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Arts NC State
NC State LIVE

2025/26 Season

Arrive curious. Leave inspired.

NC State LIVE | MAINSTAGE PERFORMANCES

Yilian Canizares smiles in profile against yellow background.

Yilian Cañizares
Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Stewart Theatre

Kick off the season with Yilian Cañizares, a must-see artist. Staying true to her Cuban roots, she skillfully blends jazz violin, classical and Afro-Cuban rhythms with her otherworldly voice.

Collaborator Chucho Valdés calls her a “virtuoso.” Trained in Caracas’ El Sistema program, she burst onto the scene at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2008 and has since collaborated with luminaries like Omar Sosa, Chucho Valdés, and Ibrahim Maalouf. Come be transported by Yilian’s mesmerizing sound. 

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Dancers climb up to be suspended in a colorful net.

Rebecca Lazier’s
NOLI TIMERE
Oct. 10 and 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Stewart Theatre

Latin for ‘be not afraid,’ NOLI TIMERE is a soaring aerial dance performance set in a custom designed, voluminous Echelman net sculpture suspended 25 feet in the air! The innovative collaboration between Choreographer Rebecca Lazier and renowned sculptor Janet Echelman, with live music by acclaimed Québécois composer Jorane, is a fusion of contemporary dance and avant-garde circus; art installation and advanced engineering; public sculpture and awe-inspiring experimentation.

Join us for a week of interdisciplinary events on campus inspired by NOLI TIMERE.

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Members of Chanticleer stand in a line in matching tuxedoes.

Chanticleer
Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Stewart Theatre

Back by popular demand, Chanticleer is one of the most prolific choral ensembles in the world. Known as an “orchestra of voices,” they have performed thousands of live concerts and sold more than one million recordings.

Chanticleer’s commitment to expanding the vocal canon, and commissioning new works that highlight American repertoire has earned them a place in the American Classical Music Hall of Fame, an album inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry, along with multiple Grammy wins. 

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Collage of watercolor textures and animals, centering a red wolf face.

Stephanie Ann Boyd’s Carnival of the Nearly Extinct Animals
Nov. 9 at 4 p.m.
Stewart Theatre

Join us for the Carnival of the Nearly Extinct Animals, a vibrant new orchestral work by acclaimed American composer Stephanie Ann Boyd played by NC State’s own Raleigh Civic Symphony, under the direction of Peter Askim. Boyd, celebrated for her melodic explorations of the natural world, has crafted a powerful work that honors a menagerie of animals facing extinction (like the American red wolf), and remembers those already lost.

This world premiere performance is presented in partnership with NC State’s Department of Performing Arts and Technology.

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Members of Ranky Tanky band gather with their instruments, a trumpet at the forefront.

Ranky Tanky
Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Stewart Theatre 

Audience favorite Ranky Tanky is back! This Grammy-winning quintet from Charleston, South Carolina, is renowned for their vibrant interpretations of Gullah music.

Their high-energy, uniquely American sound fuses their Sea Island heritage with gospel, R&B, and jazz. Ranky Tanky last graced our stage back in 2022 during our 50th anniversary– and has since won their second Grammy as they continue to bring Gullah music to an international audience. Trust us when we say Ranky Tanky will have you up on your feet. 

Info and Tickets
Julia Keefe stands in front of brass section while conducting.

Julia Keefe
Indigenous Big Band
Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Reynolds Industries Theater (Duke)

Meet the Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band: a powerhouse ensemble, composed entirely of Indigenous musicians, turning heads with swinging sets that revive and celebrate the deep connections between jazz and Native American culture. Led by the celebrated vocalist and luminary Julia Keefe (Nez Perce), the band performs works by Indigenous jazz legends such as Mildred Bailey (Coeur d’Alene) and Jim Pepper (Kaw/Mvskoke), alongside exciting contemporary composers.

Presented by Duke Arts Presents in partnership with NC State LIVE.

Info and Tickets
Person in astronaut suit holds wrench suspended.

The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy
Feb. 19-21 at 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 21 at 3 p.m.
Titmus Theatre

In this inventive fusion of live performance and digital video sleight-of-hand, a single actor builds a cinematic sci-fi comedy in real time, transforming an 8’x4′ white box into a cosmic wonderland. The acclaimed physical theater company Sinking Ship and the Obie Award-winning Theater in Quarantine have reimagined their streaming hit The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy as a mind-bending in-person experience—a slapstick adventure and poignant meditation on the tug-of-war between the versions of ourselves we can never escape.

Info and Tickets
Lightwire Theater's glow in the dark dinosaur on a dark stage

FAMILY MATINEE
Lightwire Theater’s
Dino-Light
March 8 at 3 p.m.
Stewart Theatre

Step into a glow-in-the-dark world where dinosaurs come alive! Lightwire Theater, renowned for its innovative fusion of electroluminescent puppetry, dance and music has charmed audiences across the globe and was even a semi-finalist on NBC’s America’s Got Talent. Back by popular demand, Dino-Light, shares the story of a scientist who brings a friendly dinosaur to life. Recommended for all that have a sense of wonder, especially children 6 to 10 years-old and their grown ups!

Info and Tickets
John Pizzarelli sits with his arm around a guitar, next to an open guitar case.

John Pizzarelli
March 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Stewart Theatre

What better way to close out our 2025/26 mainstage series than with a beloved artist and friend John Pizzarelli.

Widely recognized as a premier contemporary interpreter of the Great American Songbook, Grammy Award-winning guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli has been lauded by the Boston Globe for his “reinvigoration” of the genre. Pizzarelli’s expansive repertoire now includes the music of iconic artists such as Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Antônio Carlos Jobim, and The Beatles. 

Info and Tickets

LIVE at Lake Raleigh
April 9 and 23 | May 7 and 21

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The Second City cast members perform improvisation on stage.

The Second City
Friday, August 22 
7:30 p.m.

Wolfpack Welcome Week

Our favorite improv comedy superstars came back to celebrate Wolfpack Welcome Week 2025. As the troupe that launched the careers of Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Jason Sudeikis, and more, their stellar performance on campus lit up the stage and filled us with laughter.

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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.