History

The Choir of the Church of the Assumption had its beginnings long ago. The choir director prior to 1960 was Mr. Joseph Fehring, who taught a choir of men and boys for many years. In May of 1959, Mr. Englert came to Assumption part-time to take over when Mr. Fehring died. For the first four years his choir consisted of men and boys. However, after Vatican II, women were permitted to sing in church choirs, and so it has been, since 1964, a choir of men and women.

Feeling the need for choir robes, a sign of those times, a Christmas record was recorded in 1968 and the profit from this venture was used for that purchase. Another record was produced in 1975 in commemoration of the Holy Year.

Over the years the Assumption choir has sung in many concerts all over the city, often in combination with other church choirs which were also under Mr. Englert's direction. In 1984 our choir combined with the Cathedral Choir and Sacred Heart's to perform an entire concert of music composed by Mr. Englert. The cathedral was filled to capacity, and a gala reception was held after the concert. It was a very exciting day for the choir and for Mr. Englert.

In 1985 the choir became involved in the National Association of Pastoral Musicians' national convention held in Cincinnati. Since Mr. Englert was the local chairperson, we all became involved in the workings of the convention, and the choir performed for a national audience several times that week. Many choir members had the opportunity to meet some of the composers whom we previously had known only through their music.

The year 1988 was another red-letter year for the choir. In May of that year the combined choirs of Assumption and Sacred heart traveled to Rome, Florence and Assisi -- the trip of a lifetime! They met and sang for the Pope, sang a liturgy in St. Peter's Basilica, performed a concert in the Basilica of St. Ignatius and in many other churches and cathedrals in Italy. The trip was an unforgettable and inspiring experience for everyone.

In 1995 and 2003 additional NPM national conventions were held in Cincinnati, co-chaired by Mrs. Anne Ketzer from our parish and Mr. Eugene Englert. These were exciting weeks for the choir since they performed Mr. Englert's compositions for thousands of church musicians gathered here to celebrate and learn and sing. Anne Ketzer, an alto and cantor in our choir for many years, currently serves as a member at large on the National Council and on the Development Council of NPM. She presents workshops on leadership and management in church ministry at annual conventions held in various cities throughout the United States. Assumption Parish is certainly "on the map" of liturgical music and parish music ministry.

In 2009, the choir and our parish celebrated the 50th anniversary of Mr. Englert's service to Assumption. Although he officially began in 1959, this fact wasn't discovered until the archives of the Sisters of Divine Providence were searched for the actual anniversary date. Mr. Englert expressed his sincere appreciation for the honor as the entire parish led by Archbishop Dennis Schnurr at a special Mass expressed appreciation for his many talents and gifts to us and to the choir. A marble plaque was placed in the music area of the church to recognize Mr. Englert for his time and service to the people of Assumption.

In April of 2010, our choir joined with the Covington Basilica Bishop's Choir at their invitation, for a concert honoring the music and service of Mr. Englert and that of Dr. Robert Schaffer, the longtime music director at the Covington Basilica. This concert was a part of the Covington Basilica's Annual Concert Series, quite an honor for our parish, our choir, and for Mr. Englert. The music and performance were above and beyond what anyone could have expected of a parish choir, our choir. Beautiful day! Beautiful music! Beautiful celebration! Beautiful tribute to great music and great musicians!

In June of 2011 Mr. Englert retired from his position as Music Director of Assumption Parish, this after 52 years of service here. The initial search for his replacement was ill-timed, so Mr. Englert came back in the interim to help us until his successor could be named. Mr. Matt Phelps is the newly named Music Director. Matt brings with him much experience and talent in liturgical music, organ, piano, and choral conducting. On August 15th, Assumption Parish will welcome Mr. Matt Phelps as our new Music Director. The tradition of excellence in liturgical music here at Assumption Parish will continue well under his leadership.