|
Capella Regalis Men and Boys Choir, founded in Nova Scotia by Nick Halley in 2010, aims to build upon the best aspects of the centuries-old European tradition of men and boys church choirs, and to revitalize this method of music training in Canada. While Canada was once rich with such choirs, Capella Regalis is one of only a handful of men and boys choirs in Canada today. The choir is free and open to any boy who passes a basic audition. Most new singers begin in the Probationers Program, rehearsing for one hour each week, before being promoted to full-fledged choristers in the Senior Choir.
The choir regularly sings Choral Evensong in the Cathedral Church of All Saints, Halifax, as part of the Cathedral's Sundays at Four series, and rehearses twice weekly in the University of King’s College Chapel, Halifax. The choir also performs concerts around Nova Scotia and beyond in a busy September – June season.
Annual performances include tour programs of sacred and secular repertoire from across the Western tradition, and the choir's popular, annual Christmas series, To Bethlehem With Kings. In addition, Capella Regalis frequently collaborates with other organizations and world-class musicians in productions of major works such as J.S. Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion (BWV 244), George Frideric Handel’s Te Deum, Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, Monteverdi’s Selva Morale e Spirituale, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Georges Bizet’s Carmen, the Paul Winter Consort’s Missa Gaia/Earth Mass, Britten’s Saint Nicolas, Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, and Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms.
Capella Regalis has hosted other choirs and performing artists from the local community as well as from across Canada for special projects, and has itself received performance invitations from presenting venues across Nova Scotia, as well as venues in New Brunswick, PEI, Quebec, and Ontario. The choir has completed five tours in the Maritimes. Most recently, the Scotia Festival of Music invited Capella Regalis to premier a work in the 2020 Festival line-up (postponed due to Covid-19).
Capella Regalis has released three CD's: "Love Came Down: Carols for Christmas" (2019), "Greater Love" (2017) and "My Eyes for Beauty Pine" (2014), as well as various online performance broadcasts. The choir has also collaborated with other non-profit organizations on charitable causes ranging from nature conservation to food drives, and has given performances hosted by different Lieutenant Governors of Nova Scotia over the years. The choir has provided many free, interactive choral performances in elementary schools in Halifax, and led workshops for other children’s choirs.
In addition to services, concerts, and recordings, the boys of Capella Regalis enjoy a summer choir camp in the last week of August and other musically and socially enriching outings and experiences. |
