Seven members of one of Lawrence’s most musical families will come together to perform a program of chamber music June 16 as a benefit for the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H.

But when three generations of Shumways, plus two daughters-in-law, take the stage to play Josquin, Mozart and Schumann, they’ll also be paying tribute to a family member who can no longer perform with them.

Steven Shumway a professor of cello at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio died at the age of 45 in December 2000 of cancer.

“I think we all wanted to do this program as a tribute to Steven. It’s our way of remembering him. He loved to play, and he wanted to involve all of us,” said Jan Shumway, Steven Shumway’s mother, a musician who has taught piano in Lawrence for 35 years.

Steven Shumway was the oldest of five children, four of whom are trained musicians. All of the children in the family earned their undergraduate degrees at Kansas University.

“The primary thing is to remember Steven and to honor him with a program. He was the originator and promoter of the Shumway family concerts,” said Stan Shumway, Steven Shumway’s father and a retired professor of music theory at KU.

The event is billed as “An Afternoon of Chamber Music with the Shumway Family.”

In all, 18 members of the Shumway family will be in Lawrence next weekend to perform in the concert or attend it.

Three of Stan and Jan Shumway’s children will play in the program, as well as one of their granddaughters and two daughters-in-law. Jan Shumway will perform on piano.

The Shumway family began presenting chamber music concerts in 1984, performing on mini tours in Kansas in 1985-1987. Local venues included the Lawrence Arts Center, Presbyterian Manor, Lawrence High School and KU’s Swarthout Recital Hall.

Other Kansas performances were given in Topeka, Winfield and Newton. The family also performed in Richmond, Ind.; Dayton and Oxford, Ohio; and Potsdam, N.Y.

The Lawrence Arts Commission recognized the family in 1984 for major contributions to the city’s enhancement. In 1986, the Kansas Federation of Music Clubs named the Shumways the Kansas Musical Family of the Year.

Another reason the Shumways wanted to organize a musical program at the arts center is to thank the people in Lawrence who offered their support to the family during Steven Shumway’s illness.

“It was also prompted by having a new arts center to inaugurate. And the kids love to play together. It’s a pleasure,” said Stan Shumway, a former president of the center’s board.

As the number of Shumways has swelled over the years due to the addition of in-laws and grandchildren, it’s increasingly difficult to organize family concerts. And rehearsals, too.

The Shumways have been practicing their individual parts on their own. They won’t be able to rehearse together until Thursday.

“But these kids are all professional musicians, so it’s not a big deal,” Jan Shumway said.