About

‘A ROSE IN WINTER’ returns for Christmas.

Once more, Musique Royale is honoured to welcome back Grammy Award-winner Paul Halley and his singers from The Choir of All Saints Cathedral in a live concert performance this Christmas in Lunenburg. This concert of song and story is a continuation of the Christmas concert tradition at the Cathedral that Halley established in 2008. The Cathedral Choir and Paul Halley will be joined by guest artist, Alexander Dobson, as narrator and soloist. Dobson, whose rich and sonorous baritone voice is known to audiences of both opera and oratorio, is a familiar presence to Maritime audiences most recently for his appearance in the Capella Regalis presentation of the Fauré Requiem. ‘A Rose In Winter’ will feature Dobson in the joyful “Fantasia On Christmas Carols” by Ralph Vaughan-Williams, a work best described as the spirit of the season encapsulated in sound.

“Dobson, one of the most impressive Canadian baritones of this generation, is a wonderful actor and has a beautiful, rich and commanding voice, that is also as smooth as silk.” — Opera Canada

Join Musique Royale at historic St John’s Anglican Church in Lunenburg on Saturday December 9th at 4 pm. The following day, the choir will perform the same program at the Cathedral Church of All Saints in Halifax. This annual 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 poignant to the hilarious. Nova Scotians can expect a concert of joy and mirth this Christmas.

About the Artists

Alexander Dobson

Alexander Dobson, baritone, is known for his musical and dramatic artistry on opera, concert and recital hall stages and his accomplished blend of stagecraft and vocal ability. Heard frequently on CBC Radio Canada in recital and concert, Dobson is a graduate of the University of Toronto and The University of Western Ontario. He is currently the Lecturer in Vocal Studies at Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB

“His rich, flexible voice has a timbre that can be as dark as a moonless summer night… had a knack for expertly shaping a musical phrase while also delivering the meaning of each text with great clarity.” — John Terauds, Toronto Star

“Dobson, one of the most impressive Canadian baritones of this generation, is a wonderful actor and has a beautiful, rich and commanding voice, that is also as smooth as silk.” — Paula Citron, Opera Canada

“…a showcase for the formidable singing and acting abilities of baritone Alexander Dobson. His voice is beautifully warm and multi-hued. Dobson is such a fine actor and has such immaculate control of his voice he can colour his tone to convey multiple nuances in every line.” — Christopher Hoile, Stage Door

The Choir of the Cathedral Church of All Saints

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. In 2022, the Cathedral Choir participated in SchützFest350 celebrating the music of the 17th century composer, Heinrich Schütz, with a performance of “Musikalische Exequien”, and performed in Capella Regalis’s ‘For All The City’ presentation of the Fauré Requiem on November 5, 2023.

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. 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.