Schola Cantorum is a mixed choir (SATB) from Sacred Heart Church in Sacramento, California. The all-volunteer ensemble, founded in 1992 by Dr. Donald Kendrick, Music Director of Sacred Heart Church, sings each Sunday at the 11 AM liturgy and for special feasts throughout the liturgical year.
The term Schola Cantorum (School for Church Song) has a very ancient origin, dating back to the fourth century when choirs were formed with a view to the presentation of polyphony and inspiring liturgical music.
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Sacred Heart’s Schola Cantorum has appeared in concert with members of the Sacramento Symphony Orchestra, the Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra, and has been featured in the Sacramento Area Bach Festival and the 1999 Western Division Conference of the American Guild of Organists. They have been heard on broadcasts and tours in the United States, Canada, Spain, England, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Italy. The all-volunteer choir is composed of people of various ages and diverse interests who are drawn together for the sake of making beautiful music on a weekly basis. Schola Cantorum rehearses weekly on Wednesday evenings (7:00 PM to 9:15 PM).
Schola has toured internationally, having completed a performance tour of Austria in July 2009 with concerts in Vienna, Graz, and Salzburg, followed by a return to the Vatican to sing at the Papal Audience and on the Great Altar of St. Peter’s in 2013. Schola celebrated their 25th anniversary with a performance tour to Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, and Prague in June 2017. In June 2023, Schola performed in Seattle and in Canada in Vancouver, British Columbia. In June 2025, Schola will perform concerts in Northern Europe in the Baltic States in Estonia, Lativia and Lithuania.
A Glimpse Inside Sacred Heart Church
Take a moment to watch and experience the beauty of Sacred Heart Church, home of Schola Cantorum. This stunning video offers a peaceful look at the church’s inspiring interior, exterior, and radiant stained glass, the sacred space where our music comes to life each week.