The Naval Academy Business Services Division (NABSD) is proud to support the USNA Midshipmen by helping to fund a variety of extracurricular activities, including cultural arts, music, theater, club sports, and more. One of the largest musical groups is the Instrumental Ensemble, a midshipmen organization which encompasses several musical groups playing a wide variety of music. Our blog today focuses on the USNA Orchestra and its associated musical groups. The orchestra is headed by Director of Chapel Music, Chapel Organist and Orchestra Conductor, Monte Maxwell.
Music for the Human Soul
Whether it’s classical, jazz, military parade music, or even mariachi, the instrumental ensemble offers a plethora of genres that feed the human soul. As Maxwell notes, “It is wonderful to share music with people. The ultimate goal in why we do it—and I try to teach the midshipmen—is that it’s not about us. We benefit from it—but it’s about the people; it’s about what feeds the human soul and can communicate something that can go beyond spoken words; and we always want to do this with a purpose to feed the human soul that someone will leave in a better place than when they came. It’s my honor and my pleasure and to me it is very divine.”
The Academy is fortunate to have these groups to transport us:
USNA Orchestra: Maxwell founded the USNA orchestra around 2003. Each year, the group maintains about 55-60 midshipmen, a talented group of musicians who play the standard orchestral violins, violas, cellos, basses, trumpets, trombones, french horns, flutes, clarinets, percussion, tuba, and sometimes (when a trained midshipmen is part of the group)—the harp! They play concerts and recitals throughout the year.
Mariachi Band: About fifteen midshipmen make up the authentic mariachi band, a group that’s difficult to find at most service academies. Maxwell is a native Texan, and when he was approached by several midshipmen interested in forming this band (a number of whom hail from El Paso, Texas), he was thrilled. They put the group together last year and now play six or seven performances a year. The band features the classic mariachi sound, with guitarrónes, violins, trumpets, and vocalists.
Various Quartets: Depending upon the year and the available talent, a woodwind or string ensemble quartet might pop up at the Academy. “Since we’re not a music school, it's very unpredictable what you’ll have,” notes Maxwell.
The Instrumental Ensemble Group also includes the following groups:
- Trident Brass Group: This band is jazz oriented and includes 25 midshipmen who play throughout the year.
- Pipes and Drums: This group has been playing at USNA since 1996, and features approximately 20 bagpipes and drums.
- Drum and Bugle Corps: The oldest drum corps in the nation, this ECA started in 1914 and now numbers 107 members. They play, fittingly, percussion—along with a range of other instruments. The current band includes piccolos, flutes, clarinets, alto saxophones, tenor saxophones, trumpets, mellophones, trombones, baritones, and tubas.
Many midshipmen are members of multiple groups, sharing their gifts with a widening circle of musicians and audiences.
Maxwell’s Journey
A world-renowned musician himself, Maxwell had the good fortune to study organ music at Texas Christian University with Emmet Smith, a professor with more Fulbright Scholars than any organ teacher in the U.S. After four years studying under Smith, Maxwell was offered an invitation to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, America’s most selective music conservatory. With only 175 students, it once served luminaries like Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Barber, and a host of other legendary musicians. Maxwell’s organ teacher there was the late John Weaver, who also headed up the organ department at the Juilliard School. At Curtis, Maxwell was required to memorize a new piece for the organ every week. “This was a lot of work, and it became your personal standard,” he notes. After he finished his artist diploma, Maxwell completed his masters at the world-famous Juilliard. He would hold himself to these high standards when he was recommended for a position as organist at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1996. The staff here was blown away when he offered them ten songs to choose from and then proceeded to play their selections by heart. Maxwell got the job and began working here in February of 1997. Since then, he’s made a large and lasting impact on the Musical Activities Department.
Bringing Joy
Maxwell not only conducts the orchestra, he also contributes his musical talents when possible. He masters the impressive USNA Chapel organ and its 15,688 pipes in the Halloween/All Saints’ Day Concerts, a must-see Yard event which he developed in 1997. It’s one of his all-time favorite concerts, and many of the various musical groups are featured. “My goal is to bring joy to people and I’m told that it does. Well more than 100 midshipmen are involved in an average year and their excitement and participation are very heartwarming and very rewarding,” Monte says.
Related: The Spookiest Show in Annapolis: USNA Halloween Concert.
Rising Above the Routine Rigor
The groups at the Academy are special, and their musical bond helps them rise above the rigors of military routines. “We have lots of fun. Since this is a military school we’re very fortunate because of the kind of student the Naval Academy attracts, which is very intelligent young men and women; many have….a lot of classical musical training…. I want the experience to be not only fulfilling musically and artistically but for the musicians to have an outlet….I want the experience to be pleasant and fun and I do my best to try to instill that while maintaining a very high standard. Anything that you’re going to do, you want to do well. You want to give your very best and use the skills and talents you’ve been given and be good stewards of them. Mediocrity is not an acceptable goal.”
They have taken this to heart. Recently, the orchestra started bringing their performances outside the Yard as well. They have performed as guest artists for relatively local churches in a program they call “Run Out” concerts. In the last couple of years they’ve performed in Oxford, Maryland, and will be doing so again in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, this coming fall. Maxwell applauds their love for sharing their music, “I love working with the midshipmen musicians, seeing the passion that they have and watching them get excited. When I can see it fulfills them, that fulfills me; the dessert is when it fulfills the audiences….Our purpose is being fulfilled.”
Be Transported
The experience is indeed divine. Come experience the otherworldly music of the orchestra and its various ensembles. At USNA, we are so fortunate to be able to enjoy the talents of the midshipmen beyond their all-encompassing academic and military commitments. Their music helps us all to take a step back and appreciate the beauty of life. It moves us all immensely. Want to come see a concert? There are a number of upcoming performances, and you can buy tickets here. Their Midshipmen Classical Recital is on January 26th, so get your tickets soon! Your purchases directly support groups like the orchestra, so they can continue to create music that moves us all. Come, and be transported to a better place.
