Get ready for goosebumps! You haven't experienced the Academy until you've experienced the USNA Halloween/All Saints’ Day Concert. After its start in 1997, this legendary event attracted enough enthusiasts to warrant two shows, and then three - and they’ve been sold out ever since. One of the main draws is the extremely talented chapel organist, Juilliard-trained Monte Maxwell. Rumor has it that when asked to audition for the part twenty years ago, musicians were requested to bring three pieces of music. Maxwell brought ten, and then had the selection committee choose their three favorites - which he then played by heart.
This Academy treasure is performed with tremendous heart, and that’s why people are drawn to the Main Chapel. They feel the power of over 15,000 pipes filling the space. Extraordinary light shows, special effects and fog also create an ambience of eerie awe. It’s beautifully spooky. Just imagine:
The lights are out. The full-house crowd waits expectantly in their pews, nervously sensing that this is no ordinary show. Then, from the back - a coffin! Wheeled in by midshipmen, the coffin makes its way slowly up the main aisle towards the front of the chapel, where the top is slowly opened. Suddenly, Monte Maxwell sits bolt upright! Talk about making an entrance.
Expect the unexpected. Ghouls, Phantoms, and spooks of every kind may make a visit; you never know what the Halloween concert has in store for its unsuspecting audience! It’s a spooktacular event performed by passionate midshipmen, bringing tantalizing music, light, drama and dance together for an unforgettable Halloween experience. Featuring a variety of music, including the powerful Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, you’ll be transformed as you celebrate the triumph of good over evil for All Saints’ Day. The grand finale, filled with the eerie splendor of the season, will make the hair stand up on your neck. There’s a reason why it’s one of the most popular events on the Yard.
This year’s show is already open for tickets as of October 4th, so grab yours today.
Friday, October 29, 2021: Main Chapel 7:00pm
Friday, October 29, 2021: Main Chapel 10:00pm
Saturday, October 30, 2021: Main Chapel 7:00pm
Curious about the concert? Steal a sneak peek here! Show veterans recommend arriving early to catch the spooky show before the show, right outside the Main Chapel.
Don’t worry if you don’t make it to the Halloween Concert. The Naval Academy Symphony Orchestra performs their incredible Orchestra Concert on November 19th at 7pm in the Main Chapel. Tickets for that show go on sale on November 1st. It features ensemble pieces from the Midshipmen String Quartet (as well as solo numbers) and you’ll be astonished at the breadth and depth of talent in the group, which has been training at the highest levels for years (even before coming to the Academy). They also perform a second Midshipman Classical Recital on January 28th at 7pm, and you can purchase your tickets here starting January 10th.
You can also experience the legendary Handel’s Messiah, with all the finesse and beauty you’d expect from a long-standing tradition at the Academy. Conducted by the USNA Director of Musical Activities, Dr. Aaron Smith, the USNA Glee Club joins forces with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, as well as soloists from the Metropolitan and other renowned opera companies, to create this unforgettable concert at the Main Chapel. Broadcast on local and national public television, this concert will amaze audiences on Saturday, December 4th at 7pm and Sunday, December 5th at 3pm. Get your tickets starting November 15th!
Whether you make it for the spookiest ticket in town, the beautiful orchestra performances or the incredibly elegant and moving Handel’s Messiah, these feasts for the senses bring the Academy and the community together for events you'll remember forever! Hope to see you there.