”