Canadian-born organist and choral conductor, Maxine Thévenot enjoys a distinguished international career and has performed throughout Europe, Great Britain, and North America at many prestigious churches, concert halls and festivals, including Westminster Abbey, and Westminster Cathedral, UK; Salisbury Cathedral, UK; Canterbury Cathedral, UK; St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, UK; St. Paul's Cathedral, London, UK; la Cathèdrale de Notre Dame, Paris; Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.; Saint Thomas Fifth Avenue, New York City; Princeton University Chapel, Princeton, New Jersey; Jack Singer Concert Hall, Calgary; la Basilique de Notre Dame du Cap, Montréal, and the music festivals of Bratislava, Budapest, Prague, and Vienna.

Ms. Thévenot has received the Bachelor of Music in Music Education with distinction from the University of Saskatchewan, and the degrees, Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in organ performance from the  Manhattan School of Music, New York where she was twice-awarded the Bronson Ragan Award for ‘most outstanding organist.’ She also holds the Associate diplomas from the Royal Canadian College of Organists and the Royal Conservatory of Music. In December 2006, Dr. Thévenot was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the National College of Music, London, UK for her services to music. 

In 2009-2010 in addition to conducting several choral concerts, Ms. Thévenot will perform solo organ rectials for the Royal Canadian College of Organists in Ottawa, Regina, Saskatoon, present a fundraising concert in Lake Lenore, Saskatchewan; and a solo recital at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City, Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Maryland, Shelter Rock Universalist Unitarian Church in Manhasset, NY. 

She has been a featured performer at the opening night of the American Guild of Organists National Convention in Chicago (2006) and the Royal Canadian College of Organists in Winnipeg (2004) and Calgary (1995). The recipient of several competition prizes and scholarships, Ms. Thévenot was unanimously awarded First Prize in the Canada Bach 2000 National Organ Competition. She has broadcast for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, National Public Radio, Pipedreams and has recorded several commercial compact discs: The Seven Joys of Christmas, Calgary Girls Choir; Hearts Ascending, Calgary Boys Choir; Without Boundaries, her début solo organ recording; My Dancing Day, Music for Christmas, Las Cantantes-UNM Women’s Choir; Missa Orbis Factor and Missa Omnes Sancti, Cathedral of St. John Choir; L’Orgue Magnifique, Girard College, Philadelphia; and Fiesta!, her third solo organ recording, recorded on the Cathedral organ in Albuquerque, NM. Dream a Little Dream with the University Women’s Choir-Las Cantantes will be released in the Spring of 2010 by www.ravencd.com. 

As a concerto soloist, Ms. Thévenot has played with numerous orchestras including performances with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New Mexico Symphony Orchestra and the Adelphi University Orchestra. As a chamber musician she has performed with the UBS Verbier Orchestra together with Grammy award-winning soprano Renée Fleming and conductor/violinist Dimitri Sitkovetsky, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Manhattan School of Music Symphony Orchestra. She has toured internationally with several renowned ensembles including the CBC award-winning Calgary Girls Choir, The Cathedral Church of St. John Choir and the University of New Mexico Women’s Choir – Las Cantantes.

In 2009-2010, Maxine will premiere several newly commissioned works. Organ works by Ruth Watson Henderson, Andrew Ager and Tarik O’Regan. Ms. Thévenot has recently premiered several works including, Iain Quinn (Suite Liturgica, Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria, B.C. Canada 2009); Martin Stacey (Totentanz, UCLA, Toronto, London, UK, 2008); Anthony Piccolo (O How Amiable, Cathedral of St. John, 2008); David Arcus (The Head that once was crowned with thorns, Cathedral of St. John, 2007); Judith Bingham (The Morning Watch, Cathedral of St. John, 2007); Stephen Paulus (New Every Morning is the Love, Cathedral of St. John, 2006); Mary Lynn Place Badarak (Petite Suite, Cathedral of St. John, 2006); Malcolm Archer (Missa Omnes Sancti, Cathedral of St. John, 2006); Iain Quinn (Continuum, Notre Dame, Paris, 2005); Hayes Biggs (Sicut Rosa, Corpus Christi Church, New York, 2005); Jenny Olivia Johnson (Deux Images, Washington National Cathedral, 2003). She is also the dedicatée of works written by Hayes Biggs, Noel Goëmanne, Robert Lind, Iain Quinn, and Martin Stacey. 

An accomplished and respected conductor, Maxine Thévenot has directed ensembles across North America. She is the Founding & Artistic Director of Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico, a professional chamber vocal ensemble based in Albuquerque, NM. Ms. Thévenot has served on the faculty at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, where she was Founding Director of the 30-voice women’s ensemble, Concentus. She has directed orchestral performances with members of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, in addition to performances of masses and other works by Haydn, Mozart and Schubert, cantatas of J.S. Bach, and orchestral works of Copland and Telemann with musicians of The Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music. From 2003-2005 whilst at the Cathedral of the Incarnation, Garden City, NY, she was the Director of the Cathedral Girls Choir and the Schola Cantorum during which time the choir toured the UK with residencies at the Cathedrals in Edinburgh, Bristol and St. Albans. 

Ms. Thévenot accepted the invitation from the Dean of the Cathedral of St. John, Albuquerque, New Mexico, to serve as its Director of Cathedral Music & Organist after previously serving as both its Acting Director and Associate Organist-Choir Director (2005-2009). In August 2010, the Cathedral Choir will sing services on tour at Southwark Cathedral, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, and Yorkminster, UK. In 2007 she toured with the Cathedral Choir of St. John to sing residencies at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor and Canterbury Cathedral. She has also held positions at the Cathedral of the Incarnation, Garden City, NY (Associate Organist & Choirmaster), Christ Church Episcopal, Manhasset, NY (Organist & Director of Music), Parkdale United Church, Calgary (Director of Music & Organist), the Anglican Cathedral Church of the Redeemer, Calgary (Associate Organist & Choirmaster), St. James Anglican Church, Saskatoon, (Director of Music & Organist), and St. John’s Anglican Cathedral, Saskatoon, Canada ( Organ Scholar). 

In September 2006, Dr. Thévenot joined the faculty at the University of New Mexico where she is the Director of the 20-voice women's choral ensemble, Las Cantantes. She has led them on tour to NYC in May 2009, singing concerts and services at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Grace Church, The Cathedral of the Incarnation, and The Church of the Heavenly Rest. Dr. Thévenot also lectures in music theory and music appreciation, and is a newly-appointed university chapel organist. 

Dr. Thévenot has recently published two articles (click here) for The American Organist magazine and is a published photographer in issues of The Organ and Choir and Organ magazines. Dr. Thévenot has given lectures, workshops, and masterclasses, including presentations on Canadian Organ Music and Organ works of Mozart. She has adjudicated for regional choral festivals and competitions, presently serves as a member of the National Board of Examiners for the American Guild of Organists, and is a newly appointed member to the Board of Professional Concerns for the Association of Anglican Musicians.