About

Christmas is back! After a three-year hiatus, Grammy Award-winner Paul Halley will showcase his signature choir, The Choir of All Saints Cathedral, in a live concert performance celebrating Christmas. The Lunenburg concert, presented by Musique Royale, takes place on Saturday December 10th at 4 pm at historic St John’s Anglican Church (64 Townsend St). The following afternoon, the choir will perform at the radiant All Saints Cathedral in Halifax at 4 pm.

Entitled ‘A ROSE IN WINTER’, this concert of song and story is a continuation of the Christmas concert tradition at the Cathedral in Halifax that Halley established in 2008. The Cathedral Choir and Paul Halley will be joined by guest, Old Man Luedecke, in a reprise of his 2019 appearance in the genial role of narrator - to read and recite, to sing, and to, no doubt, play the banjo. A two-time Juno Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter, Old Man Luedecke delivers narrative-driven folk songs with a storyteller’s heart. About the choir, Paul Halley remarks, “This is a spectacular group of young musicians. The vibrancy and fullness of sound and high level of musical accomplishment make this the best choir I’ve worked with.”

The annual Christmas concert series which Paul Halley initiated in his second year in Halifax is a celebration that brings audience and performers fully into the profound beauty and poignancy of Christmas. This concert, always with a choir under Halley’s direction, has become a holiday tradition in Nova Scotia and was described by The Chronicle Herald as “annual magic”.

Programming this unique concert format of carols and readings is a creative collaboration between the guest narrator, director Paul Halley, and the choir. While the selection of readings and music may change from one year to the next (and Paul Halley always likes to keep things ‘new’), the themes in both song and story relate to each other in lovely and subtle or humorous and entertaining ways. This year’s concert bears a new title: ‘A ROSE IN WINTER’ which refers to a line from the 12th cent. poetry of Hildegard von Bingen and evokes the ethereal quality of unexpected beauty in a winter landscape.

About the Artists

Old Man Luedecke

Old Man Luedecke is the recording name of two-time Juno Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter and banjo player Chris Luedecke of Chester, Nova Scotia. With narrative-driven folk songs that are playful, coy, and soul warming, Luedecke charms audiences with skillful precision and a storyteller’s heart.

The Choir of the Cathedral Church of All Saints

The Choir of All Saints Cathedral, under Halley’s direction, comprises an accomplished group of young adult singers who provide the gorgeous and ethereal choral sound 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.

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 garnered five Grammy Awards.