City Choir Valentines

"Gus and I had just married, and in early September 1992 I moved to DC with my new
husband. A friend in the choral community called on Monday to say, 'Hey, the Oratorio
Society of Washington has rehearsal tonight, and I hear Bob Shafer’s holding auditions.'
How quickly could I vocalize in an afternoon to take advantage of my big chance? That
was the beginning. Gus and I became a choral team, Gus as a devoted groupie and,
eventually, administrative leader, and I as a devoted singer. Gus never missed a concert.
He would sit in the back row at outreach programs, and somehow he planned to meet us
on most tours. He sat on the Board of The Washington Chorus for ten years and was vice
president when he stepped down in June of 2006 to take a break. That summer the world
turned upside down for Bob. However, The City Choir of Washington was born. What
an exciting new chorus! Our fervent assembly of choristers has garnered high acclaim
from its inception because of the passionate, almost hundredfold band of singers who
followed Bob to create the organization. When Gus and I were invited to join the Board
of TCCW in 2012, we accepted with alacrity what seemed for us a natural next step.
Predictably, while I caught my breath after each
concert, Gus declared our performance one of the best
ever, with, again, one of the most gratifying
programs. Perhaps he was right. By now we’ve
established a reputation, in this city of choruses. We’re
known a the young, fresh new ensemble with 'a
sound like no other.'"
S1 Susan & Gus
Schumacher
† in memoriam
†