The music program at St. Thomas Medina has a long and distinguished legacy, recognized throughout the Diocese of Olympia and beyond. Its reputation took shape in the late 1960s under organist and choirmaster David Locke, who guided the parish in acquiring the Metzler pipe organ from Switzerland—an instrument that became a defining feature of St. Thomas’s musical life.

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In the early 1970s, renowned composer and church musician Richard Proulx was called to St. Thomas to build a world-class program. Under his leadership, section leaders were added, the chorister program expanded, and a vibrant concert series emerged. The choir and organ were featured prominently in the 1978 National Convention of the American Guild of Organists. After ten years at St. Thomas, Proulx went on to serve as Director of Music at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. He was succeeded by Dent Davidson—himself a son of St. Thomas—who continued to grow the program, introducing global and jazz-influenced sacred music.

 

In the mid-1990s, David White (now at Church of the Ascension in Chicago) joined St. Thomas and founded the Evensong Choir, later leading the choir on its first tour of England, singing at St. Albans Cathedral.

Charles Rus arrived in 2006, bringing extensive experience from San Francisco’s musical community, including the San Francisco Symphony and All Saints Episcopal. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Rus enriched worship with creative liturgies, broadened the New Year’s Eve concert tradition, and offered an impressive range of organ repertoire.

 

In 2016, Douglas Cleveland was appointed Director of Music. Under his leadership, the choir program continued to flourish, culminating in a residency at Gloucester Cathedral, where the choir sang daily Evensongs and led Sunday Eucharist.

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Since 2024, St. Thomas's Music Program has been led by Dr. Paul Meier, who has spearhead the launch of the St. Thomas Music Academy, in addition to a 2025 choir and chorister residency at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.