About Us

"Polyphony is a treasure." - Albuquerque Journal 
"…one can easily become mesmerized in the opulent sonorities." - Albuquerque Journal

Under the artistic dynamic and creative leadership of our Founding and Artistic Director, Maxine Thévenot, Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico (PVNM) is New Mexico’s first professional choral ensemble, comprised solely of highly trained vocal artists who are residents of New Mexico or who have strong roots in the Land of Enchantment. Incorporated as a non-profit organization in 2007, PVNM was founded to diversify the musical offerings available to audiences and communities in New Mexico and to further support professional singers and choral art in the state.

PVNM performs both unaccompanied repertoire and larger-scale choral works, the latter in collaboration with New Mexico’s finest orchestras, including the New Mexico Philharmonic (Beethoven's Symphony No. 9), Performance Santa Fe (formerly Santa Fe Concert Association - Beethoven's Symphony No. 9), Santa Fe Pro Musica (Haydn's Creation and Mozart's Requiem), Joe Illick's All-Star Orchestra, (Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and Zozobra: The Revenge opera world premiere), and Chatter (Cherubini Requiem). 

New Mexican premieres of large-scale choral works include the first performance in Spanish of Enrique Granados' Canto de las Estrellas with pianist and Granados scholar Douglas Riva; Donald McCullough’s Holocaust Cantata: Songs from the Camps; the first complete performance of Bach's St. John Passion in German with the New Mexico Philharmonic; James MacMillan's Miserere, Cantos Sagrados, and his Seven Last Words from the Cross; and Henry Mollicone's Beatitude Mass: Mass for the Homeless. In 2022, Polyphony offered the world premiere performance of a newly commissioned work by American composer Jenny Olivia Johnson, "The Many Poems She Learned As a Child", for choir, electronics, and smartphones. Most recently, in July 2024, Polyphony gave the world premiere performance of a newly commissioned work, "The Year of the Horse", for SATB choir and 'cello, by British composer Cecilia McDowall.

Grounded in the belief that communal singing provides a deep and meaningful soundscape for artists and audiences alike, PVNM’s artists are as passionate about the energy and intimacy of chamber choral music performed at a high caliber as they are about collaborations with large orchestras. The flexible roster of singers, curated by our Founding & Artistic Director, Maxine Thévenot, is committed to the highest level of ensemble performance, guided by the works of ages past and inspired by the composers of today.