Libera: A Timeline

Sunday, 20 June 2010 04:41 Written by Administrator

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JOYFUL NOISE – A Libera Timeline

by Amie Hill

I: BEGINNINGS: ST. PHILIP’S CHOIR TO ANGEL VOICES

Libera as a performing entity has its roots in an odd occurrence: in 1984, a snake-hipped, bald-shaven leather/goth/pop/rock star called Sal Solo (born Charles Peter Smith), vocalist with the British band Classix Nouveaux, visited an Italian shrine called San Damiano (associated with St. Francis and a vision of the BVM with roses), had a religious experience, and wrote a song about it.

"San Damiano," actually quite a pleasantly catchy and singable ditty, premiered later that year on a Christian-music TV program. As backup vocalists (in the interests of religious cred), Solo chose six ruffed-and-gowned choirboys from the South London parish church of St. Philip's, Norbury, which has a long history of excellent boy singers. (At that point, three of its members had recently placed in the top three of Britain's annual Young Chorister of the Year competition.) Here's their initial appearance with Solo; as the narrator observes, an historical curiosity:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVEbNcOqOmc
(San Damiano/Sal Solo/St. Philip's Boys' Choir)

The song subsequently took off, made the British charts, was featured on “Top of the Pops,” hit #1 in several European countries, and was turned into a produced video, which featured the entire St. Philip's Choir boy-treble section—a number of whom were taken along on Solo's next European tour—warbling angelically behind him to the delight of adoring audiences.

Before long, the St Philip's lads, directed by an up-and-coming young choir alumnus named Robert Prizeman (who had taken over as choir director/arranger in 1970 at age 18), had become the go-to choirboys for film and commercial soundtracks, other pop vocal backgrounds, and music videos. (It didn't hurt that some influential folks at the BBC had been keeping an eye on Prizeman and his growing composing/directing/arranging skills.) These extracurricular gigs became mildly alarming to St Philip's church officials, who possibly felt that pop-idolatry was not an appropriate part of worship services.

The occasional side excursion into the world of showbiz did, however, provide a nice little source of funds and royalties for the church coffers, so the decision was made to let the boys appear in Christian videos, holiday TV appearances and worthy BBC programs such as "[Alan] Titchmarsh on Song" (c. 1992) "Thora on the Straight and Narrow," (c. 1993) and a long-running BBC-TV institution called "Songs of Praise," on which Libera still appears.

"SOP," as the program is usually abbreviated, is not only watched by more people than attend actual church services in the UK, but is also beamed to Canada and Australia. Here is the group's first official TV appearance on the program as the St. Philip's Choirboys, shot in 1987, with the game little tykes barefoot under the earliest draped version of what were to become Libera's trademark white robes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJAhvxrM_vQ
(Light the Candles Round the World)/Solos by Jaymi Bandtock and Glen Tilen)

As demonstrated above, most of these earlier performances were and are quite watchable, if occasionally heavy-handed; the "Thora" episodes, in particular, which took the poor lads through a kind of musical pop-up-book version of "Pilgrim's Progress" (with gratuitous moralizing on the side by ultimate English Church Lady Thora Hird), produced some of the most excruciating Sunday-school lessons imaginable. Witness the sheer overkill of this one, with the boys tearing into Mozart's "Dies Irae" (Day of Wrath).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ3YcveJtYM
(Thora/Dies Irae)

Fortunately, the singers on "Thora" also got to kick up their heels in catchy religious-themed production numbers; this romp was filmed in 1993.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChTcGrHtzGs
(Father, Hear Thy Children's Call/St. Philip's Ensemble)

It was around the late 1980s that certain of the young St. Philip's singers began to achieve a wider fame than that usually accorded to choirboys. One of the first soloists to appear on TV (above and below), was Jaymi Bandtock, angelic of looks and voice, performing "Sing Forever." This song was chosen as the national "Children in Need" telethon anthem, hit Britain's Top 40, and became a hardy perennial number for the group. Sing Forever was also the name of the St. Philip’s boys’ first CD, released in 1987.

Sam Harper, Jaymi's 1988 co-soloist, appeared frequently as second voice with Jaymi and other top soloists, and seems to have had a talent for showing others to advantage. (Note: although the titles have been post-edited to read "Libera," this slightly murky telecast definitely took place in the St. Philip's/Angel Voices era of the mid-1980s.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXtbr8cenU0
(Sing Forever - Jaymi Bandtock/Sam Harper)

Another early standout soloist was a handsome boy named Oliver Putland, who had a brief (1992-93) but memorable stint with Angel Voices. Oliver appears here in a short interview with a teenaged former choirboy star named Aled Jones (shown as a child in the still photo), and then singing a lead part in Andrew Lloyd Webber's diabolically simple "Pie Jesu." The other parts are sung by red-headed Daren Geraghty, one of the group’s most talented voices, and Anthony Maher, who excelled at secondary harmonies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVXKE5hYWJI
(Pie Jesu/Oliver Putland/Daren Geraghty/Anthony Maher)

And that angelic blue-eyed blond child who pranced winsomely in the “Thora” production number, and later answered Thora’s question about the nature of hell? Remember that face. The Great British Public did, and little Liam O' Kane became one of the first Angel Voices to more or less star in his own music videos. The following song was actually recorded by Christopher Robin Milne (of Winnie-the-Pooh fame) as a child and became a torment to him when he went away to school and one of the other boys had a phonograph record of it. One can infer by the expressions on the boy narrators' faces here just how soppy
they think it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvvdS8ncsx4&feature=related

(Christopher Robin/ Liam O' Kane; chorus: Glen Tilen, Daren Geraghty, Anthony Maher)

Over time, young Liam developed that childish soprano into one of the purest trebles ever to come out of St. Philip's. Here he is in angel-faced top form at age 12 in 1997, standing on a rock formation in Matlock Cave in Derbyshire and soloing in Robert Prizeman's "Salva Me," which would become another of Libera's signature pieces. The high descant notes (now one of the group's recurring trademarks) are sung by the crystalline-voiced Adam Harris.

Another small blond boy, Stephen Geraghty (younger brother of Daren), can be seen at the left side of the first chorus row, poised to emerge as a strong solo presence. The curly-haired boy standing next to him is Sam Coates, who, like Stephen, is still very much associated with Libera. Sam's voice changed early, but he seguéd neatly into a role as the group's electronics wizard and percussionist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe7NCDi-iXw
(Salva Me-Liam O' Kane/Descant by Adam Harris)

Here’s another of Angel Voices’ more professionally produced early videos, and one of the group’s earliest incursions into pop music with an ethereal take on ABBA’s “I Have a Dream.” This video is interesting in that it includes so many of the earliest solo “stars:” Liam O’ Kane, Gareth Lowman, Adam Harris, Stephen Geraghty, Daren Geraghty, Alex Baron, Oliver Putland, Glen Tilen, and Anthony Maher.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neOX4e82nEw

(I Have a Dream/solo by Liam o’ Kane)

(Optional) Here's one of the most exquisite solo videos by the young Liam O'Kane (now in his twenties and singing with a British ska band). It was filmed in London’s Highgate Cemetery in 1998.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3BnUD_4dZ4
(How Can I Keep From Singing/Liam O' Kane)

Meanwhile, quiet little Adam Harris also grew up within the Angel Voices ranks to become an even more accomplished and unaffectedly beautiful soloist in his teenage years. This was recorded in 2000.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX_wqn1ILE8
(Lux Aeterna/solo by Adam Harris)

II: ANGEL VOICES TO LIBERA

Since non-ecclesiastical performing offers kept rolling in for the St. Philip's boys, and the church/showbiz lines were becoming more and more blurred, another compromise was reached. Those boys who participated in these ex cathedral projects (not all did) were to be known in those situations simply as "Angel Voices" (with no mention of St. Philip's), and as such they made concert appearances, several CDs, and participated in somewhat more secular TV programs and activities, becoming more and more popular with both the religious and the non-Anglican public. The "Libera" name was not to become official until 1998-99, and with each name change there was usually a year or so of overlap and confusion, especially as the group also changed record labels several times.

One of Libera’s transitional singers of the St. Philip’s/Angel Voices era was Chris Baron, (older brother of Alex), who, though not a dominant presence, sang with the group through the 1990s, and soloed on Angel Voices’ albums 2 and 3 (1996-1998).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ364E_dXT8&feature=player_embedded

(Bailero/Once in Royal David’s City/The Lord’s My Shepherd/solos by Chris Baron)

And, in almost ludicrous contrast, here's another early "historical" moment—Angel Voices’ first "boy band"-imitation (obviously influenced by early "Thora" appearances), trying to find a place in the world of pop music, before they (quickly) discovered that what they did best in the realm of music was to be themselves. This 1995 appearance on ITV’s “Sunday Live” is fairly embarrassing, but gives a brief look at Daren Geraghty in his later years with the group. (In the short interview which follows, by the way, one of the boys uses what sounds like a common obscenity; what he's actually saying is "funked it up.")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrcqZxNLTas
(Libera/Early boy-band attempt/ Daren Geraghty)

Here's an interesting transitional video, made around the end of the permanent shift from Angel Voices to Libera mode. It ties together the "old guard," in the form of Liam O' Kane, occasional Libera soloist Alex Baron, and four other former Angel Voices singers performing as adult males, while Stephen Geraghty solos and newcomer Ben Crawley takes on the soprano descant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHEEBGMtuYw

(Te Lucis /Vespera/solos by Stephen Geraghty/Ben Crawley

(Optional) The slightly unformed sweetness of Stephen Geraghty's voice, as heard in “Te Lucis,” soon matured into an instrument capable of impressive musical pyrotechnics, as evidenced by this breathtaking performance in a version of "Ave Maria" that is usually attributed to Giulio Caccini, but was actually composed in 1970 by Vladimir Vavilov.

In one of the still photos, the boys are seen wearing version II of the Libera white robes, two-pieced and three-quarter-sleeved. This was a time of experimentation with the Libera “look,” and variations include black hooded full-length robes (used in the 1998 video of “Jubilate)”, and black tunics with woven shoulder bands in earth colors, as seen in several 2001 videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKtqYYg3ZZs&feature=related
(Ave Maria [Caccini/Vavilov]/ solo by Stephen Geraghty)

(Optional but recommended) I'm inserting this quasi-Christmas ensemble song (filmed in St. Sophia’s Greek Cathedral, London, for a “Songs of Praise” Advent series) just because I find it so delightful. Several 2002-2009 Libera members are seen here as tiny trebles, and current staff members "Big Ben" Crawley, Stephen Geraghty, and Sam Coates appear in their alto/tenor prime (2010 stage director Callum Payne also shows up here as a new little soprano).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnPqM2e0kD8

(Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day-2002 ensemble)

The unfortunately-surnamed but otherwise beautiful and talented Ben Crawley joined Libera in 1999 at age 12 (an anomaly in a group where most boys start at seven or eight years of age). He quickly became a dominant presence, not only because of his exquisite voice, but also because of his height and regular growth spurts (ultimately topping out at at 6'5") which had him still singing high soprano solos while approaching six feet tall and dwarfing the diminutive trebles around him.

When Ben's voice finally changed, he sang tenor with the group up through the early 2000s, and now serves as stage director, voice teacher, composer, lyricist and chaperone with today's Libera. Here is a 2002 performance that shows the impact of his voice and presence on the Libera scene. The second voice is the self-effacing and brilliant Joseph Platt, another frequent soloist at this time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ8EGg-0lYc
(Do Not Stand/Ben Crawley w/ Joseph Platt)

Both Crawley and Platt appear in a somewhat amazing Libera video of this era, "Voca Me,” filmed in December of 2003 the middle of Fryland Woods, Croydon, on a winter night (you can see the singers' breath, mixed in with the smoke from the extremely dangerous-looking flaming torches they hold). Michael Horncastle, an outstanding Libera treble soloist (and later tenor) from 2002 through 2009, appears adorably as a little boy lost in the night, and the overall eerie quality evoked by the lovely voices of Chris Robson and Anthony Chadney (who were for some reason seldom featured as lead soloists in videos), make this production a perennial favorite on Classical MTV programs to this day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTspRWWLGkc
(Voca Me/ solos by Chris Robson and Anthony Chadney/ descant by Joseph Platt)

Another video of this period, filmed in 2002 at the American University Campus, Bushey, is notable for the brief but sweet-voiced solo debuts of Michael Horncastle and Tom Cully (both aged seven); they would become two of Libera’s most notable voices over the next seven or eight years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwMuzZl_guA

(There is a Green Hill Far Away/solos by Tom Cully and Michael Horncastle)

III. THE PRIZEMAN EFFECT

Since 1970, St Philip's/Angel Voices'/Libera's principal source of both material and inspiration has been music director Robert Prizeman. Prizeman, given free rein and non-traditional (in addition to liturgical) contexts for Libera performances, has continued writing original songs for them as well as producing brilliant arrangements blending the work of composers such as Pachelbel, Beethoven, Saint-Saens, Debussy and Dvorak with traditional hymn settings, Gregorian chant, plainsong, and the group's trademark sound—ethereal, almost unearthly high solo parts as punctuation. (In a 2009 Libera BBC-TV special [see below] when the boys are asked what their favorite music to sing is, the response is an unequivocal and enthusiastic "Anything Rob writes.")

As his prime soloists matured, Prizeman also began to add more low alto and tenor voices—boys who had spent years absorbing Libera's style—to set off the clarity of the high trebles, and began composing solos/duets/trios/quartets with individual boys in mind, even using their vocal sounds to generate synthesized accompaniments for the group. In 1998, as mentioned, they began recording and performing officially as Libera (Latin for "free;" pronounced with a short "i," as in liberty).

Under the aegis of another brilliant choirboy alumnus, Ian Tilley, who acts as producer and instrumentalist, with former standout choristers Ben Crawley, Steven Geraghty, and Sam Coates helping out in their various areas (electronics, instrumentals, composition, lyrics, vocal coaching, kid-wrangling), Libera began to venture gently into pop and new-age music (ABBA, Enya, the Beach Boys), and in the early 2000s started touring in other countries, eventually achieving near-rock-star status in Japan and Korea. This (optional) video shows a somewhat breathless play-by-play review of their 2005 visit to Japan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXEIBLffkqs
(Japanese news coverage of 2005 Libera visit to Japan)

(Optional) In 2007, Libera took an odd sidestep into the bright lights of reality TV, with 13 boys performing “Sanctus” and winning $10,000 on a variety show called “When Will I Be Famous?” Returning the next week, they sang “Salva Me” beautifully, but were, alas, defeated by a man who performed in a giant Slinky™ costume.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pNbvH3YphI

(Sanctus/When Will I Be Famous?/Solo by Tom Cully)

Later that same year, Libera traveled to Holland, to record an entirely different sort of TV program, called Angel Voices: Libera in Concert, in the lovely Leiden Pieterskirke (see excerpts in section IV below). The resulting concert DVD, Libera’s first, was shown in the US as a PBS-TV special and is available from Amazon.com. In this performance, violinist Fiona Pears, who frequently accompanies the group in concert, was first brought to the public eye. In the same year, The boys also performed for the Queen of England.

During their first US tour, in early 2008, Libera sang for Pope Benedict as part of a huge "Concert of Hope" in Yankee Stadium, and serenaded Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson at the Kennedy Center Honors, with President and Mrs. George W. Bush in attendance (the performance is not included here because of a dreadful job of sound mixing at the event, but is briefly shown in the BBC special below).

In spite of all this attention, the 2007-2008 crop of lads (who continued to attend school and sing at St Philip's as part of the Sunday choir when not touring) were a lovable and fairly unaffected collection of scamps, as illustrated in this promotional video for their CD "New Dawn." As you see, Libera had by then adopted a simple straight-lined version of their trademark hooded white robes for concerts, and dark pants with white or black hoodies or light-blue shirts when traveling or appearing in less formal mode. Modern technology had by this time made it possible for them to perform with tiny microphones hidden in their robes, or using barely-visible wireless-microphone headsets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVOUfH86QlU

(New Dawn Promo)

An interesting development, as Libera has become more and more of a
widespread fan phenomenon, is the compilation, by fan clubs or individuals, of "tribute" videos, either as celebrations of outstanding singers who have moved on from the group, or showing the career-to-date of one of the boys, usually one of the featured soloists. The later tributes feature film clips along with still photos, and over a dozen have been made, featuring boys (both soloists and chorus members) who became fan favorites.

The subject of the following tribute video is 2002-2009 soloist Tom Cully, somewhat of an impish cutup and goof-off offstage, but one of the group's most serious and accomplished singers when it counted. The background song is Tom's rendering of "May the Road Rise Up to Meet You," based on a popularized Irish blessing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgC5lDXRSDM

(Tom Cully Tribute)

Here’s a performance that couldn’t be further from earlier ecclesiastical settings and really shows what the boys can do with a difficult arrangement, in this case the entirety of Enya’s “Orinoco Flow.” This clip is from a guest appearance on a wild British show called Last Choir Standing, a talent competition (for choral-music groups only) that debuted on the BBC in July 2008. The show started out with around 1000 groups auditioning, whittled it down to 60, to six, and then to a Welsh group called Only Men Aloud. Some of the competition performances are available on YouTube, and they're mostly all-out no-holds-barred and slightly frenetic; here Libera shows them effortlessly how it’s done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvcvAXc2uOM
(Orinoco Flow/Last Choir Standing)

IV. THE LEIDEN PBS SPECIAL

One of the richest sources of fairly recent Libera performances under ideal conditions is the aforementioned 2007 PBS special filmed in Holland's Leiden Pieterskirke with near-perfect acoustics, specially-designed lighting, subtle choreography and excellent camera work. The singers wore small pouches with microphones hidden under their robes, giving the performance an “unplugged” feeling, except for the small one-ear devices that allow some of the soloists to receive musical cues.

1) This first selection is the choir's umpteenth version of "Sanctus," inspired by the music of the Pachelbel Canon, and a staple of the group's repertoire almost from the early Libera days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6f8IySDb28
(Sanctus)

(Optional) This video version of "Sanctus," from about 2006, is actually my favorite. It includes the lovely "Locus Iste" prelude and ending, now usually omitted from the work, and is accompanied by marvelous visuals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpg9rxRjIzY
(Sanctus II/Locus Iste)

2) In this signature piece, from which the group takes its name, the angelic-looking Liam Connery demonstrates that he has a voice to match his face, and hits an impressive d-above-high-c at the end. It also introduces the custom of having the boys speak to the audience, telling a bit about the group and introducing songs. Alto Sam Leggett does the honors here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vq-4epDuL0
(Libera/ Solo by Liam Connery)

(Optional) For a lovely (and totally surreal) video version of "Libera," watch this; the "buried" (and then resurrected) soloists are Michael Horncastle, Edward Day and another treble-solo standout of the early 2000s, Joseph Sanders-Wilde.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-fb-mjoF14
(Libera/ Edward Day/Michael Horncastle/Joseph Sanders-Wilde)

3) Another audience and fan favorite since 2005 has been a charming boy named Joshua Madine, whose sweetly unaffected singing style consistently produces quietly breathtaking performances. Here he's joined by young Ben Philipp (known as “Mini-Ben” at this time to avoid confusion with “Big Ben” Crawley), and Tom Cully in a song with a well-known melody by Anton Dvorak.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XGRrZfOhtk
(Going Home/Josh Madine/ Ben Philipp/Tom Cully; intro by Josh Madine)]

4) In this version of the now-classic "Salva Me," little Joe Snelling made the difficult soaring descant part (expanded since the Angel Voices days) look and sound effortless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2O5540WjuE
(Salva Me/Tom Cully/Josh Madine/Edward Day/Sam Leggett/Descant by Joe Snelling)

5-6) The vocally demanding "Do Not Stand," beautifully sung by Tom Cully with Edward Day, is preceded by "Stay With Me," in which the equally self-effacing Day (who at this point came off in interviews as almost babyish for his age) shows his full mature solo capabilities, and Liam Connery shines in the descant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBD5AHIBTqk
(Stay With Me/Solo by Edward Day/Descant by Liam Connery/Do Not Stand/solo by Tom Cully w/ Edward Day)

7) The following video shows another interesting example of how solos are passed along as soloists' voices drop out of range and a younger boy's vocal skills develop. The lovely solo part in "Far Away" taken here by Tom Cully with great aplomb was formerly the specialty of Michael Horncastle (the grown-up red-haired boy on the left side of the tenor section in this concert, next to former soprano standouts Callum Payne and Conor O' Donnell). The secondary harmony, originally sung by Tom Cully, has, in this version, been passed on to Edward Day. (Below, in section X., you'll see the solo part passed down yet again.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCjr9VgTCbI
(Far Away/Tom Cully/Edward Day)

7) This beautiful full-choral piece is one of the few songs in which the
tenor section is (however briefly) highlighted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBj3DL9iHfQ&feature=related
(Adoramus)

8) And finally, a marvelous Robert Prizeman arrangement, originally sung by the group in 2002, that demonstrates the deep emotional power of a child's whisper.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gn1W3cl400
(I Am the Day/Josh Madine/Sam Leggett/Edward Day/Tom Cully/Intro by Ben Philipp and Joe Snelling)

V. NOT JUST ANOTHER BOYS' CHOIR

In the end, there are a number of factors that separate Libera from the run of boys' choirs: There are, of course, Prizeman's shimmering arrangements, which are somehow universally spiritual instead of just Anglican or Christian. Some of this comes from the fact that (except in settings of traditional pieces) standard Christian references are seldom sung in English, although they do occur frequently in Latin as part of the soaring chorus sections and backgrounds taken from Gregorian chant or Anglican liturgy. For non-Latin-mass audiences, Libera might as well be singing nonsense syllables, except for the almost unconscious joyous reverence that shines through their music.

Then there's the fact that the boys don't come from the hothouse environment of a dedicated choir school, but from different schools, backgrounds and areas of South London. They get together for three-hour rehearsals several times a week. ("We're just normal children, really," they're wont to comment in interviews, never mind that they usually get VIP treatment from their adoring public when touring, and that the numerous websites dedicated to them indicate a huge international fan base.)

On these websites and in interviews with Robert Prizeman, the boys' singing is sometimes referred to as their "hobby." If so, it's a rather intense pastime, since, in addition to performances and touring, the boys also sing with the St. Philip's choir for Sunday services, and the music and lyrics are learned by heart on their own time and sung from memory. (Just imagine a seven-year-old memorizing long passages of Latin for the fun of it.)

So, to recap, Libera (under its various names and with successive ranks of boy singers) has now made at least 19 CDs (plus over a dozen more if you count appearances on the annual EMI Classics and Sacred Music series and on the CDs of other artists, including Neil Diamond, Hayley Westenraa, Björk, Aled Jones. Sir Cliff Richard, Michael Crawford, Sir Elton John, Andrea Bocelli, José Carreras, and the late Luciano Pavarotti). They’ve toured in Europe, Asia and the US, and appeared in eight movie soundtracks, a concert DVD, well over a hundred TV programs and music videos, a PBS special, several BBC specials and a video game. They've sung for a pope, a queen, numerous European and Asian heads of state and a US president. Quite a hobby.

In spite of all this attention, there seems to be very little internal competition in Libera for solos and/or "face time," and an egalitarian and mutually helpful attitude is fostered. In an extra feature on the PBS concert DVD (see Extras, below), the boys were asked individually if they considered themselves "the star of the show," and most of them, even the principal soloists, seemed to either find that idea totally humorous or have a charmingly individual take on it. The soloists, of course, get more exposure than the other boys (more photos on CD covers and posters, etc.) but otherwise seem to fit seamlessly into the all-for-one-one-for-all ethos.

One reason for this, I think, is that the older boys are kept aware of the fleeting nature of their youthful fame by being enjoined to take an active role in aiding and teaching their eventual replacements, who usually start at age seven or eight and (as explained by Sam Leggett in the above introduction to "Libera" the song), with rare exceptions, attend rehearsals for some time before appearing in concerts.

There have also been some notable "brother" acts, with siblings appearing with the group either sequentially (as with the Baron, Arthey, and Geraghty brothers between 1989 and 2006) or simultaneously, as with the Verheyven, Leggett, Cole, and Barrington boys between 2006-2009. In the 2010 Libera, both Barrington brothers are still performing (at opposite ends of the vocal range) and the Leggett brothers Sam and Alex, Josh Madine, and Jakob Wood are all first cousins.

The group typically has 30-40 boys either performing or in training, with the younger ones (known as "mini-boys") taught the basics by a music mistress (currently Eleanor Lewis) and slowly integrated into the performing schedule, and many of the older ones, as their voices change, leaving Libera to follow their own musical careers, and/or become part of St Philip's adult choir (which tackles even more difficult liturgical classics). The boys themselves are encouraged to write songs, most play instruments, and many say they intend to continue with music.

But, of prime importance, when Libera sings, it's obvious that the boys are having a wonderful time creating those glorious sounds, and you'll often see one or another of them break into a smile in mid-song for the pure joy of singing.

Now that's spiritual.

VI. LIBERA MOVES ON

Although new Libera video releases were scarce in early 2008, the fall brought a brand-new YouTube clip of a lovely song called "You Were There." This solo-with-chorus not only chronicled long-time standout Tom Cully's morph from cute kid into teen angel (still soprano, but probably not for long), but introduced (by face at least) some of the newest and smallest Libera members.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwDRZMoJtkk

(You Were There/Solo by Tom Cully)

Then, during the 2008 holiday season, a new crop of You Tube hits suddenly appeared, related to a Christmas program filmed in venerable St. Bartholomew's Church, London, and starring Aled Jones (as mentioned, former star solo choirboy, popular "Songs of Praise" presenter, tenor, and long-time enthusiastic fan of Libera).

This holiday performance concentrated on a selection of England's most beloved Christmas carols by showing short travelogue-style histories of their origins (clips of Aled rambling about the relevant countries), and presenting the songs themselves in spectacular fashion. The 100-plus singing participants included Aled Jones, Libera, and members of several adult choirs, including St. Philip's.

Here, four of Libera's soloists lead off and join with Jones in a beautiful arrangement of song and setting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8DK7H21_ww&feature=related
(Once in Royal David's City/ Josh Madine/Liam Connery/Ben Philipp/Tom Cully/Aled Jones)

Libera was also given several non-Aled appearances in the program, making it possible to see recent changes in the group. In "Gaudete," grown-up choristers Stephen Geraghty and Sam Coates accompanied the group on recorder and drum. This video also allowed an even better look at the new crop of urchins aspiring to be the next Tom Cully or Liam Connery. Connery takes the introductory solo with aplomb.

This clip also shows Michael Horncastle, whose lovely soprano became a high, light tenor, still wearing the white robe and joined in the back row of lower voices by late-2007 altos Oliver Cole and Jonathan Barrington. In the video that follows this one, it can be seen that late-2007 Libera tenors Callum Payne and Conor O' Donnell have graduated to the adult choir.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAYqeIVWzJk
(Gaudete 2008: solo by Liam Connery/recorder: Stephen Geraghty; drums: Sam Coates)

And finally, another Libera-only appearance, with Ben Philipp soloing, and the boys joined by "alumni" dressed in the black robes of the St. Philip's adult choir. These included Stephen Geraghty, Ben Crawley, Callum Payne, Jake Shortall, Sam Coates, Conor O' Donnell and several other former Libera standouts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvs83qpoysg&feature=related>
(While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night/solo by Ben Philipp)

A number of Libera songs of all eras showed up in the late-2008 release of a double album called Eternal, sort of a "best of" compilation. Here is one they missed, one of my absolute favorites for closing my eyes and breathing deeply, with Ben Philipp's voice showcased in its most dulcet range.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bc1gwiVk-g&feature=related>
(William Blake's "The Lamb"/Solo by Ben Philipp)

VII. THE SONGS OF PRAISE SPECIAL

On January 25th, 2009, another treat for Libera fans appeared: Songs of Praise, celebrating its 48th year on BBC-TV, created a special program about Libera, hosted by the ubiquitous Aled Jones. It showed up on You Tube, featuring some quite lovely singing along with the world's ugliest socks. (Onstage in formal concerts, the boys wear white pants, white socks, and white slippers under their robes.)

In this program, there is quite a lot of exposure of the up-and-coming "mini-boys," including little "Mini-James" Mordaunt (the child who gets teased by the bigger boys during one of the group interviews, so-nicknamed to avoid confusion with the slightly larger James Threadgill); up-and-coming soloist Kavana Crossley (the one who says he wants to be either a singer or a NASA scientist); Flynn Marks (with the chin-dimple and irrepressible grin); James Threadgill (the plump wheat-blond boy with the gorgeous smile); Carlos Rodriguez (dark-haired and self-effacing); Ralph Skan (redhead with bangs); and tiny Freddie Ingles (blond hair, brown eyes, endearingly prominent ears).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_pyvWZlzwk
(Libera BBC Special/Songs of Praise)

VIII. TOURING: SPRING 2009

In early February 0f 2009, a group of about 20 Libera boys spent a week in Tokyo appearing on various TV and radio programs and attending the premier of a film called "Nobody to Watch Over Me" which used the recently released "You Were There" (featuring Tom Cully as soloist), as its theme music. During their visit, the group's recent release, "Prayer," went to number one on the Japanese classical chart, and the boys delighted a Japanese TV audience by singing the theme from the animated feature Ponyo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LEf6zahY7U

(Theme from Ponyo)

At the same time, Libera's most recent best-of album, Eternal, was riding high in the UK charts in both mainstream and classical listings. On Amazon.com, it was number one on the classical-album chart and number three on the main pop charts—third only to two Bruce Springsteen albums. Libera CDs also occupied the first 5 places on Amazon's classical chart.

March saw Libera performing in England, at St. Philip's and in the venerable Arundel Cathedral in West Sussex.

In April of 2009, the group began a tag-team rush of concert touring. Twenty-four Libera boys plus crew and musicians flew to Japan at the beginning of the month to perform concerts in Sendai and Tokyo. The group played to packed houses at major venues, made some charity appearances and appeared on live national TV. One of those TV appearances, with ten boys singing "You Were There" stirred up a mini-furor among Libera followers when the group appeared on You Tube with Josh Madine singing the solo and fan favorite Tom Cully nowhere in sight.

(Optional)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skGDWm77Cbw
(You Were There/Tokyo/Josh Madine)

Rumors flew around the Internet that Tom's voice had changed or that he had quit the group for some reason; more agitation ensued when, having finished the first half of their tour by singing at St Ignatius church in Tokyo on Easter Sunday morning, the boys arrived (still on Easter, courtesy of the International Date Line) in Los Angeles without Tom. The fuss subsided when friends of the group posted a note that Tom had merely taken a leave of absence to study for and take his GCSE, the British equivalent of SAT exams. In the days following, the Libera boys romped on the beach, appeared onstage at Disneyland, and sang to full houses in Palm Springs and at pastor Rick Warren's giant glass-paned "Crystal Cathedral," where they also performed
during the internationally televised Hour of Power.

The boys kept their cool, even when confronted by temperatures in the 90ºs and with the enormous transparent structure of the Crystal Cathedral with its lofty stage and two-story pipe organ. After a weighty intro and jumbotron preview, they launched into a Libera standard, Robert Prizeman's "Salva Me," whereupon a new little star was born, in the person of 11-year-old poker-faced Stefan Leadbeater, one of the group's "mini-boys" who previously had scarcely registered as a blip on the Libera video scene. With the departure of "Salva Me" soloist Joe Snelling the previous fall, speculation was rife about his replacement for this demanding descant. Well, meet Stefan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVqJwGT7Wuo
(Crystal Cathedral/Salva Me/descant by Stefan Leadbeater)

Another highlight of this performance was "Gloria," with Kavana Crossley and Stefan Leadbeater shining in the soprano descants. This piece, arranged by Robert Prizeman, was not originally written as a choral work and had no words when it appeared in 1886 as the "Maestoso" section of the second movement of Saint-Saens' Symphony #3 in C Minor for symphony orchestra and pipe organ.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_u2CnKVn9E
(Crystal Cathedral/ Gloria)

(Optional) And finally, a charming "Hour of Power" interview with three fast-growing Libera soloists.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtRVoRVCWG4
(Rick Warren Interview/Ben Philipp/Josh Madine/Liam Connery)

IX: LIBERA 2009 SUMMER CHANGES

Libera's main outing during the summer of 2009 was the "Celtic Tour," consisting of several concerts in Scotland (Edinburgh) and Ireland (Dublin and Belfast). The only videos from this trip come from post-concert onstage photo ops, but no actual concert footage is available, except for several blips on an August-released video that is mostly concerned with the boys' Japan and California tours.

(Optional)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDgR35WoZ3I

(Japan and SoCal 2009 Tour)

The only other summer video of note was a lovely multi-presentation of the song "Far Away," originally written for Michael Horncastle, who joined Libera (and sang his first solo) in 2002 at the age of seven, and left the group in 2009 in his 16th year. This split-screen compilation does a fine job of alternating between Michael's rendition of the song, that of Tom Cully, who inherited it around 2007 when Michael's voice began to change, and the most recent rendition by "Mini-Ben" Philipp, who took it over from Cully in the spring of 2009.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQDKw-w0HWA
(Far Away/solos by Michael Horncastle, Tom Cully, Ben Philipp)

The scarceness of summer 2009 concert videos was also probably the result of necessary adjustments to and re-calibrating of the Libera vocal lineup. Judging from reviews, fan forums, blogs and chatter on Libera You Tube video sites, change was definitely in the air. (The actual Libera organization and St. Philip's Church consistently decline to comment on individual boys, and/or their status in the group, which is not even mentioned in the church magazine.)

It became obvious during the Celtic Tour that Tom Cully's voice had officially deepened, and he made his first appearances in the back-row tenor section after seven heady years as a featured treble soloist. In fact, many of the outstanding solo sopranos of the past few years—Edward Day, Liam Connery, and Josh Madine, for example—seemed at this point to be just barely holding on to their treble ranges.

With Tom Cully no longer able to sing those high notes, the self-effacing Alex Leggett, in his first solo venture, and little Kavana Crossley took over the solos for “Always With You,” while Flynn Marks stepped in on “May The Road Rise Up” (all of the above were formerly Tom Cully’s solo parts).

A handsome young back-bencher, Daniel Fontannez, was assigned the vocally demanding "Stay With Me," formerly sung as a solo by Edward Day. Fontannez initially had difficulty carrying the solo, and the song was altered into more of an ensemble number. A real newbie, Matthew Rangel-Alvarez, was promoted into the showy "Stay With Me" descant line formerly sung by Liam Connery, while young Stefan Leadbeater and Kavana Crossley began carrying more and more of the high soprano lines overall.

Stefan, as mentioned above, inherited the clarion-like 'Salva Me' descant from the departed Joe Snelling. The opinion was that Edward Day and 'Mini-Ben' Philipp would probably function as front-line soloists until their voices broke. (At this point, Liam Connery's singing voice was still soprano, but gone were those unearthly high notes formerly in his range.)

The two smallest boys in the group, Freddie Ingle and "Mini-James" Mordaunt, took over the "Prayer" duet from Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel," formerly sung by Tom Cully and Edward Day. Ingle and Mordaunt had big shoes to fill, and in one critic's opinion, although the "cuteness factor" was definitely upped, their rendition in the Edinburgh concert was a bit shrill. Still, these were the first solo concert performances by these eight-year-olds.

Around this time beloved long-time chorister Callum Payne (2002-2008) joined the adult staff as production assistant and chaperone.

X. FALL TOUR TO THE PHILIPPINES

Next on the concert agenda was a trip to the Philippines in October, with concerts in Manila on October 25th and 26th, and in Cebu on the 28th. The post-concert "meet-and-greets," common in Great Britain and the US, had to be curtailed in other countries, because of the tendency of fans to swarm the boys, hug them, grab at them and even, in the case of the littlest, pick them up and squeeze them like squeaky toys.

This highly controlled meet-and-greet video taken in Cebu (similar to earlier events in Manila) gives an idea of the "squeal factor" attending the Libera boys, who have become so wildly popular in the Philippines that, as can be seen in this footage, they are escorted everywhere by husky bodyguards. The entirety of the video is a bit much to watch, but the first minute or two and the 5:00-6:00 sections give an idea of the fans' vocal appreciation as they react to two separate groups of boys taking the podium, and Josh Madine's image appearing on the jumbotron behind the group.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dupad8WO00s
(Cebu meet-and-greet)

All the Philippine concerts, at least one of which was a benefit for victims of a recent typhoon, were packed, with front-row seats going for around USD $200. The soloists, according to fan-blog reviews, seem to have settled well into their new roles and songs, with 12-year-old Jakob de Menezes-Wood (his name frequently shortened for convenience to simply Jakob Wood) taking solo and secondary parts after three years in the background, and 9-year-old Henry Barrington also emerging as a support soloist (with big brother Jonathan still in the tenor section).

At each of their concerts, the boys presented the audience with a deeply meaningful encore: the beloved Tagalog anthem to Philippine love of country, "Bayan Ko." The solo was sung in Manila by Josh Madine on his 15th birthday, and in Cebu by Ben Philipp. The audience's reactions on recognizing the melody, and then on hearing the boys performing the song in Tagalog, were utterly spontaneous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vCTcEN-tBA&feature=player_embedded
(Bayan Ko (My Country)/ solo by Ben Philipp)

As the 2009 holidays approached, so did a harbinger of a new as-yet-unnamed Libera CD: a lovely version of "O Sanctissima," with Ben Philipp ethereal in the solo parts; this "official" version, from EMI Records, takes a flowing mystical approach.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_E7mOzmfr4

(O Sanctissima/Ben Philipp)

XI. OUT OF THE WINTER DOLDRUMS

(Optional) Unlike 2008's rich holiday treat of numerous You-Tubed numbers from a Libera/Aled Jones BBC-TV Christmas production, Christmas 2009 brought only the slimmest of pickings. This year's Libera holiday greetings took the form of a brief, somewhat improvised-looking video, featuring successive shots of robed boys in groups of three or four sitting on a couch, draped in tinsel, spouting Christmas greetings and cracking up at fluffed lines and dumb jokes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsOX8nYDVE8
(Libera 2009 Holiday Greetings)

This video was slightly intriguing in that it showed four new "mini-boys" (without giving their names). It was also frustrating for Libera-watchers, in that about eight boys, several of them on the edge of voice-change territory, were missing from the video. Both of these circumstances made it impossible to deduce the latest vocal lineup.

However, in late January, EMI Records released the following video gem (revealing the complete Libera group with new mini-boys), featuring Josh Madine (at 15, lower of voice, but now teen-crush material for sure) singing a luminous alto solo, and Ben Philipp (14), still in strong soprano voice. The name of the new album was revealed as Peace. It's notable that the "Time" video appeared on You Tube on January 22nd, and by the evening of January 24th, was well on its way to 16,000 hits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMp_v-I9Z9o&feature=player_embedded
(Time/Music by Ian Tilley and Fiona Pears, words by Robert Prizeman/solos by Josh Madine and Ben Philipp)

(Optional) The paucity of new Libera appearances, meanwhile, made for some creative repackaging by one tech-savvy fan, known as Cayleb101, who has produced what he calls "mashes,"—older versions of favorite Libera music videos synched and blended with newer counterparts and soloists. The classic "Stay With Me," two versions of which are "mashed" here, was originally written for the voices of two Josephs (Platt and Sanders-Wilde), then taken over by Edward Day and Liam Connery, and in early 2010 (not yet on video) was being performed by Ben Philipp and Stefan Leadbeater. (In the 2010 summer tour, it was performed by a confident Daniel Fontannez and Matthew Rangel-Alvarez).

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BwG193sszU&feature=player_embedded>

(Stay With Me (2003) Joseph Platt and Joseph Sanders-Wilde w/ (2007) Ed Day and Liam Connery)

Another fairly successful "mash" was made of two versions, years apart, by two Bens. The song is "Lacrymosa,” a remarkable adaptation by Robert Prizeman from the atmospheric “Aquarium,” section of Camille Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0om8BArjpU&feature=player_embedded
(Lacrymosa (1999) Ben Crawley w/ (2007) Ben Philipp)

In early March of 2010, Amazon.com made the entirety of the Peace album, with 13 tracks, available to play online at their site. It immediately became evident that, in spite of all the changing around of personnel, Libera's talent pool is as deep as ever.

http://www.amazon.com/Libera/e/B000APQAY0/ref=ac_dpt_sa_music
(Complete tracks are no longer available)

Josh Madine, singing in a lovely alto range, is featured on two songs: "Time" (also seen as a video on YouTube), and Beth Nielson Chapman’s dreamy "Faithful Heart," seconded by Stefan Leadbeater and Daniel Fontannez.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDnj-H-eWqo

(Faithful Heart/Josh Madine solo, with Stefan Leadbeater and Daniel Fontannez)

Tom Cully is featured once, in "Ave Virgo," a swan-song solo (based on a theme from a Mozart clarinet concerto) evidently recorded before his recent voice change. Ben Philipp, as one of the last soprano holdouts of the older generation, is everywhere on this album, soloing in "Sanctissima," Lacrymosa," "Time," and the marvelous "Exultate" (music by Robert Prizeman, English words by Henry Burton) and singing secondary vocals on a number of other songs.

Stefan Leadbeater is featured on a new song, John Mason’s "How Shall I Sing the Majesty," and as co-soloist with James Threadgill in John Rutter’s classic "Deep Peace;" Sammy Moriarty joins Josh Madine for secondary harmonies, as can be seen here in another atmospheric video from EMI, released March 7th, 2010:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qvMFlL62XA&feature=player_embedded>
(Deep Peace/Soloists: Stefan Leadbeater & James Threadgill with Sammy Moriarty and Josh Madine)

Peace also includes a number of pleasant first-timer surprises:

1) Daniel Fontannez firmly establishes his presence as a go-to soloist by producing a flawless and accomplished soprano line to César Franck’s "Panis Angelicus."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I2ac8saQ_I

(Panis Angelicus/ Daniel Fontannez/First solo appearance on CD)

2) After several years in the background, Jakob Wood sings a gently moving solo part on "Lead Kindly Light." (This video is a bit distracting, but does reveal behind-the-scenes facets of life as a member of Libera.) Jacob also appears as second voice on several other songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ENKvC2qUW4

(Lead Kindly Light/words by John Henry Newman/ Jakob Wood/First solo appearance on CD)

3) Young Ralph Skan steps out of the chorus to reveal a lovely treble range in "The Fountain," adapted by Robert Prizeman from Chopin’s Prelude in C-Minor, with words by Prizeman and Ben Crawley.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC7-XB2HAfo

(The Fountain/Ralph Skan/First solo appearance on CD)

4) The most delightful surprise, however, came from "Mini-James" Mordaunt and a whimsically evocative tone poem called "Touch the Sky," which the tiny Mordaunt sings in a childish but absolutely clear and true soprano. To back the simple vocal line, former Libera soloist Ben Crawley has composed a subtle and difficult arrangement with weaving counterpoint lines and difficult harmonies supplied by Ben Philipp, Jakob Wood and others. It's the most atypical song on the CD, and one of the most effective.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6btn4jJF8e4&feature=related

(Touch the Sky/ James Mordaunt, solo)

On March 8th, an online version of the CD booklet was made available, with full information on all songs and some lovely new group portraits of all current Liberans. Two new boys, Mine (pronounced “Minn-ay) Ahpobane (second from the left in the top row of the second photo) and Luke Collins (far right in the same row) are listed as members of the latest Libera roster. Tom Cully is also pictured, and is credited with assisting on the production of the album.

http://www.libera360.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id
=123:its-march-8-heres-the-digital-booklet&catid=3:latest&Itemid=87>

(Not sure how long this will be available)

The following video appeared in late June, and takes a very nice look behind the scenes of the photo shoot that produced the angelic group portraits in the Peace CD booklet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIEOG1oqdE8

(Peace photo shoot, 2009)

At this point former standout sopranos Edward Day and Liam Connery were still in the group, but neither is credited with any solo work on the Peace CD.

Xll. 2010 SPRING TOUR

On the 3rd of April, 23 Libera boys traveled to Japan, Korea and the Philippines for a number of concerts and personal and TV appearances in each country. It's a tribute to their growing worldwide fan base that Libera360º, the most up-to-the-minute and organized fansite (started about a year ago) has twice had to ramp up its technology factor to handle an ever-increasing pile-on of hits.

In March, Libera had also become a Facebook presence, using the site to air new videos and provide CD-release and concert updates. By the middle of April, their FB fan group had reached 15,000 and climbing.

The 23 boys who made the Asian trip were:

Alex Leggett, Alfie Smart, Ben Philipp, Carlos Rodriguez, Cassius O' Connell-White, Daniel Fontannaz, Flynn Marks, Freddie Ingles, Henry Barrington, Jakob Wood, James Mordaunt, James Threadgill, Jonathan Barrington, Josh Madine, Kavana Crossley, Liam Connery, Luke Collins, Matthew Rangel-Alvares, Ralph Skan, Sam Leggett, Sammy Moriarty, Stefan Leadbeater, and Tiarnan Branson.

Conspicuous by their absence were former soloists Edward Day and Tom Cully, and young Mine Akpobone, the African-British boy who had appeared in recent videos and on the Peace CD. A surprise addition (because neither on videos or CD) was Cassius O'Connell-White, a wee boy with a long name and impish personality, who has supplanted little Freddie Ingles as the smallest and youngest member of the concert group.

Performing to sellout crowds in all three countries, the boys followed an exhausting schedule of matinee and evening concerts followed by autograph sessions. Inna, a long-time Korean fan (aka dearmadine), provided an online song-by-song review of their Seoul performance, enthusiastically noting personnel changes and other details of the new concert sequence (20 songs plus encore). Another bonus on this site is a layout of current photos of each chorister, with names and birthdates clearly noted.

http://dearmadine.blogspot.com/2010/04/libera-in-seoul.html#comment-form

(Seoul 2010 Concert Review/Photos—not sure how long this will be available)

Video material of the actual concerts was. as usual, tightly controlled by the Libera organization (which also bans all cameras and mobile phones from concerts, except for staged photo ops, usually post-concert). Several Japanese TV appearances were filmed from TV screens and posted on You Tube, but their quality is dreadful.

Easier on the eyes is this interview with an emerging new constellation of poised young Libera spokespersons. It concerns a then-recent Libera recording session of the “Dancing Snowflakes” segment of Tchaikovski’s Nutcracker Suite, with Simon Rattle leading the Berlin Symphony Orchestra.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFxa6Kpkmec&feature=player_embedded

(“Nutcracker” Interview/ Ben Phillip/Kavana Crossley/Daniel Fontannez/James Mordaunt/Ralph Skan)

Videos of interviews, autograph sessions and TV appearances from the Philippines were more available The one that follows was part of a series done on Libera's arrival in that country, and gives a brief look at the song-selecting and personnel-replacement processes within the group.

http://1142azrael.blip.tv/
(Libera 2010 interview/Philippines)

The 2010 reception for Libera in the Philippines was, if anything, even more tumultuous than last year's. Here they reprise their performance of "Bayan Ko" (My Country) in Tagalog on "Showtime," a riotous daytime TV program. Ben Philipp, who took the solo, was said to be struggling with his highest notes, and is backed here with a strong treble chorus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfiS1csXfSo

(Optional) Libera on Showtime/Bayan Ko)

An interview appearance on another national music show gives a rare look at the boys acting like normal kids while onstage. This lineup clearly shows the age-and-size differences (even accounting for risers) between the older generation of boys and their soon-to-be-successors. It also mentions the fact that Libera will provide the featured music for Philippine Airlines' in-flight concerts from May through October.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez7wz595FXA
Libera on Myx Top Ten Program

Post-concert autograph-session videos show an interesting range of reactions by the boys to all the adulation, ranging from shy and withdrawn, to confident and basking in it, to let's-get-this-over-with businesslike. Josh Madine, who consistently created the greatest furor just by showing up, seems to be somewhat embarrassed by the whole business, but always gracious and well-mannered.

The trip home from the Philippines turned into a prolonged adventure for the boys, as their plane was grounded in Athens on Thursday, April 15th, due to an Icelandic volcanic eruption that stranded them there on their way home, where a number of them were due to take school exams on Monday the 19th after their intended homecoming on Friday the 16th.

Their trip home by land and sea from the Philippines, through Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, France, and across to London via the chunnel, brought to total length of their journey to 16,200 miles, involving five airplanes, two ferryboats and six buses, with the group finally arriving in London on 4/22. A number of the boys probably not only got a make-up on those exams, but plenty of material for some cracking good essays on the delights and perils of foreign travel.

Around this time, an enterprising fan, Snelling06, put together the following video, covering all the Libera soloists from 1984 to the present. The video misses out on a few of the earlier soloists, such as Glen Tilen, Anthony Maher and Matthew Arthey, but generously includes both frequent lead soloists and boys who only sang occasional solo lines in duets or larger compositions. Another fan noted that, of the 23 boys who traveled on the most recent tour, 16 had done solo work in concerts and/or on CDs/videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU7lJLSt5ks
(Soloists of Libera/ Air by J.S. Bach performed by Tom Cully, Liam Connery, Josh Madine and Edward Day)

In April of 2010, following the success of the last tour, Libera360º, which had now become the most reliably up-to-date source of Libera news and connection between fans, put out a call for writers and other personnel to set up regional Libera 360º websites, with the first being established in the Philippines, where the group has established a large fan base.

Mid-May saw the Liberans performing at a familiar venue: Arundel Cathedral in West Sussex. Peace singer Mine Apobane, missing from the Philippine tour group, reappeared for this concert, along with a surprise bumper crop of thirteen new “mini-boys,” most at this point, identified only by names on a program: Cian O'Sullivan, Ewan Baxter, Thomas Delgado-Little, Dylan Duffy, Ben Fairman, Luis Fernandes, Alex Godden, Barney Lindsell, Jude Collins, Sere Akpobome, Matthew Jansen, and Matthew Madine. The two Matthews, Madine and Jansen, were soon to appear on the official 2010 chorister list-with-photos, and Matthew Jansen gained a spot on the summer USA-tour roster; these two were the only new boys (as of August, 2010) positively identified by photo.

The addition of Sere Akpobome (brother of Mine), Matthew Madine (brother of Josh), and Jude Collins (brother of Luke) to the ranks has made Libera even more of a family affair, with the number in the Leggett-Madine-Wood brother/cousin cluster rising to five.

In the following pre- and post-concert video made by a French fan, we get a sweet view of the boys trudging though the misty rain to Arundel Cathedral in their gowns and black hoodies, as well as (in the post-concert photo sessions) brief glimpses of the newest “mini-boys,” looking as tentative as newly-hatched chicks when compared with the poised veteran singers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTJGqNwwuhE&feature=related

(Arundel Cathedral Concert: 5/15/2010)

Meanwhile, on May 15^th, at Durham Cathedral, Robert Prizeman was made an Associate of the Royal Society of Church Musicians. These awards have been made annually for more than 60 years, honoring outstanding contributions to church music. Among the other recipients this year were senior cathedral musicians, a leading musicologist and a former bishop, as well as RSCM volunteers in the UK, America and New Zealand. Prizeman was honored for his roles as founder and director of Libera,  and as music Adviser for BBC-TV’s Songs of Praise.

Almost a month later, Libera member Stefan Leadbeater starred as the treble soloist in a live performance of the soundtrack to the film Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, in front of a sold-out audience of 5000 at the Krakow International Film Festival in Poland. The film was projected onto a giant screen, and the soundtrack was synchronised and performed live by a huge symphony orchestra and massed choir. Stefan received an enthusiastic ovation from the audience.

The newsletter at Trinity School, Croydon, where Stefan is a Music Scholar and a senior member of Trinity Boys Choir, gives an unusually detailed resume for a Libera member: “He has appeared in Tosca at the Royal Opera House and covered the Boy Soprano role in George Crumb’s Ancient Voices of Children for the BBCSO in last year’s Barbican concert…. Stefan studies singing with Timothy Penrose and the trumpet with Colin Craft.”

In Libera alumni news, former Libera soloist Tom Cully shows a maturing voice and a new style in the following May 2010 fan-cover video, one of several available on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECZ-PLRyxjs

(Tom Cully/Cashmere)

XIII. 2010 Summer Tour

At the end of June, The following video appeared on Facebook, ending with details of the group’s “Deep South” summer tour in the US, with performances scheduled in Dallas, TX; Fort Worth, TX; St. Louis, MO; Nashville, TN; and Atlanta, GA, Between July 27^th and August 13th.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJQpiYK_VJ0

(Promo video-Libera Summer USA Tour)

The Deep South traveling group consisted of 22 boys:

Alex Leggett, Ben Philipp, Carlos Rodriguez, Cassius O'Connell-White, Daniel Fontannaz, Freddie Ingles, Henry Barrington, Jakob Wood, James Mordaunt, James Threadgill, Jonathan Barrington, Josh Madine, Kavana Crossley, Liam Connery, Luke Collins, Matthew Rangel-Alvares, Ralph Skan, Sam Leggett, Sammy Moriarty, Stefan Leadbeater, and Tiarnan Branson. Missing from the former (Asian Tour) traveling lineup were Alfie Smart and Flynn Marks. New on the roster was Matthew Jansen, a first-timer and recent edition to the Libera lineup.

http://www.libera360.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30&Itemid=35

(Official Active-Member Libera Roster as of 8/2010)

Callum Payne served as stage director, Ben Crawley as concert producer, and Steven Geraghty as pre-concert and sound cordinator.

A feature of this tour was an online blog authored by a number of the boys and published by Libera360º, giving a collective firsthand impression of the events of the trip. There were also several TV and radio interviews with three singers who have emerged as frequent spokesboys for the group. Polite and articulate, Ben Phillip continues in this role, now joined by “Mini-James” Mordaunt, and Ralph Skan, both of whom appear to be naturals at the interview game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVCWAbNaFf0

(Fox TV interview, St. Louis, MO/ Ben Phillip/James Mordaunt/ Ralph Skan)

(Optional) Although cameras and video recorders were strictly forbidden during the boys’ actual performances, a French fan recorded two songs at the Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas, where the boys sang as part of the service (There was also a later evening concert) This version of “Sanctus,” a tad improvised, and shaky at beginning and end, served as background for the church’s communion service. Fiona Pears plays the violin accompaniment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QxdMYbO3fM

(Bootleg “Sanctus “/Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church, Dallas, TX)

Reports from fans and official blogs reveal tour details such as the growing number of Libera-aged young people attending the concerts. It was also noted that the boys who spoke between concert numbers did so without written notes, with Freddie Ingles speaking first and last, and Josh Madine discoursing on how voice changes like his (at this point gradually deepening, as opposed to breaking and squeaking) are handled within the group. One fan expressed surprise that the boys are not grouped by vocal part, but that the different parts and ranges are thoroughly mixed onstage.

The program for this tour featured a number of classic Libera standbys, some with new arrangements and staging, as well as over half-a-dozen songs from the Peace CD.

The most noted new soloist was James Mordaunt, singing a lead part in “Love and Mercy.” The workhorses of the group, in terms of soloing, were Ben Phillip and, increasingly, Stefan Leadbeater, with Daniel Fontannez, Ralph Skan and Kavana Crossley also carrying major solo parts, with Skan becoming the fourth Liberan to perform the crowd-pleasing “Far Away” solo.

Shortly after the tour ended, an official “Summer Tour 2010” You Tube offering appeared, in the form of photos taken during rehearsals, concerts, and sightseeing Trips. It’s accompanied by the marvelous “Exsultate,” from the Peace CD.

For those keeping track, a recent Libera fashion note was the addition of hooded black or white T-shirts worn with gray cropped pants for recreation and sightseeing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VBgBTkkRZw

(Official 2010 Summer USA Tour Video)

At the end of August, a new Libera CD release was rumored for sometime in November

EXTRAS

Unedited footage from Los Angeles “Meet-and-Greet” session, 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4BirU0QbjQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo0lTk4T5Ns&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nGgVGqoZqI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWOE9s3SC5A&feature=related

Behind the Scenes at the 2008 Aled Jones Christmas Carol special)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVtF6FTPYuw
Libera: In Their Own Words,2007: Pt.1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wSgeouDwlg
Libera: In Their Own Words,2007: Pt.2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zn0uqZAh_w
Early Robert Prizeman Interview

Disclaimer: This essay-with-videos is strictly an informal ongoing history, and, while I've attempted to make it as accurate as possible, some of my sources (or my interpretation of them) may be flawed or inaccurate. If you notice errors that I have made, or facts that were taken from inaccurate sources, please let me know at my email address <aahill@sonic.net>, so that I may make appropriate changes.

This piece of writing has not been authorized by, nor is it connected with, the Libera/St. Philip's organization, or with EMI Records. It is not to be posted on Facebook, MySpace or any other Internet site, (including other Libera fansites) without permission of the author.

Thanks,
Amie Hill

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