By Paige Dillman, NSCC Journalism student who is interning at The Laker News for May 2025
ELMSDALE: Martha Healy has been the director of the East Hants Community Chorale since 2015.
She retired from teaching music in 2014, after 34 years of working as a music teacher.
Healy says she knew there was a lot of musicality inherent in the community and no choir to help highlight it. So, she decided she wanted to start a choir.
It was important to Martha that the choir be accessible to anyone who wanted to join.
She did this by having low registration fees and not auditioning anyone before letting them into the group.
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Healy explains that she wants people to enjoy singing without the stress of needing to be perfect. She just wants to help people share their love of music, like she shares hers.
“My next-door neighbour when I was a little girl, she had a piano and I used to play with it,” Healy explains as she talks about the first time she fell in love with music.
“She mentioned to my mom that I used to play on her piano a lot, and so my mother bought an old second-hand piano.”
She says music has always been a part of her life. Whether it be taking lessons, performing, or teaching, she’s always carried music with her.
While working with the chorale, Healy’s biggest accomplishment is being invited to play at Carnegie Hall.
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After only two years of being a choir, someone posted a video on YouTube, and a company in New York City that oversees performances at Carnegie Hall reached out.
“I almost deleted the email because I thought it was just a general email sent out to choir groups,” she explained with a chuckle.
Healy says there have been lots of small highlights for her, but that opportunity was amazing.
However, a highlight that will follow Martha through her life is the friendships she has made.
When asked what’s next for her, Healy explained that she will keep her job for the Halifax Camerata Singers and work as chair for the Federation of Music Festivals.
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Other than that, Healy plans to sing in a choir, taking German classes and just relaxing on a Thursday night.
When asked for her parting words to the chorale, she simply said, “I love you.”
Healy wishes for someone to take over her position as director and hope these wonderful people will get a new director soon.
Here is the job posting for the Community Chorale:
