Kasschau Memorial Shell

Name: Kasschau Memorial Shell
Address: 125 N Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ, 07450, US
Telephone: +12016705560
Price range: Not applicable
Rating: 5

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Kasschau Memorial Shell

Enjoy free musical performances under the stars!

08/30/2025

Shout out to our amazing 2025 Community Donors! We appreciate you! 🫶
If you enjoyed the concerts this year, please consider making a donation!
kasschaumemorialshell.ludus.com/donate.php

08/24/2025

What a great summer! Big thanks to Christian Health for joining the Village of Ridgewood in presenting our 67th Summer Concert Series! We couldn’t have done it without you! 🎶🫶

The 2025 Kasschau Shell Committee is thrilled to announce our TITLE SPONSOR Christian Health! Thank you! 👍

08/24/2025

Thank you for your beautiful music Laurie Vega Jazz 'n More!

08/24/2025

Zigi Putnins Photography
Village of Ridgewood
Christian Health

08/20/2025

It's always a treat for The Stilettos to play with a horn section! C'mon out and support LIVE music at the Kasschau Memorial Shell this Thursday, August 21st. Music from 8:00 pm until 10:00 pm. It will be a fun set of Classic Rock. The Kasschau Memorial Shell is located at 125 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 (behind the Public Library). This is a free event. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy this free concert! The Stilettos are: Gillian Foley vocals, Don Hayek guitar & vocals, Joey Hayek guitar, Jim White bass & vocals, Paul Turino keyboards, Tim Whiting drums and vocals, with special guests Dana Watson on trumpet, Joseph Solway sax, and Kent Pennell trombone.

08/20/2025

08/17/2025

Last week of performances for Summer 2025! Let’s go! 🎉🎉
Tue- Laurie Vega Jazz 'n More
Thu- Stilettos w special guests!

08/16/2025

Dads Night Band what a great time!! Thx for coming!! 🎉

08/15/2025

Next Tuesday, August 19 at 8 PM join us for a fabulous night of jazz, soul and R&B at the Kasschau Memorial Shell in Ridgewood, NJ! 💕💋! Summer Swing will be in full force!
www.LaurieVega.com

08/13/2025

Let’s go!!!!! Dads Night Band takes the stage Thursday! 🎶
Bring your friends and your chairs!! Thank you Village of Ridgewood Christian Health
and event sponsor Ridgewood Party Rental!

08/13/2025

Kasschau Memorial Shell

Address

125 N Maple Avenue
Ridgewood, NJ
07450

Telephone

+12016705560

Website

http://www.kasschaumemorialshell.com/, http://www.kasschaumemorialshell.com/

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HISTORY

Matthew Schneider, The Ridgewood News Published 12:00 a.m. ET Sept. 16, 2016

The Kasschau Memorial Shell is a well-known landmark in Ridgewood, playing host to a number of concerts and performances throughout the summer, many of which are free.

Constructed in 1958 at veteran’s field, the shell is a memorial to Frank and Howard Kasschau, two notable Ridgewood residents involved with music in the village.

According to "The History of a Village," Frank Kasschau was the leader of the Orpheus Club, a men’s chorus. He was eventually succeeded by his son, Howard, who took the reins in April of 1943.

"The Orpheus Club, the oldest of Ridgewood’s musical organizations still in existence, had been founded by half a dozen businessmen and former members of male choruses in 1909," the book said. "Under the leadership and training of Mr. (Frank) Kasschau, the club’s growth and progress were strikingly dramatic."

Frank Kasschau died in 1944, just a year after giving leadership of the Orpheus Club over to his son. The Frank Kasschau Memorial Committee of the Ridgewood Choral was formed in 1946, to suggest a suitable memorial to honor the director.

While a memorial auditorium was initially planned, the group decided instead to raise money for a memorial shell. The fundraising was accomplished through a series of concerts, with the proceeds put aside for use in the shell’s construction.

"In 1947, Helen Jepson, soprano of the Metropolitan Opera Association, appeared, contributing her talent because of her friendship with Mr. Kasschau," the text said. "In succeeding years, many other well-known artists performed for the benefit of the memorial.

In 1949, the first Pop Concert was presented outdoors to 2,500 people and was received with such great enthusiasm (that) it has been repeated each June. Each year, a sizable sum of money was realized from the Pop Concerts and added to the fund. The shell was erected and turned over to the village as a gift from the Ridgewood Choral.

According to "The History of a Village," the concrete, steel and stucco structure was designed by Wallace Dunlop, a resident and architect.

With its proscenium arch 50 feet wide by 23 feet high and its deep, curved apron, it has one of the largest stages, and certainly is one of the finest facilities, in Northern New Jersey.

The shell was dedicated on June 17, 1958, with a concert by the Ridgewood Choral and Orpheus Club, according to the book.

While the shell was utilized for a number of concerts from the outset, the number and scope of the programs had steadily grown since then.

The text noted that there have been performances by a ballet company, Ridgewood’s Gilbert and Sullivan Company and bluegrass and banjo bands, as well as "a series of groups devoted to continuing the traditional music of various ethnic cultures," among others.

Programs and maintenance of the shell are administered by a committee appointed by the village’s mayor. Ridgewood’s Traffic & Signal Division, which are considered the village’s handymen, are responsible for much of the maintenance and repair work to village facilities. This crew readies the electrical and sound system at the Kasschau Shell.

Though Howard Kasschau has been dead since 1994 and Frank since 1944, the memory of their accomplishments lives on through each performance at the shell named in their honor.

Kasschau Memorial Shell

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08/20/2025

08/20/2025

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