About

A Rose in Winter, coming this December, is a joyous celebration of Christmas that brings the audience and performers fully into the profound beauty and poignancy of the holiday. The concert is a presentation of readings and music that showcases The Choir of the Cathedral of All Saints directed by Paul Halley.

A Rose in Winter, now in its third year, is the successor to fifteen years of A King’s Christmas, presented while Paul Halley was director of the King’s Chapel Choir. This in turn was the successor to fifteen years of Christmas Angelicus concerts in Connecticut with Chorus Angelicus and Gaudeamus, choirs Paul and his wife founded in 1992. And before that, A Chorister’s Christmas was the celebration of the season at The Cathedral of St. John The Divine in New York where Paul was Director of Music. In this long tradition, a guest artist/narrator was engaged to help select and present the readings, but this year, Halley will select from among his choir to handle the narration of poetry and stories, since among these accomplished singers lay the not-so-hidden talents of actors, comedians, and poets.

This Christmas concert has been described by The Chronicle Herald as “annual magic”, and the celebration continues this year, with carols old and new, including four with audience joining in, and readings from the quietly expressive to the hilarious.

About the Artists

The Choir of All Saints Cathedral

The Cathedral Choir, under Paul Halley’s direction, comprises a 20-voiced ensemble of professional singers and choral scholars from the city of Halifax and environs who provide the choral music at weekly services and special events at The Cathedral Church of All Saints in Halifax. The Cathedral Choir has played a central role in the many official provincial and national occasions which take place in Nova Scotia. These have included the Service to Celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of HM The Queen’s Coronation, the Commemorative Service in Celebration of the Life of HM Queen Elizabeth II, and in the previous year, the Commemorative Service for HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, organized by Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia and held at The Cathedral of All Saints. The choir is also presented in two seasonal concerts each year, ‘A ROSE IN WINTER - A Celebration of Christmas in Song & Story’ in December, and ‘PASSION - Music of A Thousand Years’ in the late Lenten season. The Cathedral Choir has participated in SchützFest350 with a performance of “Musikalische Exequien, and Capella Regalis’s ‘For All The City’ presentations of the Fauré Requiem in 2023 and the Mozart Requiem in 2024.

About Paul Halley

Paul Halley is an award-winning composer, choral conductor, and organist, living and working in Nova Scotia. Halley currently serves as Director of Music of The Cathedral Church of All Saints, Halifax and as Creative Director of Pelagosmusic, published music and recordings. Halley’s resume has included the role of principal composer and keyboardist for The Paul Winter Consort, and music directorships at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, the choirs Chorus Angelicus and Gaudeamus, and The University of King’s College, Halifax. Halley’s keyboard, choral, and instrumental recordings have won five Grammy Awards. In January 2023, Paul was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal for his Service to Arts and Culture in Nova Scotia by the Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Nova Scotia.

About the Concert Producer

This concert is a presentation of TO THE POINT PRODUCTIONS, Margaret Race, proprietor, on behalf of Paul Halley and members of The Cathedral Choir. Margaret Race is the spouse of Paul Halley with whom she has collaborated on music productions for more than thirty years.