The Naval Academy is fortunate to have a devoted group of faculty and staff members who enrich its work every day, and many of them have been here for decades. In this article, we’ll explore the inspiring career path of Monte Maxwell, USNA orchestra director, director of chapel music, and chapel organist at the Naval Academy, who is well known and beloved for his mastery of the organ and has been at USNA for almost 30 years. We recently sat down with Maxwell to hear his fascinating story.
A Promising Start
Maxwell’s love of the organ started early, and by the time he was in college, he knew he wanted to play the organ for a living. He was fortunate to study under Emmet Smith at Texas Christian University, a man who taught more Fulbright Scholars than any other organ teacher in the U.S. “Quite an accolade,” as Maxwell notes. Smith was his instructor for four years, after which he was offered an invitation to the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. “It’s an outstanding school of music with a small student body limited to around 175 students,” Maxwell says. Legends like Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Barber, and a host of other incredible musicians graduated from this prestigious school, and the organ teacher at the time, the late John Weaver, was a legend in his own right. When Maxwell was attending the Curtis Institute, Weaver was also heading up the organ department at New York’s world-renowned Juilliard School.
Maxwell worked hard to excel at Curtis. “One of the requirements for the Curtis Institute was that you play everything from memory or you don’t even apply; that was a prerequisite,” he recounts. It required a Herculean effort, since they would play a new piece for the organ each week. Maxwell took this on as his pursuit of excellence. “That became your personal standard,” he says. This continued at Juilliard. While there in 1996, Maxwell received a call from the Naval Academy: Weaver had recommended him for the open organist position. He traveled to Annapolis for the audition. “If I’m going to come down here and do this I’m going to do it the right way, which is you have everything memorized and prepared,” Maxwell says. The Curtis Institute had prepared him well. He began working here in February 1997.
Making Music With the Midshipmen
Since then, Maxwell has mesmerized audiences large and small. One of his most famous performances is now an annual tradition and piece of USNA history, playing for three sold-out crowds every year in the Main Chapel. It’s the wildly popular Halloween/All Saints’ Day Concert, which he started in 1997. Maxwell masterfully coaxes beautifully creepy chords from the organ’s 15,688 pipes, and has also been known to get in on the fun with the midshipmen. One particularly zany idea had him carried up the aisle to start the show—in a casket. The well-meaning midshipmen tucked comfortable pillows, lighting, and a mini Snicker’s bar into the casket so he wouldn’t go hungry!
Related: Trick or Treble: Feel the Spooky Enchantment of USNA’s Halloween All Saints’ Day Organ Concert.
At the Naval Academy, he loves working with the midshipmen. Maxwell devotes much of his time to directing the USNA orchestra and working with the string quartet. He plays the organ for the annual “Messiah” performance, along with members of the USNA Glee Clubs and the Annapolis Symphony. He says, “There are so many wonderful young women and men here who are not only intelligent, but also so kind and gifted. I look forward to coming to work. It is wonderful to share music with people, and it’s the ultimate goal of why I do it. It’s not about us.”
Related: USNA Club Spotlight: The USNA Orchestra Transports Us.
Historic Musical Moments
When he’s on leave, Maxwell often travels around the world. He has performed in venues as far as Beijing—however, the ones most memorable to him are the performances at the historic John Wanamaker Store (now owned by Macy’s) in Philadelphia. Maxwell has been honored to play there many times on the largest Foley pipe organ in the world, an instrument that boasts 29,000 pipes and six keyboards. “It is a highlight to play in that historic building on that historic instrument. So many great artists have sat on the bench over the past 100 plus years,” he says with gratitude.
Maxwell also had the opportunity to play for the American Guild of Organists Regional Convention in Atlantic City in Boardwalk Hall on another enormous instrument—one that spanned seven keyboards. “I was honored to be their closing grand concert player for a number of years for the regional convention. That was also very exciting!” he says.
An Instrument of Love
Maxwell loves the organ at the Academy too. “We are very fortunate that the institution has been very supportive of the organ here in the Chapel. In 2004, the Class of 1951 very generously gave a gift to expand the size of the instrument and the beautiful console. It’s the largest draw knob console in the world with 533 draw knobs, and is known and recognized by organists all over the planet.” In fact, Maxwell constantly gets emails and calls from people around the world who want to come see the organ, and he happily obliges. “I love to show the organ to people. We’re very fortunate to have a great team of organ builders with a lot of knowledge and skill.”
To build the current console, he worked with two organ builders as they designed it over the course of 18 months. It arrived in 2006 and has become part of USNA history. “I’m also very grateful for a supportive administration who has viewed it as something very worthwhile in this beautiful Chapel; they maintain the instrument and have it in top quality and performance standard. People love to come here and perform,” he says.
Both the instrument and the player are true Naval Academy treasures and an important part of USNA history. We are incredibly grateful to Maxwell for his dedication over the years, and for sharing his love of music with the midshipmen, staff, faculty, and all who visit. He has touched the lives of so many with this tremendous passion.
Come Hear Him Play
Maxwell’s next USNA organ concert is on April 12th, when he’ll play with the Midshipmen Orchestra and Trident Brass Ensemble in the Main Chapel at 7:00 PM. Come hear his musical magic! When you’re on the Yard, you can support the midshipmen too. Your USNA tour, dining experience and shopping all help fund the Brigade’s extracurricular activities, including cultural arts, theater, music, club sports, and more. Come hear Maxwell’s divine playing, and celebrate this incredible institution and its people. Be a part of USNA history!
