Canadian-born organist and choral conductor, Maxine Thévenot enjoys a distinguished international career performing throughout Europe, Great Britain, and North America, with a wide-ranging repertoire that includes contemporary works written especially for her. She is known as a consummate musician with an engaging performance style coupled with a flair for exciting programming.

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. 

Maxine Thévenot has performed throughout North America and Europe at many prestigious churches, concert halls and festivals, including St. Paul's Cathedral, London, UK; Westminster Abbey, UK; Canterbury Cathedral, UK; Notre Dame, Paris; Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.; Orchestra Hall, Chicago; Saint Thomas Fifth Avenue, New York City; Princeton University Chapel, New Jersey; Jack Singer Concert Hall, Calgary; la Basilique de Notre Dame du Cap, Quebec, and the music festivals of Bratislava, Budapest, Prague, and Vienna.

In 2008, Ms. Thévenot will perform at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, Denver; lecture on Canadian Choral Music-Santa Fe Desert Chorally Speaking Series; present a lecture-recital on Canadian Organ Music at the Arnold Schoenberg Hall, UCLA, in addition to performing a recital at Royce Hall, UCLA where she will present the world premiere of Totentanz by Martin Stacey in collaboration with visual artist Norton Wisdom. 

This summer she will perform at St. Dominic’s Priory, London, UK, where she will present the UK premiere of Stacey’s Totentanz and at Montreal’s most famous church-L’Oratoire de Saint Joseph, on the world-reknowned 5 manual von Beckerath organ.  In the Fall, she will perform on International World Organ Day in Tucson, AZ as their featured artist and entertain their local AGO chapter with a presentation on her photography of pipe organs from around the world.  In November, Ms. Thévenot will return to Canada to perform on the acclaimed Toronto Organ Series at Metropolitan United Church in co-presentation with the Royal Canadian College of Organists. 

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 National Conventions in Winnipeg (2004) and Calgary (1995). As a concerto soloist, Ms. Thévenot has played with numerous orchestras including performances with members of the Chicago Metropolitan 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.

An accomplished and respected conductor, Dr. Thévenot has directed orchestral performances with members of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, The Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music.   In 2006, she founded the professional vocal ensemble, Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico which sings concerts in Albuquerque and Santa Fe in the months of December and June each season.

In 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, lectures in music theory, music appreciation, and serves as the university chapel organist. Previously, she served on the faculty at the Manhattan School of Music, New York as Founding Director of the 30-voice women’s ensemble Concentus.  Since September 2005, Ms. Thévenot has served as the Associate Organist-Choir Director at the Cathedral Church of St. John in Albuquerque, New Mexico, having previously served as the Director of the Cathedral Girls Choir and the Schola Cantorum at The Cathedral of the Incarnation, Garden City, NY.  In 2004 she toured to the UK with Incarnation’s Boys and Girl Choirs, with residencies at the Cathedrals in Edinburgh, Bristol and St. Albans. In 2007, she toured with the Cathedral Choir of St. John, Albuquerque to sing week-long residencies at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor and Canterbury Cathedral.

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 three commercial compact discs: The Seven Joys of Christmas, Calgary Girls Choir; Hearts Ascending, Calgary Boys Choir; Without Boundaries, her début solo recording.

An advocate of new music, in 2008, Maxine will premiere two newly commissioned choral works, by New York composer Anthony Piccolo, and by New Mexican composer Richard Hermann, as well as a new organ work by London composer Martin Stacey, especially written for her. Recently premiered works include, David Arcus (The Head that once was crowned with thorns, Cathedral Church of St. John, May, 2007); Judith Bingham (The Morning Watch, Cathedral Church of St. John, January 2007); Stephen Paulus (New Every Morning is the Love, Cathedral Church of St. John, May 2006); Mary Lynn Place Badarak (Petite Suite, Cathedral Church of St. John, March 2006); Malcolm Archer (Missa Omnes Sancti, Cathedral Church of St. John, February 2006); Iain Quinn (Continuum, Notre Dame, Paris, July 2005); Hayes Biggs (Sicut Rosa, Corpus Christi Church, New York, March 2005); Jenny Olivia Johnson (Deux Images, Washington National Cathedral, July 2003).

Dr. Thévenot has recently published two articles for The American Organist magazine, was recently featured in the Great Lakes Airlines in-flight magazine, and is a published photographer in issues of The Organ and Choir and Organ magazines. She presently serves as a member of the National Board of Examiners for the American Guild of Organists, and as a member on the Board of Professional Concerns for the Association of Anglican Musicians.