Maxine Th�venot - Organ

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 Magdeburger Dom, Germany; Westminster Abbey, and Westminster Cathedral, UK; Salisbury, St. Paul’s and Canterbury Cathedrals, UK; St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, 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 2011-2012 Ms. Thévenot performed, the Poulenc Organ Concerto in g minor with Santa Fe’s Canticum Novum; presented a lecture-recital at Evangel University, Missouri; performed in London, Ontario with Canada’s brass ensemble Musica Quinta Brass; gave the American premiere of UK composer Philip Moore’s Concerto for Organ and Strings with the composer as the conductor, and returned to perform on the recital series at Emmanuel Episcopal, Chestertown, Maryland. Her conducting concerts included performances of Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, Fauré’s Requiem, and Handel’s Messiah. She directed the Cathedral of St. John choirs on tour to NYC in June 2012 singing at Church of the Heavenly Rest, The Cathedral of the Incarnation, St. Mary the Virgin, Saint Thomas Fifth Avenue and St. John the Divine.

She has been a featured performer at American Guild of Organists National and Regional Conventions in Santa Fe (2009), Seattle (2009), Chicago (2006) and the Royal Canadian College of Organists in Hamilton (2011), 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 commercially available compact discs for the Raven-CD label available for purchase at www.ravencd.com.

As a concerto soloist, Ms. Thévenot has played with numerous orchestras including performances with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra and the Adelphi University Orchestra. As a chamber musician she has performed several ensembles, including 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 of St. John Choir and the UNM Women’s Choir–Las Cantantes.

In 2011-2012, Maxine premièred The Concerto for Organ and Strings by Philip Moore (USA première), as well as a newly commissioned work for organ and choir by Philip Moore. Ms. Thévenot has recently premièred several works including, Andrew Ager (Concerto for Organ and Orchestra, Te Deum, a solo organ work, Première Suite, a solo organ work, London, UK and Magdeburger Dom, Germany); Iain Quinn (Suite Liturgica, Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria, B.C. Canada 2009); Martin Stacey (Totentanz, UCLA, Toronto, London, UK, 2008, Notre Dame, Paris 2009); 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 Andrew Ager, Hayes Biggs, Noel Goëmanne, Robert Lind, Philip Moore, 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 July-August 2014 she will lead the Cathedral Choirs on tour to the UK singing services in Winchester and Lincoln Cathedrals. In August 2010, Maxine led the Cathedral Choir on a two-week tour to the UK where they sang services at Southwark Cathedral, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, and Yorkminster.. In 2007 she toured with the Cathedral Choir of St. John to sing residencies at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor and Canterbury Cathedral, where she both conducted and accompanied for services. 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 20-25 voice women’s choral ensemble, Las Cantantes and has also lectured in music theory and music appreciation, and is a university chapel organist. Dr. Thévenot has recently published two articles 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 & Choral Music and The 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 member to the Board of Professional Concerns for the Association of Anglican Musicians. ORGANIX 14 will be Dr. Thévenot’s second ORGANIX performance and will be a Memorial Concert to honour Massimo Nosetti.

For additional information please visit www.maxinethevenot.com