Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra
MISSION:
The mission of the Sacramento Choral Society is to provide world-class choral orchestra music for the people of the greater Sacramento Region and beyond.
HISTORY/INFORMATION:
Established in 1996, the Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra (SCSO) is a California 501 c (3) arts nonprofit organization committed to the performance, education and appreciation of classical choral orchestral music at reasonable prices for families in the Sacramento region. (Nonprofit ID: 94-3259903)
Over the past 25 years, the SCSO has presented more than 160 classical choral orchestral concerts with its large chorus and professional orchestra. It has produced 10 professionally mastered CDs and has served as national and international cultural ambassadors for the region while providing extensive education and outreach for the larger Sacramento area community.
Conductor Donald Kendrick – the Artistic Director and Founder – is graduate of the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, with a doctoral degree in conducting. He has a reputation for creative programming and is known for his dynamic leadership and recruitment ability.
In the United States, there are 12,000 Community Choruses and only one Chorus has a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with a professional orchestra. The SCSO is that Chorus. Over the past 25 years, the SCSO has raised almost three million dollars to help keep our professional players alive and working in their local union: the American Federation of Musicians, Local 12. The core SCSO roster of players hovers around 55 professional musicians.
The SCSO is proud of its education and outreach activities, notably its outreach to Veterans and children. Since 2012, the SCSO has donated numerous complimentary tickets to Veterans and their families. Their December Home for the Holidays performance attracts some 2300+ eager elementary school children, many of them from Title One (Underprivileged) Schools.
The SCSO feature their performances in outstanding venues such as the Sacramento Community Center Theater (currently under renovation), Memorial Auditorium (Sacramento), Fremont Presbyterian Church, St. John’s Lutheran Church and First United Methodist Church (Sacramento).