Michael Thompson

Michael Thompson may refer to:

Musicians

Politicians

Sportspeople

Michael Thompson (Canadian politician)

Michael Thompson is a city councillor in Toronto, Canada. He represents Ward 37, the western half of Scarborough Centre. Raised in Scarborough is an Jamaican Canadian. He is currently Vice Chair of the Toronto Police Services Board.

Early life

Thompson graduated from Ionview Public School and Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate in Scarborough. Prior to being elected as a city councillor, he worked in the financial services industry, and founded a business services company.

Political career

He entered local politics in 1994 but was defeated in his attempt to win election to Metro Toronto council by Norm Kelly. In 1998 he became assistant to Councillor Lorenzo Berardinetti. When Berardinetti was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Thompson ran to replace him in the 2003 Toronto municipal election. Six other candidates ran against him; his main opponent was Laura-Maria Nikolareizi, an associate of outgoing Toronto mayor Mel Lastman.

With a focus on "law and order" issues, Thompson is considered one of the more right-wing members of Toronto council. Soon after his election, he earned considerable and generally positive media attention for his forceful calls to address urban violence. He campaigned for a time to retain Julian Fantino as chief of the Toronto Police Service, and also pushed for a hotline to report troublesome rodents.

Michael Thompson (horn player)

Michael Thompson (born 4 January 1954) is a British horn player. After studying at the Royal Academy of Music, Thompson was appointed Principal Horn with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra aged just 18 years. By the age of 21 he was offered positions as Principal Horn with both the Philharmonia and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, accepting the Philharmonia position, a post he held for ten years before leaving to fulfil increasing solo and chamber music commitments.

He is a member of the London Sinfonietta, with whom he has given premiere performances of works including Ligeti's Hamburg Concerto. He has recorded solo, chamber, and orchestral works composed by Britten, Haydn, Messiaen, Strauss, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Schumann, and Tippett, among others. He has played on movie soundtracks including Drowning by Numbers as a member of the Michael Nyman Band, The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter films. His work with Sir Paul McCartney led McCartney to compose Stately Horn, which the Michael Thompson Horn Quartet premiered.