Maestro Donald Kendrick has conducted the Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra for 31 years. On December 12, he takes the podium at Memorial Auditorium for the last time. The SCSO’s annual Home for the Holidays concert has long been one of Sacramento’s most warmly attended choral events, and this year it carries extra weight as a farewell.
If you have never been to a SCSO holiday concert, this is the year to go.
What Is the Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra?
The Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra is one of the region’s longest-running community choral organizations. Under Maestro Kendrick’s three decades of leadership, the ensemble has built a loyal following for its polished but accessible performances at some of Sacramento’s finest venues. The Home for the Holidays concert is their signature December event — a mix of seasonal choral music, orchestral accompaniment, and audience participation that has become a tradition for families and longtime patrons alike.
What to Expect on December 12
This year’s program spotlights new and familiar holiday songs for chorus and orchestra, woven together with a few special touches that make the SCSO concert different from a standard hall performance.
The centerpiece is a candlelit procession — a moment the SCSO has used for years to shift the energy in Memorial Auditorium from concert to celebration. Tenor Salvatore Atti joins the ensemble as the featured guest artist. There will be an audience singalong, so come ready to participate. Santa is also expected to appear.
Before and after the performance, the lobby hosts SCSO Christmas crafts and holiday CDs from the ensemble’s catalog. It is worth arriving early to browse.
Why This Year Is Different
After 31 years, Maestro Kendrick is stepping down. The December 12 matinée is his farewell concert with the organization he built into one of Sacramento’s most respected choral institutions. For longtime SCSO followers, that alone makes this performance unmissable. For first-timers, it is a rare chance to witness a capstone moment in Sacramento’s performing arts history — and hear what the ensemble sounds like at the height of its powers.
About Memorial Auditorium
Memorial Auditorium sits at 1515 J Street in downtown Sacramento, a few blocks from the State Capitol. The 1927 building is one of the city’s best-preserved concert halls — high ceilings, excellent acoustics, and a room that suits choral music particularly well. Parking is available in several city garages in the surrounding blocks, including the Capitol Garage on 10th and K. The 13th Street light rail station is a short walk away if you prefer to ride.
The Details
- Event: SCSO’s Home for the Holidays — Maestro Kendrick’s Farewell Concert
- Date: Saturday, December 12, 2026
- Time: 3:00 PM
- Venue: Memorial Auditorium, 1515 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
- Guest artist: Tenor Salvatore Atti
- Tickets: Available at sacramentochoral.org/hh2026
- Parking: City garages on 10th and K Street; light rail via 13th Street station
Bottom Line
The Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra’s Home for the Holidays is not a concert hall event in the stiff sense — it is built for participation, with a singalong, a candlelit procession, and Santa on the program. That it falls on Maestro Kendrick’s final bow after 31 years makes the December 12 matinée something worth marking on the calendar now. Whether you have been to every SCSO holiday concert or this is your first, the emotional weight of a farewell after three decades of Sacramento choral life is not something that comes around twice.
For more live music and performing arts heading into the holiday stretch, see the Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus Holiday HITS! 2026 (December 5 at Memorial Auditorium) and A Chanticleer Christmas at Fremont Presbyterian (December 18). For the full picture of what’s happening in Sacramento this season, the Sacramento Holiday Events 2026 complete calendar has the full list.
