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Dressed in gold and white against a maroon background, Lakecia Benjamin holds out her saxophone. Photo by Elizabeth Letizell.

2026/27 Season

Arrive curious. Leave inspired.

Explore connection, joy, and well-being with our most international lineup since 2020, featuring returning favorites and exciting NC State LIVE debuts.

Create Your Own Series

Save up to 25% when you Create Your Own Series package. Subscriptions go on sale on August 12, 2026 at 10 a.m.

Single Tickets

Wolfpack Welcome Weeks event tickets go on sale August 17, 2026. Single tickets for our Mainstage Season open September 3, 2026.

Back view of Michelle Pearson, Founder and Artistic Director of Black Box Dance Theatre, as she stretches her arms wide and leads a circle of performers on stage.

Wolfpack Welcome Weeks: We Lift Each Other

August 21 at 7:30 p.m. in Stewart Theatre

Kickoff the new season with a moving documentary about veterans and dance presented by Black Box Dance Theatre, who will be in year-long residency with NC State LIVE. Stick around after the screening for a conversation with the artists, free t-shirts and a dance party!

Tickets for this event go on sale August 17, 2026.
NC State Students use code WOLFPACK for a FREE ticket. Military and veteran personnel use code NCSLMIL for 15% off.

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Special Event: Lakota John

September 3 at 6 p.m. on the Gregg Museum Lawn

NC State LIVE joins forces with the Gregg Museum of Art & Design to present a free outdoor concert by John “Lakota John” Locklear, a North Carolina-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with Lumbee and Oglala Lakota roots.

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Lakota John sings on stage holding his guitar, illuminated by blue light. Photo courtesy of artist.

NC State LIVE | Explore our 2026-27 PERFORMANCES

Paul Beaubrun lays on his back in the grass with his locs and arms reaching out around him. He looks up at the camera through sunglasses. Photo by Cuba Tornado.

Paul Beaubrun
September 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Stewart Theatre

Born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Paul Beaubrun is a captivating Haitian singer and guitarist. As a touring member of the world-renowned band Arcade Fire, he has performed with legends like Ms. Lauryn Hill and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Two acrobats throw another across a backlit stage towards a group of five who are waiting to catch her. Photo by Darcy Grant.

Gravity & Other Myths’
Ten Thousand Hours
October 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Stewart Theatre

Australia’s mind-blowing circus company, Gravity & Other Myths, is coming back to Stewart Theatre with Ten Thousand Hours, a production that celebrates the dedication and perseverance required to achieve greatness.

Artist Residency: Hank & Pattie featuring Brek

September 28 – October 3

Presented in partnership with PineCone’s Raleigh Wide Open Music Festival, bluegrass visionaries Hank Smith (banjo) and Pattie Hopkins Kinlaw (fiddle) return to NC State LIVE for a week-long artist residency with Icelandic folk band Brek.

Lucía stands in front of a warm, moody spotlight and looks directly to camera while draping her arm across her forehead. Photo by Shervin Lainez.

Lucía
October 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Stewart Theatre

With a voice that transports you across cultures and time, Lucía is a young vocalist from Veracruz, México whose singular artistic vision bridges the gaps between jazz, Latin and pop music.

Lakecia Benjamin stands backlit in a gold sequined ensemble while holding her engraved saxophone horizontally out in front of her. Photo by Elizabeth Letizell.

Lakecia Benjamin
January 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Stewart Theatre

Six-time Grammy nominee Lakecia Benjamin is a force of nature. An alto saxophonist, composer and educator with a fiery stage presence, she melds R&B, jazz and funk into something magical.

Alfredo Rodríguez sits on a velvet couch to the left of Pedrito Martinez in front of a grey, marbled background; both look to camera. Photo by Anna Webber.

Alfredo Rodríguez and Pedrito Martinez
February 13 at 3 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Titmus Theatre

Pianist Alfredo Rodríguez and Grammy-winning percussionist Pedrito Martinez are a high-energy Afro-Cuban jazz duo known for their fearless and virtuosic collaborative style.

Two Yamato drummers stand center stage in front of other performers while energetically playing taiko drums that hang from their chests and shaking their heads in sync. Photo by Rakuda.

YAMATO
February 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Stewart Theatre

Audience favorite, YAMATO, turns the ancient Japanese art of taiko drumming into a heart-pounding spectacle of athleticism, precision and exhilarating musical expertise.

Two Black Box Dance Theatre dancers squat and help keep each other balanced with a firm hand grip, demonstrating strength and connection. Photo by Matt Kesterson.

Black Box Dance Theatre’s
PATRIOT
March 5 & March 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Stewart Theatre

Black Box Dance Theatre has been working with service members and veterans for over a decade. In residence with NC State LIVE for the 2026-27 season, they will bring our military, veteran and student population into the creative process with the multimedia dance performance, PATRIOT.

A Manual Cinema actor illuminated by red light uses props to create a fantastical shadow puppet. Photo by Katie Doyle.

Manual Cinema’s
The 4th Witch
March 31 at 7:30 p.m.
Stewart Theatre

Told through breathtaking shadow puppetry, Manual Cinema’s latest theatrical experience is an inversion of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Don’t miss their Emmy Award-winning mix of low-fi technology (think vintage overhead projectors and handmade puppets), cutting-edge multimedia techniques and rapturous live music.

Nnenna and Pierce Freelon sit together; Nnenna leans forward, resting her chin on her palm while Pierce shrugs playfully. Photo by Chris Charles.

Well-Being Concerts featuring Nnenna and Pierce Freelon

December 5 & April 10 at 4 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
in the Gregg Museum

Carnegie Hall’s Well-Being Concerts combine world-class musical performances with elements of self-care and mindfulness. NC State LIVE and the Gregg Museum of Art & Design are partnering to present Well-Being Concerts locally, featuring a family with rich connections to the university and the museum.

Tickets for these events go on sale November 5.

LIVE at Lake Raleigh
April 8 & 22 | May 6 & 20

It Takes a Village

NC State LIVE is supported in part by grants from the City of Raleigh based on recommendations of the Raleigh Arts Commission and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. Our State Magazine is our official media sponsor.