Cathedral Concert Series
St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption
Covington, Kentucky USA
All Concerts are open to the public with No Admission Charge.
Your Freewill Offering is gladly accepted.
Robert & Rita Schaffer
Memorial Music Fund
Restore · Preserve · Present
Founded to honor the musical lives and enduring legacy of Robert and Rita Schaffer, the Memorial Music Fund supports the preservation and restoration of the Historic Matthias Schwab Organ and the continuation of the Cathedral Concert Series at St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Kentucky.
Through these complementary missions, the Fund sustains a tradition of exceptional sacred and inspired classical music, freely accessible to the community and future generations.
A Partnership in Music
Robert and Rita Schaffer at the cathedral's Wicks organ console, located behind the baldacchino, c. 1970. The console and surrounding choir stalls were removed or altered during the cathedral's 2001 renovation.
The story of the Robert and Rita Schaffer Memorial Music Fund begins with two young musicians whose lives came together through a shared love of music.
Robert and Rita met in 1947 at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Music would remain central to their marriage, their family, and their professional lives. Each brought distinctive talents to a partnership that would enrich the musical life of the Cathedral Basilica and the wider community for decades.
Robert's work as organist and music director was complemented by Rita's own musicianship and her considerable gifts for organization, promotion, and bringing people together. Their contributions were different but inseparable, united by a conviction that great music should be cultivated, preserved, and shared.
When Robert began his long association with the cathedral in 1949, neither could have anticipated the musical legacy that would follow. Over the ensuing decades, the cathedral's organs, choirs, and eventually its concert series became expressions of their shared commitment to musical excellence.
The establishment of the Cathedral Concert Series in 1975 brought that commitment to a wider audience. The cathedral's magnificent Gothic architecture and pristine acoustics offered an inspiring setting in which audiences could experience exceptional sacred and inspired classical music, presented without an admission charge.
Today, the Memorial Music Fund carries that legacy forward. Through the preservation and restoration of the Historic Matthias Schwab Organ (1859) and continued support of the Cathedral Concert Series, the partnership that began nearly eight decades ago continues to find expression in the music heard within the cathedral's walls.
Our Mission Today
The Robert and Rita Schaffer Memorial Music Fund carries forward two complementary missions: preserving the Historic Matthias Schwab Organ and sustaining the Cathedral Concert Series.
Cathedral Concert Series
Since 1975, the Cathedral Concert Series has welcomed local, national, and international musicians and ensembles to perform exceptional sacred and inspired classical music in the magnificent setting of the Cathedral Basilica.
All concerts are presented without admission charge, ensuring that these musical experiences remain accessible to the entire community.
Freewill offerings and charitable contributions help sustain this tradition.
Support the Concert Series
Historic Schwab Organ
The Fund is dedicated to the restoration, preservation, and continuing care of the Historic Matthias Schwab Organ (1859).
Its mission extends beyond the restoration project itself. The Fund seeks to establish lasting financial resources for the organ's future maintenance and musical use, ensuring that this remarkable instrument remains a living part of the cathedral's musical heritage for generations to come.
Support the Schwab Organ Restoration
The Robert and Rita Schaffer Memorial Music Fund is an independent 501(c)(3) cultural arts organization and is not affiliated with any religious institution or diocese. All donations strictly support the Cathedral Concert Series expense and restoration of the Historic Matthias Schwab Organ (1859).
Volunteer Stewardship
The Memorial Music Fund operates through volunteer leadership, with no paid trustees or administrative staff. Musicians and performing ensembles may receive appropriate honoraria, but the Fund's resources are directed toward its musical, educational, and preservation missions.
Through careful stewardship and the generosity of its supporters, the Fund seeks to sustain both the Cathedral Concert Series and the Historic Matthias Schwab Organ for future generations.
