Previously known as the Sacramento Symphony Chorus, which performed occasionally with the Sacramento Symphony, the Sacramento Choral Society was founded in 1996 as a California education nonprofit 501(c)(3). The name was changed in 1997 to the Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra in recognition of the choral and orchestral repertoire, although the group uses both names. The group has grown from 100 singers in the Sacramento Symphony Chorus to as many as 180 singers in the SCSO, through careful recruitment and auditioning. The chorus is also becoming younger, which is a tribute to the relevance and importance of singing in choirs, in an era of decreased focus on the arts in public schools. Our website attracts singers new to the community, and we sometimes get audition requests in the first weeks after an individual's move to Sacramento. Through our resilience, we have managed successfully to return to live performances once again.
The SCSO consists of a 150-voice chorus with a full professional symphony orchestra. Since its founding by Music Director Donald Kendrick, the SCSO has grown to become one of the largest symphonic choruses in the United States. Members of this professional caliber chorus live in seven different Northern California counties. The chorus has formed a unique arts partnership with its professional symphony orchestra. According to Chorus America in Washington, DC, of the 12,000 community choruses in the United States, the SCSO is the only one to have a Collective Bargaining Agreement with its own 55-member professional symphony orchestra.
The SCSO, its management, and its conductor have won many local and national awards. The SCSO is committed to enhancing the quality of life in the Northern California community. We aim to secure a lasting foundation as a cultural nonprofit and achieve strong financial stability. It is a delicate balancing act for our Music Director to choose musical literature that provides artistic variety and value, that is challenging and appreciated by the chorus members, and that is appealing to the ticket-purchasing public. In addition, the challenge of securing appropriate venues and dates, and the cost of the professional orchestra and venue rental are major expenses that exposes the organization to substantial risk. We are grateful to the hundreds of people in the community who support us year after year.