About this Event
THE DAWNING SPLENDOUR
A concert of carols and readings in the season of Advent
The Choir of All Saints Cathedral
directed by Paul Halley
Sunday, December 13, 2026, 4:00 PM
The Cathedral Church of All Saints
1 330 Cathedral Lane, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2Z1
Produced by
TO THE POINT PRODUCTIONS
Tickets available here at https://the_dawning_splendour_2026.eventbrite.ca/
Tickets go on sale starting Nov. 1 on Eventbrite for the performance at The Cathedral of All Saints, Halifax taking place on Sunday, December 13, 2026 at 4:00 pm. One concert only - please get your tickets early. This event usually sells out.
THE DAWNING SPLENDOUR
A concert of carols and readings in the season of Advent
Grammy Award-winner Paul Halley directs The Choir of All Saints Cathedral in a concert performance featuring the great tradition of choral music composed for the season of Advent leading up to Christmas Day. A program of choral music and readings from an impressive array of composers and authors will be presented in an atmosphere of mystery and wonder, from darkness to light. The choir will sing from various locations in the Cathedral to highlight the rich acoustics of the Cathedral interior. Candlelight will provide pinpoints of light around the Cathedral as the concert moves from dark to light in the expectation of Christmas.
In the previous four years, the Cathedral Choir has presented the sold-out concert 'A Rose in Winter', celebrating the music of Christmas for audiences in Nova Scotia. This December, Paul Halley has decided to change up the format and music from a celebration strictly devoted to Christmas to instead highlight the importance of the season of Advent and the rich array of gorgeous choral music written for this important period of hope, preparation, and anticipation of the arrival of Christmas Day. The title of the concert this year, therefore, reflects this approach as "The Dawning Splendour".
Concerts by the Cathedral Choir directed by Paul Halley have historically sold out weeks in advance of the concert date, so the purchase of tickets as early as possible is advised. The Halifax concert takes place in the beautiful and historic Cathedral Church of All Saints on Cathedral Lane which boasts acoustics unmatched by any other liturgical space in Halifax, as well as an exquisite Casavant pipe organ, the second largest organ in the Maritimes.
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"To step into All Saints Cathedral is indeed to experience scenery that its rather plain grey stone exterior belies. Soaring arches highlighted in deep reds and gold rise toward the vaulted ceiling nearly seven stories in height! The sights and sounds of the busy city of Halifax, which has grown up around All Saints over the past 100 years, are hushed in the vast expanse bathed in the soft colors of the striking stained-glass windows, and warmed by the intricate oak carvings.
An architectural jewel, the cathedral is one of the finest examples of perpendicular gothic style in Canada. To appreciate the cathedral’s beauty, one only must see its great east window commemorating the sacrifice of the people of the Diocese who gave their lives in World War I or the Bicentenary window marking the 200th anniversary of the arrival of our first bishop, Charles Inglis.
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Concert performances by The Choir of All Saints Cathedra, directed by Paul Halley, are a presentation of TO THE POINT PRODUCTIONS, Margaret Race, proprietor. Margaret Race and Paul Halley have collaborated on music productions for more than thirty years, presenting concerts, building non-profit choral ensembles, and establishing music publishing enterprises. If you have questions, please contact Margaret Race through the Contact section of this Eventbrite listing organizer profile. Please do not contact the Cathedral about this event.
About P aul Halley
Paul Halley is a Grammy Award-winning composer, choral conductor, and organist, living and working in Nova Scotia, Canada. Paul currently serves as Director of Music and Organist at The Anglican Cathedral Church of All Saints, Halifax. Notably, Paul was Director of Music at The Cathedral of St. John The Divine, NYC, and was a long-time member of The Paul Winter Consort. From 2007 to 2021, Paul directed The Chapel Choir of The University of King's College in Halifax, earning acclaim for the ensemble through concert performances and recordings with audiences locally and worldwide. Paul's choral and keyboard recordings, and his extensive catalogue of sheet music, are available from Pelagosmusic. 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.
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About The Choir of All Saints Cathedral, Halifax
The 20-voice Cathedral Choir comprises an ensemble of professional singers and choral scholars from the city of Halifax and environs. Its members include some of Nova Scotia’s finest young singers, most of whom were trained by Paul Halley since his arrival in Halifax in 2007, and who are now accomplished soloists in their own right. The Cathedral Choir sings at the 11:00 am Choral Eucharist and 4:00 pm Evensong on Sundays, from September through early June, as well as services on Feast Days, Christmas, Holy Week, and Easter. In addition to it's liturgical duties, the Cathedral Choir is presented in an annual concert each December.
Agenda
🕑: 03:00 PM - 03:55 PM
Doors open to ticket holders at 3pm, with seating ending 4pm. Concert begins.
🕑: 04:00 PM - 05:15 PM
Concert begins and will last approximately an hour and a quarter.
Event venue & nearby stays
Cathedral Church of All Saints, 1330 Cathedral Lane, Halifax, Canada
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