We are fortunate indeed to have Alex Thomson and his wife Joan here at St. Matthew's. As well as providing music, Alex adds humour to our church activities, and Joan is a valuable addition to our church choir as librarian.

Alex pursued his musical studies at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Glasgow University. After completing his teacher training at Jordanhill, he was hired in the 50's by the Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal to found a music programme in Verdun.

He later moved to the Lakeshore district of Montreal where he built a large instrumental music programme - the 100-piece Beaconsfield High School Band helped to open Expo '67 on April 27, 1967.

Alex was then invited to move north to the North Island Regional School Board, a large new district beginning on the island of Laval and stretching north to Ste. Agathe. There he established instrumental music programmes in Chomedey, Lake of Two Mountains, and he eventually settled in Rosemere High School. With the Rosemere High School International Band, Alex toured each spring to countries such as The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Sweden, Germany, Hungary and Austria.

All this time Alex was involved with vocal music, too! As a church musician, he drew on his grounding in Scotland where he had sung in the choir of Glasgow Cathedral, and on his arrival in Canada, he became the organist in Melville Presbyterian Church in Westmount, Quebec. Then while he was working on the Lakeshore, he moved to the Union United Church in Ste. Anne de Bellevue. With the call of the North Shore, Alex moved his home and his church duties to the Rosemere - Ste.Therese United Churches and later Christ Church United in Deux Montagnes. Along with his church and school endeavours, Alex was the Music Director for a number of years of the "Lakeshore Light Opera", a Gilbert and Sullivan Society.

In 1993 Alex thought he was retiring from all this activity. Joan and he eventually moved to a hobby farm in Lunenburg, Ontario. In October, 2000, at the invitation of  William (Bill) Fleming, he became the organist and choir master here at St. Matthew's Presbyterian Church. Since then the choir has grown in number to more than 20, anchored by a male section of three tenors and three basses. Also at this time he became the Music Director of the "Seaway Valley Singers",  based in Morrisburg.

The years roll on. Alex enjoys being a judge at the Talent Shows of our local summer fairs. Recently he was Guest Conductor for the winter season of the Cornwall-based “Seaway Winds Concert Band” while its Director and Founder, Barbara Hunter, performed in Arizona.

Who knows what he will get up to next. Stay “tuned”!