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School of Performing Arts

Welcome to the School of Performing Arts

South Dakota State University music is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (good standing reaffirmed in 2011) and theatre is accredited by the National Association of the Schools of Theatre. As a member of NASM and NAST, the music and theatre programs are committed to upholding the organization’s national standards for curriculum and policy. Those standards may be found in the and the .

The school enjoys excellent facilities including the new state-of-the-art Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center. The Oscar is the location of the 1000-seat Larson Memorial Concert Hall, which plays host annually to some of the world’s most important classical and popular performing artists and the 225-seat Founders Recital Hall with its Reuter Pipe Organ.

One only has to spend a few moments with us to realize that the School of Performing Arts functions as a family. Students experience all the benefits associated with studying at a sizable land-grant institution, but still get to know their professors on a one-on-one basis.

School of Performing Arts Events

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Sep 19

Connor Ilchuk Senior Recital

Sep 22

Joseph Cassady Senior Recital

Sep 26

Music and Dance on the Plaza

Sep 27

CC & Dance Concert

School of Performing Arts News

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Sam Gowan

Gowen to present ‘Music of the Night’ horn recital

The South Dakota State University School of Performing Arts presents Sam Gowen in “Music of the Night,” a recital for horn, at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9, in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center’s Founders Recital Hall.

Brookings Chamber Music Society announces 2024-25 season

The Brookings Chamber Music Society has announced its 2024-25 season and fall membership drive. Allied closely to the South Dakota State University School of Performing Arts, the society’s mission is to present the finest in chamber music for the enjoyment of the Brookings community.

Diddle, Ƶ alums recognized by South Dakota American Choral Directors Association

Laura Diddle, the Paul E. and Doris J. Moriarty Endowed Professor of Choral Activities in the South Dakota State University School of Performing Arts, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the South Dakota American Choral Directors Association. Shawn Stemsrud, a 2022 Ƶ graduate, received the association's Encore Award, as did 2002 Ƶ alum Janice Gilbert.