Manic Maxxie is a drag artist and conductor based in Chicago. Since her debut in 2019, and her appointment as the Artistic Director of the Lakeside Pride Pops Ensemble in 2021, she has been widely regarded by ensembles and audiences for the creativity, charisma, joy, and musicianship she brings to her work. She has enjoyed connecting with other member bands of the Pride Bands Alliance through guest conducting at their national conferences, and describes the community-centered environment as “her favorite space to make music in.”

Her drag allows her to challenge the gender binary, celebrate black women, pay homage to her favorite artists, and create her own campy kind of comedy. Her name honors her mental health experience, and embraces performance as a powerful and cathartic way to take ownership of one’s full self.

In her out of drag life, Maxxie has spent years teaching music in the Chicago Public Schools and has worked as a conductor with ensembles such as the Saratoga Orchestra of Whidbey Island, the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, and the Lviv Philharmonic in Ukraine. As a sometimes percussionist, she has been a featured soloist with the Chicago Sinfonietta, and has performed in Russia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland. She is also a published arranger through Keiser Southern Music, and is frequently invited to give professional development presentations on gender inclusion in arts education.