The winner of numerous awards in performance and composition, Mary Beth Bennett has received commissions in multiple genres from the American Guild of Organists, National Association of Pastoral Musicians, Association of Anglican Musicians, The Paul VI Institute for the Arts, Millennia Consort and various churches, chamber ensembles and private parties. In 2018, she won the AGO/ECS Publishing Award in Choral Composition and in 2020 she won the Performance Award of the Franco Competition of the Guild of Carillonneurs of North America. Her primary composition teacher has been James F. Hopkins.

As a performing member of the Liturgical Organists Consortium she recorded three compact discs which have garnered critical acclaim, including a “Golden Ear Award” for best organ CD of the year from Absolute Sound Magazine, and her most recent CD, Bennett plays Bennett , was recorded in 2015. Her performances and compositions have been featured multiple times on American Public Media's PIPEDREAMS with Michael Barone. Her compositions are published by E.C. Schirmer, Augsburg-Fortress, Concordia, G.I.A., Broadman, World Library, National, Hope, and Oxford University Press publishing companies.

Dr. Bennett has served as an adjunct instructor of music and staff accompanist at the University of Richmond since 2003; she will retire from her UR work in December after accompanying Schola and playing for the 52nd Annual Candlelight Festival of Lessons and Carols in Cannon Chapel. Mary Beth's artistry and indefatigable dedication to Schola and her students have been an inspiration to all of us who have been privileged to collaborate with her. The students and I wish her great joy as she enters this new and well-earned chapter of her life. From the bottom of our hearts, "Thank you, Dr. Bennett, good and faithful servant."