Robert J Stacke
Associate Professor and Chair
stacke@augsburg.edu

Bob Stacke ’71, chair of the music department, says that some professors get an endowed chair after time at an institution. But he got a bench—a park bench, as a matter of fact. Just outside Music Hall stands a bench inscribed, "Dedicated to Dr. Robert Stacke, Graduating Class of 2002."

"It's my crowning accomplishment," Stacke said with a smile. "It meant so much to me that my students would do something like that. They're always talking about meeting me in my 'outdoor' office because I like to sit outside and talk to people. So, they created my very own 'meeting' bench for me."

Stacke's life has come full circle since he first became aware of Augsburg and made a decision to attend when he was only an eighth grader. That year he played percussion in the Twin Cities Youth Symphony.

"Our guest performer was Augsburg professor Jim Johnson, who was the piano teacher at the College. He performed Rhapsody in Blue, and I was so impressed with him and his playing that I decided then and there that I wanted to go to Augsburg."

During his Augsburg student years, Stacke started on one of two paths he has since followed in the music world—music performance. In addition to playing in jazz and blues ensembles in local clubs, he served as an "extra" for the Minnesota Orchestra's percussion section and played in the Skeets (Langley) Trio, a job that paid his way through school.

"Skeets was a world-class accordionist. I did percussion, and Stan Freese, now musical director at Disneyland in California, was on tuba," Stacke recalled. "We were in demand all the time, performed for two presidents, and everywhere from conventions to circuses to demolition derbies. It was a fantastic experience."

His jazz playing led to his joining with fellow students to form Augsburg's jazz program—one in which students wrote and arranged most of their own music. It's a skill he shares today with members of the current Augsburg Jazz Band, a much sought-after ensemble in many of the same places Stacke himself played 35 years ago.

After several years in teaching jobs and orchestra positions including playing with the Maracaibo (Venezuela) Symphony, Stacke embarked on the other path in his life. In 1990, he jumped at the chance to return to his alma mater to become the band director while finishing his Ph.D.

"When I got here I found a concert band with just 18 members," he said. "Needless to say, my first priority became rebuilding the band. Today the Augsburg Concert Band is ranked among the nation's top undergraduate wind ensembles and has toured to both coasts and Ireland, where it earned rave reviews. Almost simultaneously, he created another top performance group—Gospel Praise.

This 30-member instrumental and vocal ensemble began in 1991 as a hybrid featuring Augsburg alumni music professionals in the leading roles. They have performed across the nation, been featured at three national Lutheran Youth Gatherings, and sung for the King of Norway.

Stacke also continues to find playing opportunities for his students and is now creating a jazz band for faculty, alumni, and the community.

"I hope I've played a role in making music fun for my students," Stacke says of his career. "Even if they never go on to perform beyond college, I hope they will leave here with a great understanding and appreciation for music that lasts them the rest of their lives."