Daley has published more than 150 sacred and secular works and composed hundreds of additional unpublished pieces. She was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada in 2022 for her contributions to Canadian music and choral culture.

On falling for choral music:

I started playing in a rhythm band when I was four, piano at five, and carried on from there. My parents were very supportive and encouraged practice when I would have rather been outside — I’m glad they persevered. It wasn’t until I went to Queen’s University as an organ major that I became smitten with choral music. I became the accompanist for my teacher David Cameron’s community choir. He selected Healey Willan’s Rise Up, My Love, [My Fair One], and I was hooked. This piece was a whole new world.

On beginning a compositional journey:

Composing began truly by accident, through necessity. My mother saw an ad for the Fairlawn music director position in a newspaper and told me to apply. There was only one book of introits [opening or invitational songs], so I started writing little introits for the choir, then quartets, descants and psalms. Conductor colleagues then programmed me or commissioned me to write pieces, and it went from there. I’m glad we only had that one book of introits — otherwise who knows where I’d be.

On faithful music:

My first connection to church as an employee was the United Church, and I have no regrets about that whatsoever — they’re more open theologically and with social justice. I identify more with the United Church, although there is such great music in the Anglican Church as well. My first compositions were all sacred. When writing church pieces, you try to say what you have to say in the shortest time possible because, at least in most churches, you can’t do a 10-minute anthem.