Just Like Doc
Influenced by former UND Choral Director Roger “Doc” Wilhelm, Dr. Stan Engebretson, ’72, ’73, led the National Philharmonic and conducted choirs and symphonies for more than 50 years.
Music has taken Dr. Stan Engebretson, ’72, ’73, around the globe. From his roots in North Dakota to the East Coast and all the way to Europe, Asia and Australia, Stan has spent his career hitting all the right notes.
His tune started in the tiny town of Litchville, North Dakota.
Stan Engebretson has been semi-retired in Paris since 2023, mentoring former a student and serving as Artist in Residence at the American Church in Paris.
Stan has taught, conducted and composed music for over 50 years and spent 20 years at the National Philharmonic in Washington, D.C.
“My parents came from musical families. Music was in my DNA,” he said.
His earliest mentor was Litchville’s choral director Neil Olson. “He wrote annual musicals and everyone was in them. I just fell right into line.”
Stan studied piano at Valley City (N.D.) State University in high school, before heading to UND. “I was considered one of those that was going away — I went to Grand Forks,” he laughed.
Stan chose Hector Berlioz's Requiem as his farewell concert at the National Philharmonic. The piece is famous for the size of its orchestra and choir, generally featuring up to 300 musicians and as many as 800 vocal performers "if space permits" as Berlioz wrote in his score notes.
Inspired by UND professor Roger “Doc” Wilhelm, he earned his doctorate at Stanford in Palo Alto, California. “I always admired his intellect; I always wanted to be like Doc,” Stan reflected.
After graduating, Stan led other university choirs and worked with local ensembles in Bismarck, Midland, Texas, and Minneapolis. Though he admits he could have stayed in Minneapolis forever, Washington, D.C., “was the right change for me.”
My parents came from musical families. Music was in my DNA.Stan Engebretson
Stan was a professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, for 31 years, becoming a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Iceland while at GMU. In Washington, he served as organist at the historic New York Avenue Presbyterian Church and conducted the Masterworks Chorus. In 2003, the chorus merged with the National Chamber Orchestra to form the National Philharmonic.
Earning his bachelor's and master's from UND, Stan earned his doctor of musical arts at Stanford, following in the footsteps of his mentor Roger "Doc" Wilhelm. "Doc" was Director of Choral Studies at the University of North Dakota from 1968-1972 and became a professor at the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.
Stan conducted the National Philharmonic for 20 years — a symphonic chorus performing major works like Handel’s Messiah with orchestra as well as contemporary repertoire. The group performs in Bethesda, Maryland.
When he announced his retirement, the Philharmonic offered Stan the opportunity to conduct the concert of his choice. “Before they could finish the sentence, I told them ‘Berlioz’s Requiem,’” he quipped. He would lead 300 performers on the three-tiered stage.
In addition to his work as a conductor and educator, Stan has also published a book of spiritual hymns, and his arrangement of “Scarborough Fair” is still performed 50+ years later.
Stan was ready to retire when a former student called, offering him a job at the American Church in Paris, where she is the music director. “I retired at 10 a.m. and got a call from Paris at 2 p.m. I took this job to mentor her.”
Now, all of his students call him “Dr. E.”
