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Announcing the launch of the Capella Regalis Girls Choir
Help us raise $20,000 through our Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign during the month of July 2022 and offer a free music education to girls ages 7-13!
Capella Regalis Men & Boys Choir was founded by director Nick Halley in 2010 as a free, mentor-based music training program for boys. Capella Regalis is now fulfilling a long-time dream of theirs and adding a parallel choir for girls. As with the Men & Boys Choir, the Girls Choir will provide a completely free music education for youth from various backgrounds.
Choristers in the Capella Regalis Girls Choir will receive weekly rehearsals in which they develop the skills of listening, focus, vocal production, and music literacy. They will engage with the finest repertoire of the last 1,000 years from all over the world. They will sing Evensongs and concerts in the gorgeous acoustic of Halifax’s Cathedral Church of All Saints. They will have the opportunity to participate in concert tours, choir camps, and collaborative projects with other musicians. Vanessa Halley, the Executive Director of Capella Regalis, will serve as the inaugural musical director of the Girls Choir.
We need your help. Phase 1 of our Girls Choir Start-Up fundraising campaign requires raising $20,000 in the month of July through our crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. To contribute, please click on THIS LINK between July 1 (Canada Day) – July 31, 2022. Or visit our Contribute page for instructions on how to make a tax-deductible contribution to Capella Regalis at any time.
If you know a girl who likes to sing, please contact Vanessa at vhalley@capellaregalis.com, or visit the Auditions page on the Capella Regalis website. We are currently scheduling auditions for girls ages 7 – 13 to begin in September 2022.
Capella Regalis Men & Boys Choir presents A Chorister’s Christmas
Capella Regalis Men & Boys Choir, directed by Nick Halley, will present their 11th annual Christmas concert series (previously known as To Bethlehem With Kings) under the new name of A Chorister’s Christmas, with in-person performances in Lunenburg and Halifax as well as a broadcast concert online. The choir will be joined by Paul Halley on the pipe organ, as well as the Maritime Brass Quintet for the Halifax performances, in a program featuring carols recorded by the group on their December 2019 Christmas album. This will be the first time since the album’s release that listeners will be able to see and hear the carols performed live! With music ranging from 16th and 17th-century European composers such as Gabrieli and Praetorius, to 20th-century arrangements both iconic and fresh, including works by Paul Halley, A Chorister’s Christmas promises a heartwarming and festive celebration. Join us either in-person or from the comfort of your home!
In-Person Performances:
Lunenburg – Saturday, December 18 at 4:00 pm
Halifax – Sunday, December 19 at 4:00 pm & 7:30 pm
Video broadcast performance:
A Chorister’s Christmas 2021 will be audio-video recorded for online broadcast in the days leading up to Christmas and made available to ticket-purchasers.
TICKETS
$10 (Student/child), $25 (General Adult), $40 (Priority), $100 (Patron)
Click to purchase tickets to the Halifax 4 PM show, to the Halifax 7:30 PM show, or reserve a seat at the Lunenburg performance. Click to purchase tickets to the online video broadcast.

Capella Regalis Men & Boys Choir presents Fall Evensong Series (in person!)
Capella Regalis Men & Boys Choir, directed by Nick Halley, will sing a series of Evensongs this Fall at the Cathedral Church of All Saints in Halifax. Thanks to a grant from the A.E.J Fulford Trust of the Anglican Foundation, the Evensongs will be recorded (both audio and video) and made available on our YouTube Channel afterwards for others beyond Nova Scotia to enjoy!
Sunday, October 3, 2021 at 4 PM – Music by Gibbons, Stanford, Bullock.
Sunday, October 31, 2021 at 4 PM – Three Choirs Festal Evensong on All Hallows Eve, sung with the King’s College Chapel Choir and the All Saints Cathedral Choir. Music by Byrd, Howells, Bainton.
Sunday, November 14, 2021 at 4 PM – Investiture of new choristers. Music by Attwood, Stanford, Boyce.
Masks will be required, and seating limited and distanced. No pre-registration required. Free admission.
Live All Over Nova Scotia: Nick with Dinuk Wijeratne and Tom Easley – October 17-30
The Dinuk Wijeratne Trio is going on tour with Debut Atlantic, performing across Nova Scotia:
Lunenburg & Mahone Bay (Oct 17)
Tatamagouche (Oct 22)
Halifax (Oct 23)
Wolfville (Oct 24)
Antigonish (Oct 27)
Annapolis Royal (oct 29 + a workshop open to the public on Oct 30th)
Live in Halifax, Sept. 9: Nick Halley, Glenn Patscha, and Patrick Reid piano trio
Nick Halley (percussion) joins Glenn Patscha (piano) and Patrick Reid (double bass) on September 9th, 2021 to perform an evening of jazz inspired music at Saint David’s Church in downtown Halifax. This concert is part of Saint David’s “Brick by Brick” fundraising concert series. These three jazz-steeped musicians have led three very different musical lives. Now they’re seeing what happens when their disparate experiences and distinct personalities are brought together in the traditional piano trio setting to explore the boundaries of their native tongue!
September 9, 2021 at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $20/$10 for students, available at the door or online at: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/brick-by-brick-concert-series-tickets-169313440057.
Live at the Astor Theatre (Liverpool), Sept 10: Nick Halley, Glenn Patscha, and Patrick Reid piano trio
Nick Halley (percussion), Glenn Patscha (piano), and Patrick Reid (double bass) come together again on September 10th, 2021, to perform an evening of jazz music at the beautiful historic Astor Theatre in Liverpool, NS. September 10th, 2021 at 7:30 pm.
Buy tickets online at: https://secure.ticketpro.ca/?lang=en&aff=astor#achat_AST10IS21.
Read full bios of Nick, Glenn and Patrick here: https://astortheatre.ns.ca/wp/2021/08/24/nick-halley-glenn-patshca-and-patrick-reid-at-the-astor-on-september-10th/.

Capella Regalis Men & Boys Choir, dir. by Nick Halley, presents J.S. Bach’s Easter Cantata BWV 4 online
Capella Regalis Men & Boys Choir is pleased to present “Christ lag in Todesbanden” by J.S. Bach in an online video broadcast this Eastertide!
Composed by Bach in 1707 at the age of 22, the cantata is based on the eponymous Lutheran chorale, which is in turn based on the Gregorian chant Victimae Paschali. The tune emerges at every twist and turn throughout the work’s seven movements, creating a poignant piece of music filled to the brim with Bach’s particular contrapuntal brilliance.
Spaced in the architectural and acoustical splendour of Halifax’s Saint Mary’s Basilica, the men and boy choristers of Capella Regalis will be joined by members of Ensemble Regale to perform this magnificent work. The victory of life over death, such as described in the cantata’s German text, is sure to bring hope and joy to the world as it continues valiantly in the struggle against Covid-19 and celebrates the arrival of Spring.
Watch online for free on the choir’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8oeswZxoEo.
M. Duruflé REQUIEM (Op. 9) – University of King’s College Chapel Choir, Paul Halley, Nick Halley, & Ensemble Regale
As part of the inaugural Creative Campuses Nova Scotia arts festival, the University of King’s College Chapel Choir is joined by a hand-picked chamber orchestra in a video-recorded performance of the Requiem by Maurice Duruflé (1948). A ‘Requiem’ is a Mass for the dead, named for the first words of the ancient funeral liturgy, “Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine” – “Give them eternal rest, O Lord”. This performance of Duruflé’s supremely beautiful setting is dedicated to Nova Scotians and all Canadians who have lost their lives to Covid-19.
Evensong for The Eve of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Evensong for The Eve of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, sung by the University of King’s College Chapel Choir, directed by Paul Halley. The anthem is “Annunciation”, a newly composed piece by Paul Halley based on the poem by Marie Howe (commissioned in honour of The Reverend Dr Gary Thorne on the 40th anniversary of his ordination to Holy Orders on March 25, 2021).