Tony Schaffer -  Church Organist

Tony began his musical career by learning to play the trumpet while in the 3rd grade and continued playing through his senior year at Mars High School in Pennsylvania.  At age 12, Tony began studying the piano and showed an affinity for the instrument and music theory. During high school Tony enjoyed varsity marching band and played trumpet all four years of high school. While a junior, Tony was the assistant drum major and during his senior year, he was a Student Director, a District Band representative, and first began singing in the High School Chorus as a bass and was also a piano accompanist - shades of things to come. Tony also performed in the musicals "The Music Man" and "Babes in Toyland", where he met a girl who would later become his wife. During Tony's junior and senior years in high school on Saturdays, he attended advanced music classes in theory and piano at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

While it was Tony's intent then to become a professional musician, he had a change of heart when he began college at the University of Pittsburgh in 1982 and decided on a more stable career by majoring in Computer Science and Business. However, Tony did not want to stop his musical experiences and so continued with musical electives where possible, earning a minor in Music while at Pittsburgh. It was during that time, that Tony first became a paid church musician.

In February 1983 Tony was hired as Choir Director at Glade Run United Presbyterian Church, taking over the position from a person who later would become his future sister-in-law. Tony worked at Glade Run throughout his college years, and had to leave when he got my first job out of college and moved to New Hampshire in 1986. Later that year, Tony became Organist/Choir Director at the Second Congregational Church in Wilton NH, where he worked until April of 1992.  Tony had to quit as a church musician for while as we had just moved to Litchfield in late 1991 and the commute to Wilton was almost an hour, plus the fact that he had two toddler-aged children. A year and half later, Tony felt another calling and found his way here to Arlington Street, where he was promptly informed that he was only the third organist to hold the position here, with his predecessors having terms of 30+ years each. Talk about setting expectations! Tony has been here ever since and this year he will complete his 13th year at ASUMC and his 24th year as a church musician. Tony states "It's hard to believe that I have been doing this for over half my life, but it is a very rewarding and fulfilling position and I hope to continue for as long as the Lord calls me."