Valencia Thevenin

• Professor
• Music and Visual Arts, ECSU

Valencia Thevenin currently serves as Assistant Professor and Director of ECSU-Albemarle Symphony Orchestra at Elizabeth City State University. She attended the University of Southern Mississippi where she honed her orchestral skills with the USM Symphony and performed with Itzhak Pearlman, Yo-yo Ma, and Ray Charles. She is a violinist and music educator who has performed in orchestras such as the New England Philharmonic Orchestra and the Civic Symphony Orchestra of Boston and has served as the Assistant Conductor of the Mississippi Youth Symphony Orchestra. Valencia has served as President of the Southeast Region of the College Orchestra Directors Association. She also has served as the guest conductor for youth orchestras and choirs. She received Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music degrees from Atlantic Union College (South Lancaster, Massachusetts); she received a M.M. in Music Education from the University of Mississippi and is the first African American female to earn a Ph.D in music from The University of Mississippi. Valencia is a native of Jackson, Mississippi.