Thomas Matthews was born at Utica, NY, April 1, 1915 and, at the age of 8,
sang under Norman Coke-Jephcott recently arrived from Coventry Cathedral. At 17
he assisted Coke-Jephcott at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York
City where he continued to be influenced by the leading church musicians of the
time - David McK. Williams, T. Tertius Noble, Ernest Mitchell, Channing Lefevre
and Lynwood Franam. In 1936 he accepted the post of Organist/Choirmaster at St.
Martin-in-the-Fields (Chestnut Hill) in Philadelphia where he met and married
Mary Newberry in 1943. During WWII Dr. Matthews conducted the famous Blue Jacket
Choir and after the war assumed the music position at St. Luke's, Evanston,
Illinois. He also served on the Northwestern University School of Music faculty
and was director of music for Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. It was
during this time in Chicago that his children Sarah and Roger were born, he
founded the North Shore Chapter of the AGO and the Evanston Bach Choir, and
became Dean of the Evergreen Conferences. In 1960, at the urging of Bishop
Powell of Oklahoma, Tom and Mary moved their family to Tulsa where he became
Trinity Church's Organist/Choirmaster. While in Tulsa he founded the music
department at Holland Hall School, served on the faculty of the University of
Tulsa, and supervised the design and installation of the IV/82 Moller which
continues to serve the greater Tulsa community. Dr. Matthews composed over
thirty published anthems of which "The Lord Is My Shepherd" is best
known. It has sold well over one million copies. Tom's skills as an improviser
were legendary and some of the extant recordings of his improvisations are being
transcribed for publication. Dr. Matthews passed away April 10, 1999.
Thomas Matthews was born at Utica, NY, April 1, 1915 and, at the age of 8,
sang under Norman Coke-Jephcott recently arrived from Coventry Cathedral. At 17
he assisted Coke-Jephcott at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York
City where he continued to be influenced by the leading church musicians of the
time - David McK. Williams, T. Tertius Noble, Ernest Mitchell, Channing Lefevre
and Lynwood Franam. In 1936 he accepted the post of Organist/Choirmaster at St.
Martin-in-the-Fields (Chestnut Hill) in Philadelphia where he met and married
Mary Newberry in 1943. During WWII Dr. Matthews conducted the famous Blue Jacket
Choir and after the war assumed the music position at St. Luke's, Evanston,
Illinois. He also served on the Northwestern University School of Music faculty
and was director of music for Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. It was
during this time in Chicago that his children Sarah and Roger were born, he
founded the North Shore Chapter of the AGO and the Evanston Bach Choir, and
became Dean of the Evergreen Conferences. In 1960, at the urging of Bishop
Powell of Oklahoma, Tom and Mary moved their family to Tulsa where he became
Trinity Church's Organist/Choirmaster. While in Tulsa he founded the music
department at Holland Hall School, served on the faculty of the University of
Tulsa, and supervised the design and installation of the IV/82 Moller which
continues to serve the greater Tulsa community. Dr. Matthews composed over
thirty published anthems of which "The Lord Is My Shepherd" is best
known. It has sold well over one million copies. Tom's skills as an improviser
were legendary and some of the extant recordings of his improvisations are being
transcribed for publication. Dr. Matthews passed away April 10, 1999.
