-
Libera Historical Timeline(Last revised/updated 5/18/2012)
This Libera history with video and photo illustration was begun in 2007, covers the period from 1981 to the present, and is continually updated as new information, links and photos come to light. This ongoing documentation is based primarily on multiple online sources and correspondence with Libera enthusiasts, with no formal connection to the Libera organization. I welcome suggestions, corrections, official credits, and potential additions to this material at aahill@sonic.net . (Reports of links that are no longer active are especially welcome.)
Please Note: More changes/photos/videos/links/updates to all five parts may appear at any time. As sites are continually being updated/revised, please excuse any temporary small errors. All photos/videocaptures that are not otherwise credited are from the LiberaOfficial photo archives.
Also please be aware that software on other Libera sites may change or rearrange color accents, photo placement, spacing and type size. For the original Timeline site, make sure you go to http://liberatimeline.blogspot.com/******************************Part One: 1981-2007(An Unlikely Story)
I: ST. PHILIP’S CHOIR to ANGEL VOICES(Libera Footnote: Pre-Angel Voices)(Historical Note: Early Theatrical Hijinks)(But Why This Boys' Choir?)II: ANGEL VOICES to LIBERA(Libera Footnote: Early Recording Details)(Digression: On a High Note)(Fashion Notes)III: THE PRIZEMAN EFFECT(Songs in a Memorial Key)(SANCTUS: A Diversion)(Fan Tributes)IV: THE LEIDEN PBS SPECIAL, 2007(The Event)(The Music)V: NOT JUST ANOTHER BOYS' CHOIRPART TWO: c. 2008 -2009VI: MOVING ON: Holidays and 2008 US Tour(Christmas Special with Aled Jones)VII: SONGS OF PRAISE TV SPECIAL January 2009VIII. TOURING: SPRING 2009 – Japan and CA(Crystal Cathedral)(Why Do Boys Leave Libera?)IX: LIBERA 2009 SUMMER CHANGESX: 2009 FALL TOUR TO THE PHILIPPINESPART THREE: 2010XI: OUT OF THE WINTER DOLDRUMS-2009-2010(Mash-ups/The Roundhouse)XIA THE PEACE CD(A Critical Diversion)XlI: 2010 SPRING TOUR; Japan/Korea/Philippines(Libera Footnote: ExtracurricularActivities)XIII: 2010 “Deep South” USA SUMMER TOURXIV: 2010 FALL TOUR IN THE UKXV: 2010 HOLIDAY RELEASESPART FOUR: 2011XVI: WINTER ACTIVITY, 2011 EPSOM CONCERT(Some Libera Soundtracks)XVII CANADIAN SPRING TOUR(More Libera/Alumni Footnotes)XVIII: 2011 CENTRAL US SUMMER TOUR(Tour Complicatons I)(Starkey Foundation Gala)Tour Complications II)(Moody Church Videos)(Tour Complications III)Libera and the Paradox of Fame:A Digression)XIX: SONGS OF PRAISE 50TH ANNIVERSARYXX: NEW CHRISTMAS ALBUM(Solo Variations, A Digression)XXI: HOLIDAY TOUR IN THE PHILIPPINESXXII: CHRISTMAS SEASON IN ENGLAND(St. George's Cathedral Concert,Nine Lessons and Carols,Radio/TV Appearances,Greetings, Reviews)PART FIVE: 2012XXIII: 2012 WINTER ACTIVITY/ODDS & ENDS(LooseMoose)(Creating That Libera Sound On Tour)(Pre-Tour Activities, Odds and Ends)XXIV: SINGAPORE AND JAPAN TOUR, 2012Arundel Concert, May, 2012
***********************************************I: BEGINNINGS: ST. PHILIP’S CHOIR TO ANGEL VOICES
(An Unlikely Story)
Once upon a time in the early 1980s, Sal Solo, a snake-hipped, bald-shaven British leather/goth/pop/rock star, visited an Italian shrine called San Damiano (dedicated to St. Francis and a vision of the BVM with roses), had a religious experience, and wrote a song about it.
Sal Solo (born Charles Peter Smith) in wilder days with 1980s group Classix Nouveaux "San Damiano," actually quite a pleasantly sincere, catchy and singable number, premiered in 1984 on a BBC-1 TV Christian-music program. As backup vocalists (in the interests of religious cred), Solo chose six ruffed-and-gowned choirboys from the small South London parish church of St. Philip's, Norbury, with its half-century-long history of excellent boy singers. (At that point, three St. Philip's choirboys had recently placed in the top three of Britain's annual Young Chorister of the Year competition.) Here's their initial video appearance with Solo; as the narrator observes, an historical curiosity:TV Videocapture of a toned-down Sal Solo performing "San Damiano" with row of St. Philip's choirboys on the right, 1984. 1981 British Choirboy of the Year Andrew Hopkins (see below) is third from R.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVEbNcOqOmc (San Damiano by Sal Solo and the St. Philip's Boys' Choir/arranged by Robert Prizeman/intro by Paul Banbury/Interview by Sharon Walsh/1984)The song subsequently took off, made the British charts, was featured on Tops 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.
Sal Solo (R) with unnamed choirboy in second video
Videocapture of St. Philip's boys singing San Damiano on Tops of the Pops. Future Angel Voices soloist Jaymi Bandtok (with dark hair) is second from left. http://youtu.be/ezqKZQ4Pnb4 (Optional) (Pseudo-psychedelic version of “San Damiano,”/combined European-tour and Top of the Pops footage with Sal Solo and the St. Philip’s Choirboys/1985********************************************Libera Footnote: Here’s another historical glimpse, even further back, as St Philip’s choirboy Andrew Hopkins, 1981 British Chorister of the Year, sings Felix Mendelssohn's “O For the Wings of a Dove” in 1982 on BBC-TV's Sunday Best, accompanied by Sir George Thalben-Ball. (At this point, their combined recording of this well-worn classic had sold eight million copies.) This rendition is in traditional "choirboy" style, in contrast to today's characteristic Libera blend of personality with musicality.
http://liberasworld.blogspot.com/1982_01_01_archive.html (solo/Andrew Hopkins “O For the Wings of a Dove”/Sunday Best/1982)
*************************Historical Note: Early Theatrical Hijinks: In May of 2011, Andrew Hopkins himself posted several 1982 home videos (no longer available) of St. Philip’s Choir performances of the now-Libera-classic "Deep Peace/Gaelic Blessing" (sung as part of a homemade show, Carry On, Choirboy), along with scenes from a costumed/choreographed performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. These segments featured Vincent Penfold (third place in the 1982 British Choirboy of the Year competition) singing in harmony with Hopkins himself (1981 Winner).These murky videos revealed clearly that a number of fairly elaborate musical productions staged by Robert Prizeman and the St. Philip’s Choirboys preceded Angel Voices' music videos and TV-show appearances by at least a decade.**********************************************************************
But Why This Boys' Choir?
Church of St Philip's, Norbury, South London The primary reason for the odd emergence of so many superior boy singers from such a modest source as the St Philip’s Choir was its young director Robert Gordon Prizeman, a former chorister who had taken over the position in 1970 at age 18. (His 1984 arrangement and choral leadership on Sal Solo's "San Damiano" can be viewed above.) Some influential folks at the BBC had since been keeping an eye on Prizeman and his growing composing/directing/arranging skills, and by 1985, he had, among other responsibilities, become a musical advisor to the BBC-TV program Songs of Praise (for more on same, see below and in all Timeline sections).
Under Prizeman’s direction, by the mid-to-late 1980s the St. Philip’s lads had become the go-to choirboys for film and commercial soundtracks (not to mention other pop vocal backgrounds and/or music videos), and had begun to gain a public following. These extracurricular gigs created a small dilemma for St Philip's church officials, quite understandably concerned that pop-idolatry was not an appropriate part of worship services. The occasional side excursion into the world of showbiz, however, provided a nice little source of positive exposure for the church, healthy activity for the boys, and occasional royalties for the ecclesiastical coffers.
(LiberaOfficial videocapture) The often camera-shy Robert Prizeman at age 57 in 2009 
Thus, decisions were made, as years passed and demand increased, to allow the young singers to appear in Christian videos, holiday TV appearances and worthy BBC programs. In 1987, it was decided that those boys who chose to participate in these ex cathedra activities (not all did) were to be known as "Angel Voices."
St Philip's Choir in 1987 video Here's an early made for-TV video filmed the same year (1987) that the Angel Voices contingent was formed. It includes the entire St. Philip's choir in traditional cassocks/ruffs/surplices, and is an exquisite example of the excellence that has always informed all Robert Prizeman arrangements and presentations, even those recorded more than two decades ago. Many familiar faces from subsequent Angel Voices productions are in evidence, including future producer Ian Tilley on the far left of the boys' section.
http://youtu.be/qSsNhKKW3zU (Be Still My Soul/St. Philip’s Choir [boys and men] Songs of Praise, July, 1987)*********************************Wacky Libera Footnote: (Optional, but fun)
In spite of all good intentions, however, the following hilarious (and rather brilliantly done) holiday radio number featuring Angel Voices slipped through the cracks in 1990, probably without official permission. (For non-British folks: "Walking in the Air" is the theme from The Snowman, an animated feature that airs ritually on British TV each holiday season [see also section VII below]. "Wogan" was shorthand for a popular chat-show hosted by Terry Wogan in the 1980s. A "gobstopper" is usually a large piece of candy, not a yo-yo, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were a wildly popular animated feature. The identity of the hapless soloist is unknown.)
Angel Voices on 1991 Going Live Christmas program http://soundcloud.com/markalistairwood/christmas-wrapping (copy and paste to hear if link on your site doesn't work) (Christmas Wrapping by Tony Robinson and Angel Voices/Nico Polo Records 12/16/1990)Other notable appearances for the evolving group were on Pebble Mill at One (1988) (Titchmarch on Song (1992); Thora on the Straight and Narrow (1993) (see below for more on Titchmarch and Thora); plus repeated appearances on the programs Blue Peter; Classic FM TV; Sunday Live; Christmas Cooks; and on a venerable (1961-present) BBC-TV institution called Songs of Praise, on which today's Libera still regularly appears (the boys' singing is even featured on the show's theme song).
********************************
"SOP," as this program is usually abbreviated, started out as a simple black-and-white TV broadcast of a congregation singing hymns, but over the years, has branched out into color, fancy visuals, famous guest artists, specials, and production numbers. It is currently not only watched by more people than attend actual church services in the UK, but is also beamed to Canada and Australia.
St. Philip's Boys' Choir/AngelVoices members in a somewhat surreal videocapture during an early Songs of Praise appearanceThe video below shows the group's first official TV appearance on this or any program, as the St. Philip's Choirboys, presented in July of 1987, with the game little tykes barefoot under the earliest draped version of what were to become Libera's trademark white robes (also seen on the first CD-cover photo below).
Barefoot boys in robes: Songs of Praise, 1987 http://youtu.be/IFiHaesQMtg (Light the Candles Round the World)/Solos by Jaymi Bandtock, Matthew Arthey, and Gareth Lowman/1987)
(Optional) Many of the same boys as in the July video, along with virtuoso recorder player Michala Petri, backed singer Val Doonican in a delightful Christmas-broadcast number in December of 1987.
Early Soloist Gareth Lowman
Soloist Matthew Arthey
http://youtu.be/kxJcX4SCGfo (On the Way to Bethlehem/ St. Philip’s Boys’ Choir and Michala Petri backing Val Doonican/December 1987)
As the Angel Voices contingent continued to evolve, their primary appearances in the early 1990s included Titchmarsh on Song: A Musical Pilgrimage. This appealing program was a six-part 1992 travelogue-style series hosted by versatile TV personality Alan Titchmarsh, with the boys singing in and around England's landmark churches and cathedrals. The opening credits give a good view of early soloists Oliver Putland, Daren Geraghty and Gareth Lowman.
http://youtu.be/J-14xv0xe8Y (Opening Credits/Praise to the Lord/Titchmarch on Song/1992/ solo by Oliver Putland)
Opening credits for Titchmarsh On Song, 1992; Oliver Putland is the soloist (top photo).As demonstrated above, most of these earlier performances were and are quite watchable, if occasionally a tad heavy-handed; the "Thora" episodes in particular, a four-part series that took the lads through a kind of musical pop-up-book version of Pilgrim's Progress (with participation and commentary by beloved British actress Dame Thora Hird), sometimes tipped a bit overboard. Witness the sheer intensity of the mini-episode below, with the boys tearing into Mozart's "Dies Irae" (Day of Wrath).http://youtu.be/0vmrqdS2yv8 (Dies Irae/arranged by Robert Prizeman/Angel Voices on Thora on the Straight and Narrow, 1993)
Dame Thora Hird enters, stage left. Frequently, however, the singers on Thora also got to kick up their heels in catchy religious-themed production numbers; this romp, an adaptation of “We Beseech Thee,” from Godspell, was filmed in 1993.http://youtu.be/1NBsTvpbSvQ (Father, Hear Thy Children's Call/St. Philip's/Angel Voices Ensemble/ music/lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak/1993)
Soloists Liam O' Kane and Daren Geraghty as scruffy street urchins on Thora, 1992*********************************************************************It was in 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 with Angel Voices (as seen above and below) was Jaymi Bandtock, appropriately angelic of looks and voice, performing Robert Prizeman's "Sing Forever,” which was released as a single in 1987. This song was chosen as the national 1988 UK "Children in Need" telethon anthem, hit Britain's Top 40, and became a hardy perennial number for the group.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXtbr8cenU0 (Sing Forever, by Robert Prizeman/solo/duet byJaymi Bandtock/Sam Harper/1988)
Sing Forever was also the name of the St. Philip’s boys’ first CD, released in 1988 on the MCI Label. (Their version of Robert Prizeman’s “Adoramus,” written with Ian Tilley, was also released as a single in that year.)
Jaymi Bandtok,1988
(Photo credit and names for any of these boys would be appreciated. Presumably one of these boys is Ian Grimley, soloist on this album, who is so far not identified on any existing photos.) Angel Voices' second CD, New Day, released in 1990 (photo below in Fashion section), was the first to use the “Angel Voices” name, with a note inside mentioning that the group was also known as the St. Philip’s Boys’ Choir.Libera Footnote: In late August of 2011, a compilation of excerpts from the first three Angel Voices CDs (from 1992-93 and 1996) was re-issued as The Best of Angel Voices by a company called Varese Sarabande (the cover photo below is taken from the 1993 Angel Voices re-issue of the 1992 CD). The 16 songs on the 2011 release featured solos by Oliver Putland, Daren Geraghty, and a single appearance by Liam O'Kane (see below for details on all three). One of the songs on the CD, "Adoramus Te," was composed by Sal Solo.
Although the faces on the photo above are well-known from YouTube videos of early Angel Voices TV appearances, not all here have been identified by name. Oliver Putland, frequent soloist at this time, was absent at a recording session when the photo was taken, but he identifies Glen Tilen (front row, 3rd from L), Daren Geraghty (4th from L. and Anthony Maher (front, 3rd from R). According to Putland: "The blond boy just above Anthony Maher was Luke something, and the tallest boy in the back row was called Brandon."Jaymi Bandtock's 1988 co-soloist, the often-underrated Sam Harper, appeared frequently as second voice with Jaymi and other top singers, soloed on the Sing Forever CD, and seems to have had a talent for showing others to advantage. (Note: although the titles on the slightly murky telecast below (from the Children In Need television fund-raising program with Terry Wogan hosting) have been post-edited to read "Libera," it definitely took place in the St. Philip's/Angel Voices era of the late eighties.) As an added visual perk for Libera-watchers, a very young Ian Tilley, who would go on to play a vital role as producer, instrumentalist and songwriter with Libera, appears at Sam’s shoulder around 0:30 in the video above.
Another early soloist was a handsome boy named Oliver Putland, who joined the St Philip’s Choir at age six in 1987 and had a brief (late 1991-93) but outstanding stint with Angel Voices. Putland is shown below in a short Titchmarsh on Song interview with a teenaged former choirboy star named Aled Jones (remember that name), and then, as part of the same series, singing a lead part in Robert Prizeman's arrangement of Andrew Lloyd Webber's diabolically simple "Pie Jesu," joined by stalwart second-voice Anthony Maher and by Daren Geraghty, another of the Angel Voices' earliest front-line soloists. The setting is St. Alkmunds Church in Shropshire.
Sam Harper (R) with Ian Tilley 
Oliver Putland, 1992
Anthony Maher, 1993http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVXKE5hYWJI (Pie Jesu/Oliver Putland/Daren Geraghty/Anthony Maher/1993)Despite the relative brevity of his Angel Voices career (which took place in the pre-tenor-section era), Oliver Putland displayed a formidable talent: out of the 20 songs on the 1992 Angel Voices CD, he performed as first soloist on 14 of them, leading some wags to designate this his “solo album with boys' chorus.”
(Optional) The selection below gives two versions (from the 1990 and 1992 Angel Voices CDs) of the lovely song "Sailing," with a rare-on-YouTube solo by early Angel Voices member Gareth Lowman, and a second version by Oliver Putland. An interesting progression to observe is the increased sophistication of both solo work and arrangement in just two short years during this era of change, concentration, and frequent performances by the group.
http://youtu.be/3bU_N7YCTPc (Sailing [Sutherland, arr. R. Prizeman] from Angel Voices 1990 [solo by Gareth Lowman] and Angel Voices 1992 [solo by Oliver Putland])
Gareth Lowman, mid-1980s
The CD was re-released in 1993, still under the name of the St. Philip’s Boys’ Choir, but with a different cover (see photo on "best of" compilation above). Putland currently works as an actor and animator, and in May of 2011, wrote a delightful reply, full of memories of his Angel Voices years, to an email sent by Lexi, Chicago-based coordinator of the fine Mini-Angels blogspot.
Oliver Putland, grown up
http://mini-angels.blogspot.com/2011/05/oliver-putland-wrote-back-to-me.html (Copy and Paste if link doesn't work on your viewing site)**********************************And that angelic blue-eyed blond child who answered Thora’s question about the nature of hell, and pranced winsomely to end the Godspell production number? 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.
Liam O' Kane, 1992
(Libera Footnote: The four boys in the video below, along with Oliver Putland, formed the entire solo roster for both the Titchmarsh on Song and Thora on the Straight and Narrow Angel Voices appearances. Both series were shot in compressed periods of time, during school vacations in July of 1992 and 1993.)
Soloist Glen Tilen on Thora, 1993The following song was actually recorded by Christopher Robin Milne (of Winnie-the-Pooh fame) as a child and became a torment and embarrassment 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 in this video just what they think of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TKk3fzdNtI (Christopher Robin/solo by Liam O' Kane; chorus: Daren Geraghty, Anthony Maher/Glen Tilen/1993)
L to R: Daren Geraghty, Anthony Maher, Glen Tilen Over time, however, young Liam developed that childish soprano into one of the finest voices ever to come out of St. Philip's. In the video below, he's in angel-faced top form at age 12 in 1997, standing on a chilly rock formation in Matlock Cave in Derbyshire and soloing in Robert Prizeman's spine-tingling "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.
Adam Harris
The ever-luminous Liam O' Kane
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe7NCDi-iXw (Salva Me-Liam O' Kane/Descant by Adam Harris/1997)Another small blond boy, Steven Geraghty (younger brother of Daren), can be seen at the left side of the first chorus row in the video, poised to emerge as a strong high-note solo presence. The two talented brothers were to appear onscreen together only twice, in a 1995 performance of "Libera/De Profundis" for the TV program Blue Peter, and in the ABBA video below.
This is one of Angel Voices’ more professionally produced music videos, and another of the group’s initial incursions into pop music, with an ethereal take on ABBA’s “I Have a Dream.” (Other pop composers whose work was recorded by Angel Voices included Andrew Lloyd Webber, Joe Cocker, Jennifer Warnes, Cat Stevens, and Barry Manilow)
(L to R) Baby Voices Liam O' Kane, Steven Geraghty, and Adam Harris in "I Have a Dream," 1995
The resulting video is interesting in that it includes close-ups of so many of the early solo “stars:” Liam O’ Kane, Gareth Lowman, Adam Harris, Steven Geraghty, Daren Geraghty, Oliver Putland, Glen Tilen, and Anthony Maher. Liam O' Kane is principal soloist.
The curly-haired child standing next to Steven Geraghty in the 1997 "Salva Me" video is Sam Coates, who, like Steven, 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.
Libera longevity: Steven Geraghty and Sam Coates (top) as little Angel Voices in 1997; (center) as Libera singers in 2002; and (bottom) working in the studio with soloist Josh Madine in 2009. Both are still on the Libera staff.
(Optional but Historically Interesting) The video below is of "Salva Me" as performed live in 1999 on the then-popular Blue Peter children's TV show. The quality is poor, the acoustics are unkind, and new soloist Steven Geraghty (who took over the part from Liam O' Kane) was not having his best performance, but it does show Libera in the throes of transition from their Angel Voices identity. A much-taller Adam Harris had not yet vocally grown out of the high "Salva" descant that he performed in the 1997 video above.
Angel Voices/Libera singers Alex Baron and Chris Turner, Blue Peter, 1999
The five front-row singers in the video are Alex Baron, Chris Turner, Steven Geraghty, Sam Coates and Liam O' Kane. Behind Sam, at around 2:25, a very young Simon Lewis and Robert Ogilvie can be seen, and a surprisingly small Ben Crawley (see several paragraphs below for why this is surprising) is on the right end of that line. The older boys, some of them original Angel Voices, were, for the most part, left behind in the next two Libera years.http://youtu.be/7laF48sY4uI (Salva Me 1999 on Blue Peter TV show/descant by Adam Harris/Solo by Steven Geraghty)(Optional but outstanding) Here's another piece of exquisitely straightforward singing by the young Liam O' Kane (who went on post-Libera to perform with a British ska band and start his own recording career). This was filmed in London’s Highgate Cemetery in 1998.
Liam O' Kane, MySpace publicity photo c. 2011 http://youtu.be/DnFZGh0DWhY (How Can I Keep From Singing (Lowry/Santay; arr. R.Prizeman): solo by Liam O' Kane/Vision TV program/1998Meanwhile, quiet little Adam Harris also grew up within the Angel Voices ranks to become an even more accomplished and unaffectedly beautiful Libera soloist in his teenage years. This moving Robert Prizeman composition appeared in 2000, on a September 15th Songs of Praise anniversary program on the Battle of Britain. It was filmed at the Battle of Britain Memorial at Câpel-le-Ferne, located near Folkestone in Kent.
Adam Harris, 2000
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX_wqn1ILE8 (Lux Aeterna/solo/second voice by Adam Harris/Steven Geraghty/2000)************************************************************II: ANGEL VOICES TO LIBERA
In the mid-to-late 1980s, 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 choirboys 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 increasingly popular with both the religious and the non-Anglican public.
Jaymi Bandtock and Sam Harper (still barefoot) duet with Angel Voices in a 1988 TV appearance on Pebble Hill at One.*******************************************************Libera Footnote/Early-Recording Details: (Optional) In 1995, Robert Prizeman released, on the Warner Classics label, a single of his original song, "Libera” (taken from the “Libera me” and “De Profundus” sections of the requiem mass), and a CD (also called Libera). that contained seven remixes of the same piece. The first four tracks featured the Angel Voices group under the name of Libera for the fist time, with Daren Geraghty as the main soloist. The "Libera" name, although first used briefly by the group in 1995 (see above and below), was not to become official until 1999, when they released a self-titled CD, also on the Warner Classics label.With each name change there was usually a year or so of overlap and confusion, especially as the group also switched record labels several times, recording for MCI as St. Philip’s Choir and Angel Voices (Angel Voices 2 was released in 1996 and Angel Voices 3 in 1997, both by MCI); the group’s involvement with Warner Classics began/coincided around 1995, and continued until the move to [Libera’s current label], EMI, in 2004.)
****************************************************Here's another early "historical" moment—a 1995 appearance, on ITV’s Sunday Live. (Here the boys participating are calling themselves “Libera,” though the larger group continued to record as Angel Voices through 1997) This video features their first "boy band" imitation (obviously influenced by early "Thora" appearances), performing "Libera" (the song), and trying to find a place in the world of pop before they (quickly) discovered that what they did best in the realm of music was to be themselves.
Daren Geraghty and friends bust a move as the newly-minted "Libera" on ITV in 1995.This version is mildly embarrassing, but also gives us at least the first names of several nebulously identified boys who were in the group at that time: L to R in the interview: Richard, Kit, Chris (Baron?), Daren (Geraghty), and Gary, all 12 years old with the exception of the 14-year-old Daren. (In the short interview that follows, by the way, one of the boys uses what sounds like a common obscenity; what he's actually saying is "funked up.")http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrcqZxNLTas (Libera/Early boy-band attempt/solo by Daren Geraghty/1995/interview by Gloria Hunniford.)
Another early attempt to portray Libera (c. 2000) as an up-from-the-streets boy band. L to R: Steven Geraghty, Joseph Sanders-Wilde, ?, Sam Coates, Raoul Neumann, George Tarleton, Ben Crawley, Robert Ogilvie, Jake Shortall, Alasdair Gordon, Chris Robson, Simon Lewis, Joe Platt (photo by James Harrison). (Editor's Note: Sometime in the mid-2000s, the following tag line appeared in a London Evening Standard review of the group: "They come from the mean streets of South London, but sing like little angels." This line struck some sort of popular chord, and has been repeated frequently through the years, appearing as late as 2011. In fact, though the boys come from many different backgrounds, none, as far as is known, have been rescued from the "mean streets" (unless one counts the suburbs), and the majority appear to reflect distinctly lower-middle-to-upper-class origins. It's a catchy line, though.)
Sam Coates, Steven Geraghty, Ben Crawley, Anthony Chadney, Joe Platt, Raoul Neumann, and Chris Robson get their street faces on, c. 1999.Another interesting transitional video was made in 2001, after the permanent shift from Angel Voices to Libera mode had taken hold. Robert Prizeman’s arrangement of “Te Lucis,” also known as “Vespera,” ties together the "old guard," in the form of Alex Baron, Simon Beston, Liam O' Kane,and two other former Angel Voices singers performing as adult males (a Prizeman choice on several arrangements of this era before the incorporation of a tenor section into the actual group), while Steven Geraghty soloed and then-newcomer Ben Crawley took on the soprano descant. This song was later revived for the 2011 concert season (See Part Four).
Alex Baron, Simon Beston, ?, Liam O' Kane, ?http://youtu.be/MlbypOrIrL4 (Te Lucis /Vespera/solos by Steven Geraghty/Ben Crawley/2001)
(Optional but outstanding) Libera’s somewhat basic rendition of “Te Lucis” was embellished to great dramatic effect several years later, as Libera backed former boy soloist Aled Jones in a production number on the 2003 Classical Brit Awards show. A very young Joe Platt sang the spine-tingling soprano descant.
Dramatic setting for Aled Jones and Libera performing "Te Lucis" 
Joe Platt**********************************************Digression: On a High Note
Adam HarrisThe slightly unformed sweetness of Steven Geraghty's voice, as heard above in the first “Te Lucis,” soon matured into an instrument capable of impressive musical pyrotechnics, as evidenced by this breathtaking performance (taken from Libera’s 2001 Luminosa CD) in a version of "Ave Maria" that is usually attributed to Giulio Caccini, but was actually composed in 1970 by Vladimir Vavilov.The video clip is accompanied by still photos of the then-current singers.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKtqYYg3ZZs&feature=related(Ave Maria [Caccini/Vavilov]/ solo by Steven Geraghty/2001)
Steven GeraghtyFor comparison, here is the same composition revised and simplified for concert use, and even more exquisitely (though less showily) sung in 2005 by Conor O’ Donnell, who otherwise provided second harmonies and descants and/or stayed pretty much in the background. Up-and-comer Tom Cully, who would eventually take over the "Ave Maria" lead part, sang the second harmony here, the two boys’ voices blending almost seamlessly.
Conor O' Donnell, Tom Cully, 2005 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UufOcbgUc-k (Ave Maria [Caccini/Vavilov]/ solo/harmony by Conor O’ Donnell/Tom Cully/2005)This version of "Ave Maria" was to become Tom Cully's all-time favorite piece. He continued with the second part for several years, singing with Ed Day for the Leiden PBS concert (http://youtu.be/bwsphqSvL1k /Leiden Ave Maria/Caccini-Vaviliov/ Solo/second part by Ed Day/Tom Cully/2007), only to emerge at age 14 as a mind-blowing soloist in the 2008 version from the New Dawn CD. It's hard to recognize the outspoken imp of early videos and interviews in the singer of this breathtaking and definitive rendition of a signature piece. (See "Fan Tributes," below, for more on Tom Cully's career)http://youtu.be/bAULcisUEGw(Ave Maria/Tom Cully/ New Dawn 2008)
Conor O’ Donnell also excelled at high descant work, as evidenced by this YouTube presentation of “Recordare,” a Robert Prizeman-arranged piece of traditional plainsong in which O' Donnell performs beautifully and hits a creditable high B. The lower soloist is Joe Sanders-Wilde, whose earlier descant career took him to high C. The song is combined here with impressive video/light imagery.
Joe Sanders-Wildehttp://youtu.be/DEC0QtE8Fds (Recordare/descant/solo by by Conor O’ Donnell/Joseph Sanders-Wilde/from Visions CD, 2005 or Angel Voices CD, 2006)For a brief period in the late 2000s, Libera live-concert audiences were treated to a between-songs demonstration of singers’ ranges, moving from lowest to highest in a line, with the high trebles garnering most of the gasps and applause. This was a relatively short-lived “bit,” possibly because of the “show-off” factor and implied competition.
Tom Cully (R) with Ben Philipp, reacts during a meet-and-greet when a fan asks him to sing one of his famed high notes, c. 2008. While it’s very clear that the group's distinctive sound is created by the entire range of voices (rather than being just a distracting demo of “how high can they go?”), those soaring upper-register treble notes are, after all, one of Libera’s trademarks, and boys who can hit high B and above without straining are very much sought after in auditions.In the mid-2000s, a fan who went by “merwynbramble” used audio equipment to compile what he called “The Libera Ladder of Really High Notes,” which now resides in the fine AngelVoices database (link to AV is at end of each Timeline section).
Four of the exquisite übertrebles of 2008 (Ed Day, Tom Cully, Josh Madine, and Liam Connery) go for their highest notes in J. S. Bach's demanding "Air on the G String." ("Air on the G String" by J.S. Bach/New Dawn CD, 2008)
According to the "Ladder," the highest note ever hit on a Libera recording up to that time was an amazing E-flat-above-high-C, in a never-videoed Robert Prizeman/Ian Tilley piece called “Sancta,” recorded on the group’s first Libera CD in 1999. Liam O’ Kane is listed as soloist, but as the big note came during a choral section, he isn’t officially credited, especially as his “official” recorded high was a B-flat. (The singer of the note may have been brilliant descantor Adam Harris, who, however, is credited with no other recorded notes in the high B-flat to E-flat range)
Liam O' KaneIn that range, four other singers—Steven Geraghty, Ben Crawley, Joseph Sanders-Wilde, and Tom Cully—regularly achieved high Cs up to the time of the Ladder's compilation. The amazingly unassuming Joe Platt could, and frequently did, hit it out of the park with a D-above-high-C.
Since that list was made, a number of boys may also possibly have qualified for it: Liam Connery, Ed Day, Joe Snelling, Stefan Leadbeater, Ralph Skan, Matthew Rangel-Alvarez, and several others. In Libera one never knows when a tiny treble will step out of the ranks and reach for the skies.End of Digression ON A HIGH NOTE
**************************************************************************
Luminosa CD cover (2001) (Libera Footnote/Fashion Notes) (Optional, but Fun)
Hooded boys follow Robert Prizeman like ducklings in 2009; the white shoes and socks indicate that they are on their way to a concert appearance (OfficialLibera photo) In one of the still photos accompanying the first "Ave Maria" video above, the boys were seen wearing version II of Libera white: loose three-quarter-sleeved hooded white tops, worn with matching white trousers for concerts.The boys in two-piecers are (L to R): Stephen Geraghty, unknown, Liam O' Kane, Adam Harris.
This was a time of careful experimentation with the Libera “look.” As a defining change from the classic blue-and-white cassock/cupcake-ruff combination of their churchly duties (seen in the first "San Damiano" video, above), early St. Philip’s/Angel Voices variations had included: dress shirts and ties for informal appearances and early videos, coordinated playclothes in bright colors and strong patterns for a number of the Titchmarsh episodes; a mélange of boy-clothes styles for the Thora appearances; baggy dark-blue tunic/pants for Blue Peter; and blue-patterned tunics with dark matching pants for their third CD cover.
(Cover for New Day CD; 1990) 
Blue monk-like robes with rope belts for a TV appearance, c. 1991
Coordinated patterns and solids for Titchmarch, 1992Early Libera (as oposed to Angel Voices) garments included black full-length robes with hoods (used in the 1998 video of “Jubilate);” and black hooded tunics with woven shoulder bands in earth colors, as seen in several 2001 videos from the TV program Blue Peter.
Black-robed boys in the 1998 "Jubilate" video. The boy on the left can be seen as an adult singer in "Te Lucis," above.
Steven Geraghty, Sam Coates, and Liam O' Kane wear banded tunics, while backing chorus (including Ben Crawley at R.) are dressed in black Ts-with-badges. ("Salva Me,"Blue Peter, 1999)
By the early 2000s, however, the basic performing robes, after several transitional stages, were essentially the same as the present garment: graceful A-lined white constructions with long, loose sleeves and voluminous hoods.
(LiberaOfficial photo; This shot, which was probably taken around 1999, includes adult choir members, as well as Anthony Chadney, Simon Lewis, Chris Robson, Alisdair Gordon, Robert Ogilvie , Liam O' Kane, George Tarleton, Steven Geraghty, and Sam Coates. The version I full-sleeved robes are clearly two-pieced.) 
(LiberaOfficia photo); This unusual "spoof" photo with skateboard appeared in the early 2000s. The boys' white robes are still fuller-sleeved than today's and feature a side slit. L. to R: George Tarleton, Alisdair Gordon, Raoul Neumann, Sam Coates, Anthony Chadney, Robert Ogilvie, Joe Platt, Steven Geraghty, Simon Lewis, Ben Crawley, Chris Robson. Also in the early 2000s, the group also adopted its present-day “uniform” of black or white hooded sweatshirts, worn with black or gray trousers and light-blue long- or short-sleeved shirts (usually worn uniformly untucked by all, as attempting to get small boys to tuck in shirttails is an exhausting proposition), for traveling and for informal appearances and performances.
(OfficialLibera Photo c. 2008; L to R: James Threadgill, Callum Payne, Tiarnán Branson, Michael Vereycken, Joe Snelling, Ed Day, Alfie Smart, Tom Cully, Jakob Wood, Ben Phillip, Jonathan Barrington, Oliver Cole, Josh Madine, Kavana Crossley, Alex Leggett, Flynn Marks, Thomas Cole)
Peace CD booklet, 2010: boys in white hooded sweatshirts are, L to R: Liam Connery, Ben Philipp (top), James Mordaunt, Alex Leggett, Daniel Fontannaz (top), Josh Madine, Jakob Wood (top), Freddie Ingles.Eventually a lightweight ensemble of black or white hooded T-shirts worn with gray cropped pants and high-topped black sneakers was added to the group wardrobe for sightseeing/playing, as were heavier hooded all-weather coat and jackets in black for winter wear.
In early white version of T-shirt play hoodies, c. 2003 (L to R): Joe Platt, Ben Crawley, James Vereycken, Chris Robson, Joseph Sanders-Wilde, Nathaniel Webb, Anthony Chadney, Simon Lewis, Michael Horncastle, Steven Geraghty (top), Tom Cully, Callum Payne. Choice of trousers apparently still varied at this point.
Libera in Greece, styling uniformly in black play hoodies, cropped gray pants, and Converse™ sneakers while returning the long way around from a tour of Japan, Korea, and the Philippines in 2010 (See Part Four of this Timeline for the full story.) An informal uniform ensemble of plaid long-sleeved shirts worn over T-shirts and jeans was used in 2004 publicity shots.
In 2010, as seen in the Japanese tour video of that year, the onstage performing look was augmented for certain songs with black robes in a larger size worn over the singers’ usual flowing white.
L. to R.: Ed Day, Ben Philipp, Tom Cully, Josh Madine, and Liam Connery in publicity photo for New Dawn CD
Jakob Wood, Stefan Leadbeater, Jonathan Barrington, Ben Philipp, and Liam Connery in black-over-white (2010 videocapture) An amusing note (and almost a trademark, beginning in the mid- 2000s) is the practice of having the boys wear their hooded jackets backwards over their robes when snacking/drinking backstage before concerts. The jackets serve as bibs protecting the pristine white of the robes, and the jacket hoods are positioned to catch stray crumbs or drops.
Josh Madine and other boys wear their jackets backwards over their robes for pre-concert snacking in Japan.
Hoods up!(End of Fashion Notes)***********************************************************************
Meanwhile, back in 2002: I'm inserting this quasi-Christmas ensemble song (filmed in St. Sophia’s Greek Cathedral, London, for a “Songs of Praise” Advent series) here just because I find it so delightful. A number of 2002-2009 Libera members and soloists are seen here as tiny trebles, and current staff members "Big Ben" Crawley, Steven Geraghty, and Sam Coates appear in their soprano/alto/tenor prime.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnPqM2e0kD8 (Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day/2002)Also from the early 2000s, we find the only known complete YouTube video of “Mysterium,” an atmospheric piece by Robert Prizeman that has several times been revived as a concert selection (most recently in 2010-11).
http://youtu.be/j25r-ltT8qY (Mysterium/St. John’s Church/2002)
The dim video above was shot at a concert in St. John’s Church, London early in 2002, with the boys backed by a mens' chorus. There is some controversy surrounding the identity of the blurred soloist; some observers believe that an earlier version of Adam Harris’s voice was dubbed onto this video, but with so many breathtaking high sopranos in the filmed group (Joe Platt, Steven Geraghty, Joseph Sanders-Wilde, Ben Crawley), the source of the exquisite solo voice remains somewhat of, well, a mystery. (From video analysis, it was most probably Ben Crawley.)
(OfficialLibera Photo; "Mysterium" being performed on 2011 US tour) 
Ben CrawleyThe formidably 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 lovely voice, but also because of his height and regular growth spurts (ultimately topping out at 6'5") which had him still singing high soprano solos while approaching six feet tall and dwarfing the diminutive trebles around him. (2002 was an amazing growth year for this singer in every way—note the difference in height and appearance between the early-2002 "Mysterium" video above and the December-filmed "Voca Me" video at the end of this section)
In the late-2002 videocapture above, Ben Crawley (R) stands on ground level with fellow high sopranos Joseph Platt (2nd from L.) and Tom Cully (C.); the boys behind and to either side of them (including Michael Horncastle on far L. and Simon Lewis in top C.) are perched on elevated risers.
Ben Crawley in 2011 towering during an onstage sound check with Robert Prizeman amid a lively swirl of Liberans, (Photo by Jimmy Riddle) Crawley also took part in several films in the late 1990s, including both acting and solo work in The Snow Queen and The Merchant of Venice. When his voice finally changed, he sang tenor with the group up through the mid-2000s, and now serves as stage director, voice teacher, composer, lyricist and chaperone with today's Libera. Here is a 2002 performance, filmed in July for Songs of Praise at American University's Chapel at Bushey Campus, that shows the amazing quality of Crawley's voice and the impact of his presence on the early Libera scene. The second voice is Chris Robson, who soloed beautifully on occasion, but also excelled at second parts. The music is by Robert Prizeman, the lyrics by Mrs. Cecil Frances Alexander.
The sweet-voiced Chris Robson (L. above) with George Tarleton, Joe Sanders-Wilde, and (below) singing harmony with Ben Crawley. 
http://youtu.be/4dGKnTWwar4 (Twilight is Stealing/solo by Ben Crawley/second voice Chris Robson/American University Chapel at Bushey Campus/2002)
(Optional) For pure unadulterated classical Ben Crawley, listen to this 2001 solo version of Georg Friedrich Handel's "Semele,"from the CD Luminosa. The English translation is somewhat uninspired, but Crawley manages to transcend it. http://youtu.be/p_wWFaIttKc (Ben Crawley/Semele/Where’er You Walk/2001/ Luminosa CD)
Both Crawley and Robson appear (along with the brilliant Joe Platt as high-descant soloist) 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 very 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 (another beautiful singer who was for some reason seldom featured as lead soloist in videos), make this timeless production a perennial favorite on Classical MTV programs to this day.
The adorably lost Michael Horncastle 
Anthony Chadney with torch in "Voca Me;" Callum Payne is in background. 
Michael Horncastle, as seen in in "Voca Me" video, on an advertising poster
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTspRWWLGkc (Voca Me/ solos by Chris Robson and Anthony Chadney/ descant by Joseph Platt/2003)(Optional) For another beautiful example of Anthony Chadney's solo work, as well as an impressively arranged piece of music, Try this 2004 version of "A New Heaven," composed by Robert Prizeman using quotations from the Book of Revelations.It was around this time, as a promotion for their Free CD, that the first short Introducing Libera video appeared, featuring informal footage of the boys talking about the group and the songs on the CD, and a look behind the scenes on the chilly “Voca Me” nighttime video shoot, as well as a snippet of rare footage of choirboy-turned-producer Ian Tilley speaking about Libera.
v=http://youtu.be/Sq63OWUcei8 (2004 Introducing Libera)****************************************Admittedly, Ben Crawley's accomplished performances as a front-line soloist were a tough act to follow, but young Michael Horncastle did just that by simply being himself. An adorable kid who grew into an appealing youth, Horncastle seemed to maintain at all times a deep emotional connection to anything he sang, and his sweet-voiced delivery was simple, sincere, soulful, and skilled without being artificial.
Michael HorncastleHis voice matured just in time to fill the soloing gap between Ben Crawley and the brilliant, slightly younger, group that contained Tom Cully, Ed Day, Ben Philipp, Liam Connery and Josh Madine (most of whom sang second parts to Horncastle's solo work before moving into their own individual spotlights). The song "Far Away" was written for him, and he made it particularly his own, appearing in several video versions of it. (It didn't hurt that he was almost ridiculously photogenic.)
After his voice changed in 2007, Horncastle sang tenor with the group through 2009. He continued with his music after leaving.
Michael Horncastle, grown upThe video below, filmed for Songs of Praise in 2002 at the American University Campus, Bushey, is notable primarily for the brief but sweet-voiced solo debuts of Horncastle and a very small Tom Cully (aged nine and seven respectively). Two other outstanding and slightly older soloists, Joe Platt and Joe Sanders-Wilde, also appeared here.
Tom Cully 
Michael Horncastle 
Joe Platt (L) with Jake Shortall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwMuzZl_guA (There is a Green Hill Far Away/solos by Tom Cully and Michael Horncastle/2002)
Joe Sanders-Wilde **************************************************************************************************** III: THE PRIZEMAN EFFECT
An unusually demonstrative Robert Prizeman with Libera boys in Singapore, 2012 (Photo by Lauren) Since 1970, St Philip's/Angel Voices'/Libera's principal source of both material and inspiration has been music director Robert Prizeman. Given free rein and non-traditional (in addition to liturgical) contexts for Libera performances, Prizeman has continued writing original songs for the group, as well as producing brilliant arrangements based on the work of modern songwriters (Enya, Brian Wilson, Billy Joel, Joe Cocker, ABBA, John David, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Akira Sanju, Takatsugu Muramatsu), as well as that of classical composers (Pachelbel, Beethoven, Holst, Franck, Sebelius, Saint-Saens, Chopin, Debussy, Mozart, Dvorak).
Prizeman blends all these influences with traditional melodies, 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 Part 2 below] when the boys are asked what their favorite music to sing is, the response is an unequivocal and spontaneous "Anything Rob writes.")
Prizeman directing a rehearsal in 2009The quality of Prizeman’s imagination can be seen in a 2005 video of “We Are the Lost” (first recorded on Libera’s Visions CD), in which he sets to original music John McCrae’s “In Flanders Field,” also incorporating words from Robert Binyan’s Poem “For the Fallen,” and a line from Isaac Burns’ hymn “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” to create a poignant memorial to all fallen soldiers. It includes scenes (all in London) set at Grosvenor Place/Hyde Park Corner, the Borough War Memorial, Paddington Station, and the Imperial War Museum.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPs3UPgLCsc (We Are the Lost/solo by Michael Horncastle/2005)***********************************************************Libera Footnote; Songs in a Memorial Key:
Callum Payne face to face with a figure of a young soldier in a WWI memorial grouping, 2005. James Vereycken is in the background. Much of Prizeman's best writing/arranging has been done in what might be called elegiac mode—in the form of memorials like the above "We Are the Lost," the Adam Harris "Lux Aeterna" in Section II above, and, below in Section XI, the touchingly lovely "Lullabye" video from the "deluxe" version of the 2010 Peace CD.Others include "Do Not Stand," and "I Vow to Thee My Country," (seen in concert version below in Section IV), and "Rest in Peace," sung here by its composer, Peter Skellern in a poignant performance backed by Libera and filmed at the Steam Museum in Swindon, England, in 2004)
http://youtu.be/aPh_87UkRFU (Rest In Peace [arr. Robert Prizeman]/solo by Peter Skellern with Libera/2004)
Libera backing Peter Skellern (at piano in foreground) on "Rest in Peace" (Optional) This all-Libera version of "Rest in Peace," from the 2007 New Dawn CD, is remarkable for the beauty of the arrangement, and for Tom Cully's singing on the solo bridge.http://youtu.be/40g5f2AMSLs (Rest in Peace/solo by Tom Cully/2007)
Photomontage in videocapture of "Be Still My Soul"
Another side of Prizeman’s brilliance is that he restrains himself from tinkering with perfectly beautiful straightforward pieces of music, as in this 2002 elegiac video of a hymn with a melody taken from Jean Sibelius’ Finlandia. No fancy solos or descants, just the song simply sung.http://youtu.be/omlBeCGLFG4 (Be Still my Soul/2002)
And finally, a Holoaust-memorial arrangement of "Abide With Me" that showcases the poignant strength and sweetness of Michael Horncastle's emerging solo voice. http://youtu.be/NSS7yUR5Yn8 (Abide With Me/Holocaust memorial/ solo by Michael Horncastle, 2005)(End of Songs in a Memorial Key)Prizeman's writing and arranging skills (especially since he was, in effect, continually creating, shaping, and adjusting his own ideal instrument) continued to improve through his work with Libera, resulting occasionally in arrangements with a capella harmonies so close that the mind boggles at their simultaneous simplicity and complexity. One of these is John David's "New Day," from Libera's 2005 album Visions. It’s accompanied by delightful still photos of the 2005 Libera boys.***********************************************************************
This Visions CD-cover mock-up (the original featured another in the ongoing series of atmospheric semi-abstract designs) shows James Vereycken, Michael Horncastle, Callum Payne, Joseph Sanders-Wilde, Josh Madine and Ed Day. youtu.be/16Hyt75KJ7o.webloc New Day/2005)
In contrast to the complexity of the above, the elegantly simple "Sempiterna" was inspired by a classic hymn "Creator of the Stars of Night" and videoed for Songs of Praise in Blytheburg Church, Suffolk in 2006.
http://youtu.be/nvlyP0hefhw (Sempiterna/2006)
,Poster based on "Sempiterna" video, featuring (top from L) Callum Payne, Ed Day, and Benedict Philipp (his first appearance with the group), with Josh Madine and Joseph Sanders-Wilde below.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 1999, as mentioned, they began recording and performing officially as Libera (Latin for "free;" pronounced with a short "i," as in liberty, and apparently difficult for many people to remember). Here the boys present a short humorous video on how to pronounce their name correctly.youtu.be/X9Clq9fji0o.webloc (Lib-er-a: a pronunciation guide/2007)
LiberaOfficial photo: Libera performing on TV in Japan, 2009; note caption for Japanese-speakers.
*************************************The backbone of Libera’s production team has come primarily from the ranks of Angel Voices/Libera choristers, including brilliant choirboy alumnus Ian Tilley, (from the late-1980s era), who acts as producer and instrumentalist, with former standout singers Ben Crawley, Steven Geraghty, and Sam Coates helping out in their various areas (stage-managing, public relations, electronics, instrumentals, composition, lyrics, vocal coaching, kid-wrangling).
Ian Tilley in 2004 
Staff members Sam Coates, Callum Payne and Ben Crawley in 2011 
Steven Geraghty (center), 2007 
Andy Winter with Philippine fan, 2011 (photo by OrangeCat)Other alumni helpers have been Andy Winter and Simon Beston, early St. Philip’s singers who appeared on the Free CD in 2004 as adult voices. Beston also appeared on the 2001 Luminosa CD singing in trio with Ben Crawley and Steven Geraghty, in this positively luminous performance of Robert Prizeman's "Veni Sancte."http://youtu.be/iKgb6fMehxI (Veni Sancti/ Solos/trio by Simon Beston, Ben Crawley, Steven Geraghty)
(Optional) An equally lovely piece of the same name appeared on the Eternal CD, in 2009, with Tom Cully and Liam Connery in solo/duet.
Quite possibly a videocapture of the elusive Simon Beston http://youtu.be/11NOLTaJSMM(Veni Sancte/ Solos/duet by Tom Cully and Liam Connery)
Long-time choristers Tom Cully and Callum Payne had also joined the staff by 2010.
Staff members in 2012 included alumni Jonathan Barrington, Tiarnán Branson and Simon Lewis, along with Luke Avery and Ben Rentoul **************************************************************With its increasingly capable support crew, Libera began to expand its exploration of pop and new-age music, and in the early 2000s began 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 the group’s 2005 visit to Japan at the time that their Visions CD was released.
A delighted newswoman interviews Tom Cully on a shopping trip.
Libera boys join Japanese street performers.To give an excellent idea of which singers were actually touring with Libera at this time, here is a Japanese-to-English fan page with photos of all members, unusually accompanied by personal comments, which were transcribed from a TV interview.
http://www.choirbase.com/images/photo_gallery.htm (2005 Japan Tour /boys photo gallery with comments by each Libera member/translation by Ryuichi [thanks to Johan from the Netherlands for rediscovering this])
A second tour to Japan and Korea took place in 2007; bright T-shirts were used here to give the boys a more "pop" image. 
Korean fans reach out to touch Libera boys in 2007; such close contact with crowds is now rare.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXEIBLffkqs (Japanese news coverage of Libera visit to Japan/2005)(Optional) In 2007, the group filmed yet another Introducing Libera video, informally previewing songs from their upcoming (and first) concert DVD (see section IV below).http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4ogo3jzgIY (Introducing Libera 2007)Also 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. (For this version and more on the history of "Sanctus," see below)************************************************************SANCTUS: A Diversion (Optional, but Fascinating)
Libera performs "Sanctus" at the Crystal Cathedral, Los Angeles, 2009 "Sanctus," sometimes found under the title "Locus Iste," is perhaps the most filmed and videoed of Robert Prizeman's compositions for Libera. With melody and counterpoint based more or less on those of Johann Pachelbel's beloved Canon in D,"Sanctus," since its 1999 debut, has been amped up, filled in, dressed down and endlessly re-arranged to become an eight-part-harmony crowd-pleaser seldom missing from the group's performance schedule. Below you'll find either links to, or synopses of its major video/DVD appearances to date. These also provide a lovely record of Libera's changing roster of singers and the group’s dynamics from 1999 through 2010. (* = Most Recommended)I. This 1999 version, known as "Sanctus I," was filmed in St.John’s Church for Songs of Praise, with a men’s chorus providing one section of the counterpoint. The final solo is by Steven Geraghtyhttp://youtu.be/cmuPJvr89Jw (Sanctus I/ St. John’s Church/Songs of Praise with men’s chorus/solo by Steven Geraghty/1999)
*II: Candles, percussion, men's chorus, dramatic lighting, staging and filming—"Sanctus II," from a Songs of Praise Advent program, has it all.
http://youtu.be/g2lZHTvZfF4 (Sanctus II/Songs of Praise Advent 2: Journey into Christmas/12/8/2002)*III: Here's another rendering (from a 2002 Songs of Praise show broadcast from St. David's Hall in Cardiff, Wales) that really shows off the song's lovely counterpoint. It also shows clearly a number of boys who seldom sang solos, but provided a strong and beautiful chorus backup for the early Libera—Alisdair Gordon, Raoul Neumann, Robert Ogilvie, Simon Lewis, Jake Shortall, Nathaniel Webb, and George Tarleton.
Alasdair Gordon 
Nathaniel Webb 
George Tarleton 
Robert Ogilvie and Simon Lewis
http://youtu.be/hbOwkA3PltA (Sanctus on SOP/Cardiff, Wales/presented by Aled Jones/ 2002)
Raoul Neumann IV: An excellent 2006 version of "Sanctus," sung mostly as a processional, with Ed Day as soloist, appears on the 2011 Canadian-tour interview with three of the boys on Salt and LightTV (also appears in the Canadian-Tour section of Part Four).
http://youtu.be/1wjjLvUT4Kk (Interview with Freddie Ingles, Liam Connery and Kavana Crossley on Salt and Light Canadian TV program, April, 2011/host: Pedro Guevera Mann/opens with 2006 "Sanctus")
"Sanctus" processional, 2006 *V: This heavenly "Locus Iste" version of "Sanctus" was broadcast on Songs of Praise in January of 2006. It alternates shots of the boys singing against a sky-and-clouds background with a loose "plotline" of them exploring two City of London churches—Christ Church, Greyfriars Tower, Newgate Street, London, and St Dunstan in the East on St Dunstan's Hill. Both structures, according to the fine Angel Voices site database, (see"Links" section below ) date from medieval times, with rebuilding by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London. Both were heavily damaged by bombing in WWII and have been left as ruins, now containing public gardens. Fitting backgrounds for another lovely "Sanctus."
Conor O' Donnell, Jake Shortall, and Joe Sanders-Wilde in "Locus Iste," 2006.
"
http://youtu.be/wt4QTrGlGbg (Locus Iste/Sanctus/Christ Church, London & St. Dunstan's Church/2006)*VI: This video version of "Sanctus," as performed on the Free CD, also includes the "Locus Iste" prelude and ending, and is remarkable for its complex visuals.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLaN3UEt4BY (Locus Iste/Sanctus III)
(Top, L to R:) Conor O' Donnell, Zack Lockett, Liam Connery, Joe Platt, James Vereycken, Jonathan Barrington, Tom Cully; (Bottom): Callum Payne, Michael Horncastle, Sam Leggett (Optional) http://youtu.be/yNXa16NsIT4 (Behind the scenes of Visions video and CD: the making of "Locus Iste")VII: Again in 2006, the boys performed the song live at the Royal Albert Hall in London as part of a concert with legendary tenor José Carreras.
http://youtu.be/zWoKNDH2Mcc (Sanctus Live at Royal Albert Hall in concert with José Carreras/12/2006/ still photos only)VIII and *IX: The 2007 performance on When Will I Be Famous? (video in the regular text above) demonstrates "Sanctus"'s adaptability to a variety of settings, as does its appearance in the PBS Concert at the Leiden St. Pieterskerk, seen in Section IV below.
http://youtu.be/lEdHt41XXZI (Sanctus/ When Will I Be Famous?/Solo by Tom Cully/2007)
In the bright lights of When Will I Be Famous*X: The performance of the song during a Papal Mass with Pope Benedict XVI in Yankee Stadium during a 2008 US tour was a true "cultural event." This is the only entire filmed version (looped from live CNN internet feed) of this performance, and, as mentioned elsewhere, the boys' "squinting" appearance was caused by the reflection of overly bright lights, combined with a windy day. This version is worth watching (even though the sound is mediocre), both for its cultural context and for the excellent event photography.http://youtu.be/e1Ppu1GQjVg (Sanctus/4/20/2008/ Papal Mass in Yankee Stadium/looped from live CNN internet feed/solo by Liam Connery)
Libera boys leave the stage to great applause in Yankee Stadium, 2008. *XI: In the Songs of Praise Libera special of 2009 (see it in Section VIII/Part 3 of the Timeline), an entirely new version of the song was videoed, skillfully incorporating footage from older versions. Marvelous alto and second-voice Sam Leggett (2005-2011) here performed the only onscreen stand-alone solo of his career.
XII: The randomly videoed 2010 Crystal Cathedral "Sanctus" in Los Angeles, like the Papal Mass above, qualifies more as a cultural event than as an ideal performance. Other Crystal Cathedral performances can be seen in Part 3.
Sam Leggett on Songs of Praise, 2009 http://youtu.be/QO5RXik2ImU (Sanctus/Crystal Cathedral 2010/violin: Fiona Pears)And there you have a round dozen of the many recorded and videoed versions of a song for the ages.END OF SANCTUS: A DIVERSION**********************************************
Later in 2007, Libera traveled to Holland to record an entirely different sort of TV program, called Angel Voices: Libera in Concert, in the lovely Leiden St. Pieterskerk (see excerpts in section IV below). The resulting concert was shown in the US as a PBS-TV special and is available as a DVD 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 before a distinguished audience in London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Filming PBS special in St. Pieterskerk, Leiden, Holland
While touring in the US in early 2008, the group not only sang for Pope Benedict XVI in Yankee Stadium (see "Sanctus" digression above), but also serenaded Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson at the Kennedy Center Honors, with President and Mrs. George W. Bush in attendance. The Kennedy Center performance is not included here because of a dreadful job of sound mixing at the event, but is briefly shown in the 2009 Songs of Praise BBC special that can be viewed in Part Three of this Timeline, along with a newer video of the song with commentary by Brian Wilson.
Brilliant violinist Fiona Pears is married to Libera producer Ian Tilley 
Liam Connery, Zach Lockett, Sam Leggett, Josh Madine, Tom Cully, Ben Philipp, Joe Snelling, Ed Day, and Michael Vereyken onstage at the Kenedy Center Honors, 2008. 
Facing the President of the US and an audience of Very Famous PeopleIn spite of all this attention, the 2007-2008 crop of lads (who continued to attend their various schools and [most] to 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 third Introducing Libera promotional video for their 2008 CD New Dawn.
(L to R: Josh Madine,Ben Phillip, Tom Cully, Joe Snelling, Ed Day, Liam Connery, Michael Vereyken, Zack Lockett. Sam Leggett.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVOUfH86QlU (Introducing Libera 2008/New Dawn Promo)
****************************************
Libera Footnote: Fan Tributes:
Fan Poster from around 2007; L to R: Josh Madine, Ben Phillip, Zach Lockett (top), Tom Cully (bottom), Ed Day, Joe Snelling (top), Liam Connery (bottom).An interesting development, as Libera became more and more of a widespread fan phenomenon, was the compilation, by fan clubs or individuals, of "tribute" videos, either as celebrations of outstanding singers who had 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 video clips and/or still photos, and over 100 have been made, featuring not only soloists, but also “unsung” chorus members who became fan favorites.The subject of the following tribute is 2002-2009 treble 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, (and, as seen above, master of the group’s highest range of notes).
Tom Cully sighs in relief after completing a toe-clenchingly difficult solo in 2007. Liam Connery is behind him.
From his start as Libera's littlest treble in 2002, Cully soon developed an uncanny vocal maturity and flexibility which would have him singing both the highest of descants and the most difficult of solos, all the while turning out flawless second-, third-, and fourth-part harmonies on demand—all without a working understanding of Latin. The background song here is Tom's lyrical rendering of "May the Road Rise Up to Meet You," based on a popularized Irish blessing.
The irrepressible Tom Cully in 2007 (videocapture) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgC5lDXRSDM (Tom Cully Tribute/2007)
Tom Cully in 2011Another fan video focused on the winsomely eccentric and intensely popular Benedict Philipp (2006-2012). Known by this time as “Mini-Ben” to avoid confusion with “Big Ben” Crawley), he was at this point also coming into his own as a soloist; this piece showcased his sometimes-edgy voice in its most dulcet range.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bc1gwiVk-&feature=related (William Blake's "The Lamb"/Solo by Ben Philipp)
Ben Philipp with fans in 2012While not precisely a tribute (his actual tribute video is set to "Abide With Me," from the Leiden concert below), this next video showcases the cherubic and reliable Edward (Ed) Day (2003-2010), a seemingly shy and reticent boy who paradoxically could sing almost anything and never showed a trace of nerves when performing.
This is the 2003 version of another classic British song that Libera has continued to perform for over a decade. Day succeeded Ben Crawley and Joseph Platt as lead voice for this perennial favorite, which was sung in 2010-2011 concerts by Ralph Skan or Stefan Leadbeater.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2_3X0Bnnew (Veritas/When a Knight Won His Spurs/solo by Ed Day)One of the rarest “tributes” concerned the Baron brothers, Chris and Alex, who were featured as Angel Voices soloists from 1996 through 1999 (Alex sang occasionally as an adult with the group as late as 2004). Their solos appeared on the Angel Voices CDs, and were never videoed,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEsXk55zAHQ (The Baron Brothers; 1996-1999; this YouTube video can be best watched on the pop-out version, the icon third from right on the bottom)
Alex Baron. 1998 
Chris Baron, 1998
Another set of sturdy rosy-cheeked boys were the Vereycken brothers, James and Michael, both an integral part of Libera in the 2000s. James sang the occasional solo, and Michael sang second parts, but it was their unwavering support vocals that inspired these tributes. The second video also celebrates another non-soloist but outstanding chorus member, the diminutive but outspoken Zachary Lockett, who left the group in 2008.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhVbKQadT9E (James Vereycken Tribute)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB0lBsbiOfM (Tribute to Michael Vereycken (2004-2010) and Zachary Lockett (2004-2009)
Zach Lockett 
Jonathan Barrington
Other never-soloing stalwarts at this time were the Cole brothers Thomas and Oliver, Jonathan Barrington, Tiarnán Branson and Alex Leggett, all members who, like Michael Vereycken and Zach Lockett, performed on the 2007 Angel Voices: Libera in Concert DVD (see below) The latter three, as 2012 approached, were still with the group, but left early in that year (see Part Five of this Timeline).
Alex Leggett
Thomas Cole 
Oliver Cole
Tiarnán Branson
Must-see: One of the most useful fan tributes to date was created by a European Libera enthusiast, Liberic1, in June of 2011. This is a beautifully assembled video that combines (alphabetically by first names) individual portraits of choristers from the 1980s on. Although a few choristers are missing from the early days, this is essentially an all-time Libera roster up to mid-2011, indispensable for putting names to faces.
youtu.be/GDToqkuVAe8 2.webloc(The Large Book of Libera V4 (with names) by Liberic1/2011)(End of Fan Tributes)****************************************************************Moving on, here’s a late-2000s performance that couldn’t be further from earlier ecclesiastical settings and really shows what Libera 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 TV program called Last Choir Standing, a talent show (for choral-music groups only) that debuted on the BBC in July 2008. The actual competition performances were mostly all-out no-holds-barred and slightly frenetic, but here Libera showed them effortlessly how it’s done.
**************************************************************************IV: THE LEIDEN PBS SPECIAL: Angel Voices: Libera in Concert
DVD cover, with Tom Cully, Zach Lockett, Jakob Wood, Joshua Madine, and Ed Day) The Event:
One of the richest sources of Libera performances under ideal conditions is the aforementioned 2007 PBS special, filmed in Holland's venerable Leiden St. Pieterskerk with near-perfect acoustics, specially designed lighting, subtle choreography and excellent camera work. In addition to keyboard accompaniments by Robert Prizeman and Ian Tilley, certain of the 15 songs were accompanied by Fiona Pears on violin, Steven Geraghty on recorder, clarinet, flute, or keyboards, and Il Novecentro Orchestra.
St. Pieterskerke. Leiden, Holland
It can be observed in the concert DVD that modern technology had by this time made it possible for the singers in the group to perform with tiny microphones hidden in pouches under their robes (or, in other performances of the time, using barely-visible wireless-microphone headsets) that allowed the volume of individual voices to be adjusted from a control board. The small single-ear receivers worn by soloists here at various times allowed them to receive cues from directors or instrumentalists. (See also "Creating the Libera Sound on Tour," in Part Five of this Timeline [link below at end].
Fiona Pears accompanies Libera in Leiden (LiberaOfficial Photo)
This was also one of the earliest videos in which several of the boys were seen speaking briefly (with great charm, though not extemporaneously) between songs, giving information about the group, introducing production staff, and describing selections and soloists. A YouTube video was made of these introductions alone.
Soloist Ben Philipp wearing earpiece http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvAd7aFI7PA ([Optional] Leiden Concert introductions/Josh Madine, Sam Leggett, Liam Connery, Ben Phillip and Joe Snelling/2007)
(Optional) Included on the DVD as a companion piece to the concerts, a collection of interviews with the boys reveals them delightfully as individuals.
Sam Leggett introduces "Libera" the song, as Liam Connery waits to solo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVtF6FTPYuw Libera: In Their Own Words, from Angel Voices: Libera in Concert/ 2007: Pt.1The Music:(selected from 15 pieces released on the DVD):
Chandelier view of Leiden concert in St Pieterskerk 1) This first DVD selection is a simple song made grand, as the unflappable Ed Day leads off with a solo that demonstrates amazing poise and clarity (you can watch him enjoying the play of his voice off of the excellent St. Pieterskerk acoustics).
http://youtu.be/2V7VDJGZhyQ (Abide With Me/Solo by Ed Day)1A) (Optional) This is the group's umpteenth video version of "Sanctus" (see "A Sanctified Diversion" above) inspired by the Pachelbel Canon in D, and a staple of the group's repertoire almost from the very beginning. Tom Cully and Ed Day provide the initial high harmony, Fiona Pears the violin accompaniment that substitutes for the high descant voice found in earlier arrangements.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6f8IySDb28 (Sanctus/2007)2) In this signature piece, from which the group takes its name, the naturally angelic-looking Liam Connery demonstrates that he has a voice to match his face, and he (or perhaps Tom Cully) hits an astonishing D-above-high-C at the end.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di6JGLpukkI
Liam Connery (Libera/Solo by Liam Connery/2007)
Connery, who joined the group in 2003, and was still a member in early 2012, is not seen performing as many videoed solos as other members, probably due to a combination of his natural reticence, the amazing number of other brilliant singers during his prime treble years, and the timing of his voice-change, but his every solo appearance, like this version of "Libera," is a classic of its kind. He was also regularly in the mix for duet, trio, quartet, and small-ensemble parts.
2A (Optional) For a lovely (and totally surreal) video version of "Libera," watch this; the "buried" (and then resurrected) soloists are Michael Horncastle, Ed Day and Joseph Sanders-Wilde.
Boys visible (from front) Michael Horncastle, Joseph Sanders-Wilde, Sam Leggetthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-fb-mjoF14 (Libera/ Ed Day/Michael Horncastle/Joseph Sanders-Wilde/c. 2005)
3) Another audience and fan favorite from about 2005 on was a charming boy named Joshua Madine, who seemed to attract the eye wherever he stood, and whose sweetly unaffected singing style consistently produced quietly breathtaking performances. Here he was joined by Ben Philipp and Tom Cully in a song with a well-known melody, the Largo from Anton Dvorak’s 9th Symphony “From the New World,” with words by Dvorak student William Arms Fisher. This is by far Libera's most-downloaded YouTube video.
Josh Madine (L) and Tom Cully 
Ben Phillip and Sam Leggett (videocaptures) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XGRrZfOhtk (Going Home/Josh Madine/ Ben Philipp/Tom Cully; intro by Josh Madine/2007)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/Ed Day/Sam Leggett/Descant by Joe Snelling/2007)
4B)
Joe Snelling, 2007
(Optional) In the late 2000s, a fan produced a YouTube Video of notable "Salva Me" pairings. In this video, it can be noted that Adam Harris sang the "Salvas" with both Liam O' Kane and Steven Geraghty between 1997 and 2001, Ed Day with a trio combination of Josh Madine, Tom Cully and Sam Leggett in 2006; Joe Snelling descanted with Madine, Cully, Leggett, and Ed Day in 2007 (above); and Stefan Leadbeater in 2009 with a larger group, including Josh Madine, Sam Leggett, Alex Leggett, Kavana Crossley, Zach Lockett, Daniel Fontannaz and Tiarnán Branson. Matthew Rangel-Alvarez inherited the descant in 2010, but as of 2012 there were no videos or CD credits showing which boys were singing the verses.
http://youtu.be/ShN0SVU03RQ (Salva Me 1997-2009/edited by waukon)
5) The vocally demanding "Stay With Me," is another Robert Prizeman composition, in which the self-effacing Ed Day (who at this point still came off in interviews as shy and almost babyish for his age) showed off his remarkably poised and mature solo capabilities, and Liam Connery shone in the descant.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-2-6cb9j-I (Stay With Me/Solo by Ed Day/Descant by Liam Connery/2007)6) This well-known piece by Engelbert Humperdinck, written in 1890-93 for his classic German opera Hänsel und Gretel, became a showpiece for Tom Cully and Ed Day. These two boys were one of the most memorable duet pairs in Libera’s history, each performing leads and secondary parts with equal ease. They were accompanied by Il Novocentro Orchestra and by the other Libera boys at their most angelic.
Tom Cully and Ed Day http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEnw6CSp_IY (Prayer by Engelbert Humperdinck/duet by Tom Cully and Ed Day/Il Novocentro Orchestra/2007)6A & B) This is the exquisite Cully/Day Leiden version of “Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep,” which can be compared (just below it (Optional)) to the equally lovely video version by Ben Crawley and Joseph Platt, another of Libera’s most memorable duet pairs.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XmWamnH4RA (Do Not Stand/Solo/duet by Tom Cully and Ed Day/2007)
Jaymi Bandtock and Sam Harper, the first of the great duet pairs, 1988. Other outstanding pairings have included Liam O' Kane with Adam Harris (1990s); Ben Crawley with Joe Platt (early 2000s; see above); Oliver Putland and Anthony Maher or Daren Geraghty (1990s); Tom Cully with Ed Day, Conor O' Donnell, Josh Madine (or almost anyone else) from 2005-2010; Stefan Leadbeater and Ralph Skan in 2011-2012)7) The following video shows another interesting example of how solos are passed along as soloists' voices drop out of range and younger boys’ 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 (in this concert a grown-up 14-year-old auburn-haired boy on the left side of the tenor section, next to former soprano standouts Callum Payne and Conor O' Donnell). The secondary harmony, originally sung by Tom Cully, had, in this version, been passed on to Ed Day. (In the 2009-12 sections, Parts 3-5 of this Timeline [links below], you'll see the solo part passed down three more times, to Ben Philipp, Ralph Skan. and Isaac London.)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCjr9VgTCbI (Far Away/Takatsugu Muramatsu, composer/duet by Tom Cully/Ed Day/2007)
8) This beautiful full-choral piece, co-written by Robert Prizeman and Ian Tilley, is one of the few songs of this era in which the tenor section is (however briefly) highlighted.
L to R: Ben Phillip, Sam Leggett, Liam Connery, Ed Day, Oliver Cole 9) And finally, a marvelous Robert Prizeman composition, 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/Ed Day/Tom Cully/2007*********************************************(Optional but Fascinating) "I Am The Day," sung by Ben Crawley with Joe Platt on Descant, was first aired in this dreamy and mystical video, shot in 2002 at the Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey, for a Songs of Praise Advent series.
http://youtu.be/nC_qzefgElU (I Am the Day/2002/Ben Crawley/Joe Platt)
That 2002 video, impressive as it was, now seems almost like a dress rehearsal for the amazing and complex version below, created in 2004 with the same lead soloists in Sumner Studios, Manchester for Classic-FM TV. The director was Chris Salt of Pinch of Salt productions. (Notice how more and more boys are pulled into the center of the zoetrope.)
Two aspects of the fanciful revolving "zoetrope" set used in the 2004 video of "I Am The Day." The young scholars in the bottom photo are, from left, Sam Coates, Joseph Sanders-Wilde, Jake Shortall and Tom Cully. http://youtu.be/IsT4Q8OeCTg (I am the day/zoetrope/ 2002)**************************************************************************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.
Luke Collins, Jonathan Barrington, Liam Connery, Ben Phillip; 2010; OfficialLibera photo
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. (The group now recruits boys from any religious denomination and also accepts those with no religious affiliations.) To this day essentially an all-volunteer organization, (including staff), by the second half of the 2000-2010 decade the Libera group had expanded to about 40 boys, with about half of them performing and touring, and the younger ones learning the repertoire, attending three-hour rehearsals several times a week with the performing singers, and readying themselves for the (sometimes sudden) promotion to public appearances.
Barney Lindsell and Daniel Fontannaz, 2010 (LiberaOfficialvideocapture) 
(A tiny Freddie Ingles speaking onstage and on TV in Japan, 2010) "We're just normal children, really," the boys often comment in interviews, never mind that they get VIP treatment from their adoring public when touring, and that the numerous (over 50 by 2012) websites and blogs dedicated to them indicate a huge growing international fan base. Unlike many other boys' choirs, which are often seen as a fairly uniform group, with a few elite soloists, all Libera members are encouraged to try their solo wings, to let their personalities shine through, and to speak (and even joke when appropriate) between their disciplined and polished performance of songs, thus becoming familiar and beloved individuals to their fans.
"Really, we're just normal children, really" Cassius O' Connell-White, James Mordaunt, Matthew Jansen, Kavana Crossley, Henry Barrington, Matthew Rangel-Alvarez, Luke Collins, Jakob Wood, and Ralph Skan in 2010) In interviews, especially with Robert Prizeman, the boys' singing is frequently referred to as their "hobby,” as all are there of their own accord, don’t pay for their training, are not paid for their singing, and seem to find the Libera experience ample reward for the time put in. If so, it's a rather intense pastime, since, in addition to performances and touring, a number of 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.)
Don't look so serious, it's your hobby; "Mini-James" Mordaunt, Cassius O' Connell-White, and Sere Akpobome in the spotlight in 2010So, to recap, Libera (under its various names and with successive ranks of boy singers) has now made at least 19 CDs (plus well over 20 more if you count Japanese releases and appearances on the annual EMI Classics, Sacred Music, Choirboys From Heaven and other Christmas music series and charity-CD recordings, not to mention on the CDs of other artists: (Neil Diamond, Hayley Westenraa, Björk, Aled Jones. Sir Cliff Richard, Michael Crawford, The Berlin Philharmonik, Sir Elton John, Andrea Bocelli, José Carreras, the late Luciano Pavarotti and even Dame Edna Everage).In August of 2011, Fan de LoK, from the French website Libera-Dreams, compiled a list of other artists' CDs on which Libera had appeared at that point; (s)he came up with a total of 100, and grouped the CD covers in a collage.
(2011 collage/photo by Fan de LoK) Libera has now toured in Europe, Asia, the US, and Canada, and appeared in numerous TV-film and movie soundtracks, TV commercials, a concert DVD, over a hundred TV programs and music videos, charity galas, a PBS special, several BBC specials and a video game. They've sung for a pope, for royalty, for numerous European and Asian heads of state and for two US presidents. Quite a hobby.
2010 Philippines poster boys are Henry Barrington, Freddie Ingles, Matthew Jansen, and Jude Collins In spite of all this attention (much more intense on foreign tours than in England, where only a scattering of worshipers might show up at St. Philip’s Church for evensong on a rainy night), 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, with the boys’ families very much involved in making it all work.
New faces making it all work on tour, 2011 (Clockwise from L Front): "Nano-Ben" Fairman (preceded in Libera by "Big Ben" Crawley and "Mini-Ben" Philipp), Matthew Madine, Orlando Woscholsky, Eoghan McCarthy, Tom Delgado-Little If one watches the special feature seen above in the section on the 2007 Leiden PBS concert, it shows the results when the boys were asked individually if they considered themselves "the star of the show;" most of them, even the principal soloists, seemed to either find that idea totally humorous or have a charmingly individual take on it.
Left to right on both a 2009 concert poster and the cover of Libera's Angel Voices CD: Sam Leggett, Liam Connery, Tom Cully, Ed Day, Josh Madine It hardly needs to be said how important it is, when considering the Libera phenomenon, to make the distinction between children who perform for the joy of it, and performing children who are attempting to carve out show-business careers; Libera definitely fits into the former category. Soloists, of course, occasionally get more exposure than the other boys (more photos on CD covers and posters, etc., although these are also sometimes designed to provide a mix of ethnic looks). but otherwise seem to fit seamlessly into the all-for-one-one-for-all ethos. One reason for this is that the older boys are kept keenly aware of the fleeting nature of their youthful fame (and changing voices) by being enjoined to take an active role in mentoring and teaching their eventual replacements, younger boys who may even (occasionally) be ready for performances (and public acclaim) at seven or eight years of age.
Tom Cully coaches Kavana Crossley on hitting top notes, 2007.Robert Prizeman, in the 2009 Songs of Praise Libera special, says: "We encourage the older boys to be sort of like uncles to the younger ones, to teach them and look out for them." This goes a long way in explaining the "team spirit" and open affection within the Libera group, a subject of frequent audience and onlooker comment. In a 2009 interview, Josh Madine, when asked in an onstage interview what it was like rehearsing, performing, and touring with Libera, replied laconically "Bit of a big party, really." The boys speak often of "friendship" and "friends" as one of the best things about being part of Libera.::
Josh Madine and Michael Vereycken, c. 2005 
Tom Cully (C) with Ben Crawley and Steven Geraghty (2005)
Ben Philipp and Kavana Crossley, 2009 
Luke Collins (top) and Barney Lindsell, c. 2010 
Newbie Cassius O' Connell White gets a reassuring hand from Jonathan Barrington in Japan, 2010.
Frequent soloist Ralph Skan hangs out with newbies Isaac London and Tom Delgado-Little, Chicago, 2011
Young Liberans Cassius O' Connell-White, Jakub Neidermaier-Reed, and Isaac London surround one of their favorite "uncles,"Josh Madine, during his 17th birthday celebration, Cebu, Philippines, 2011 Testifying to Libera's continuing appeal to young singers, even those with an "inside view," there have also been some notable brother acts within the group, with sibs appearing in it either sequentially (as with the Geraghty brothers between 1989 and 2004) or simultaneously, as with the Arthey, Baron, Vereycken, Leggett, Cole, and Barrington boys between 1989-2012).In the 2011-2012 Libera, Barrington brothers Henry and Jonathan were still performing (at opposite ends of the vocal range) as were the Leggett brothers Sam and Alex, Josh Madine, and Jakob De Menezes-Wood—all first cousins. In the latter part of 2010, Josh Madine's younger brother Matthew was promoted into the performing ranks, increasing that family constellation to five (yet another cousin, Michael Menezes, joined in early 2012), while Sere (pronounced “Say-Ray”) Akpobome and Jude Collins joined big brothers Mine (“Me-Nay”) Akpobome and Luke Collins onstage in 2010.
(Above, L to R.) Sam Leggett, Matthew Madine, Alex Leggett, Josh Madine, Jakob De Menezes-Wood, 2010. (Below) Michael Menezes, 2012Libera auditions, dealing as they do with such young boys, are usually informal and low-key, with each child asked to sing a bit of a children’s song or hymn verse, enough for Robert Prizeman, as he has said in interviews, to identify the “spark” that characterizes Libera boys.
As mentioned, the group typically has around 40 singers either performing or in training, with the younger ones (or "mini-boys") taught the basics by a music mistress (currently Eleanor Lewis) and slowly integrated into the performing schedule.
Libera music mistress and chaperone Eleanor Lewis in 2011 (Photo by Jimmy Riddle) 
L to R: Alfie Smart, Sammy Moriarty, unknown boy, Liam Connery, Josh Madine, James Mordaunt, and Carlos Rodriguez rehearse at St. Philip's in 2009 Many of the older singers, as their voices change, leave Libera to follow their own musical careers, and/or become part of St Philip's adult choir (which tackles even more complex 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.
Michael Horncastle 
James Threadgill 
Josh Madine
Kavana Crossley 
James Mordaunt 
Sam Leggett 
Jonathan Barrington
Alex Leggett and Daniel Fontannaz
Flynn Marks
End of Part OneFor Part Two (2008-2009):For Part Three (2010):For Part Four (2011):For Part Five (2012):EXTRAS/MISCELLANEOUS LINKS, Fansites, blogs, interviews, resources, disclaimer, author info.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*************************LINKS to Official Sites, Blogs, Fansites, Groups, and Video Sites(With Great Thanks to Timjanni from Germany)Official Libera WebsitesLinkDescriptionLibera's Official HomepageLibera's Official YouTube Channel: Libera performances and related videosLibera's Official Facebook SiteLibera's Google+ Site Google+Libera Songs onLibera's MySpace SiteLibera's Official Twitter AccountSupport libera directly here with DonationsShop for LiberaCDs and other products (Libera gets a percentage if you use this siteForums and CommunitiesLinkDescriptionA discussion group with over 1000 members, Excellent research site, with files, links, database.The largest Libera Facebook Group, with around 2000 membersInternational Fansite with about 6.000 members. Very active and innovative.Libera 360 ForumInternational Forum with about 600 membersBritish/international Fan CommunityLibera-Fans-UK ForumOther Libera SitesLinkDescriptionLargest Libera Facebook GroupBlog(Philippines)Fan blog with profiles of Libera MembersBritish FansiteBlog with the history of Libera 1981-presentBlog by Syafiqah H. (Singapore)Libera's Site for the BCSD, which is a great information and research toolInformation siteBlog by orangecat (Philippines)BlogOfficial Libera page on WikipediaOther Blogs in English From Around the World (Many include links to translations into other languages.)LinkDescriptionBlog by Dennis (Scandinavia)Blog by cayleb101, who also posts excellent videosBlogby Yuki (Japan)Blog by Inna (S. Korea)Blog by Liv (USA)Blog by music4 (USA)music4's information on Libera membersBlog on the history of Libera (1981-present) byAmie H. (USA)Blog/database of Libera information/videos/photos etc. going back to 1982Blog by Michael (UK)Blog by Enyu (South KoreaBlog by a fan group from the Philippines)Blog by Zoe (Philippines)Blog by Yuni (Indonesia)Blog by Charmaine (Malaysia)Blog by Lexi und Lauren (USA)Blog by emma (USA)Blog by Liberaholic (USA)Blog by Rebecca (USA)Libera Video SitesLinkDescriptionOfficial Libera YouTube Video ChannelYouTube Channel by TygrHawk (USA)YouTube Channel by Yuki (Japan)YouTube Channel by Rebecca (USA)YouTube Channel by LiberaUSA (USA)YouTube Channel by Paulmartin47 (Spain)Youtube-Channel by LiberaFansGermanyAlternate Official Libera YouTube ChannelYouTube Channel by Inna (Korea/USA)YouTube Channel by JimmyRiddle (USA)YouTube Channel by Murkskis (Lettland)YouTube-Channel by PinoyLiberian (Philippines)YouTube Channel by several UK FansYouTube Channel by cayleb101 (USA)YouTube-Channel by choirettoYouTube Channel by Lexi (USA)YouTube Channel by iloveLiberaYouTube Channel by Le Furby Libéré (France)YouTube Channel by libefan (Spain)YouTube Channel by Libera Fans UKYouTube Channel for Libera360YouTube Channel by LiberaFan4Ever (UK)Youtube-Channel by liberafratersYouTube Channel by LiberaWishYouTube Channel by Liberic1 (France)YouTube Channel by liberlu1YouTube Channel by MrJoesnelling (Canada)YouTube Channel by psychestefYouTube Channel by Snelling06YouTube Channel by symphonica7YouTube Channel by TheDearlibera (Taiwan)International (Non-English-Language) Libera SitesLinkDescriptionBlog by necook (Japan)Blog by junialee (South Korea)Blog(Russia)Blog(Japan)Blog(France)Fansite(S. Korea)Fansite (France)Forum (China)Blog (Mexico)Fangroup (Russia)Fangroup (Japan)Forum Holland)Forum (France)Blog (Japan)Blog by Liberaddict (France)Blog (Japan)Blog(Japan)Blog by miho (Japan)Blog(Japan)Blog by sacura2506 (Japan)8. Libera – Libera Members' or Member-Based SitesLinkDescriptionBen Philipp fansite by music4Ben See (Ben Crawley's) YouTube ChannelBen Philipp's YouTube ChannelJosh Madine fansite by music4Videos by Sam Leggett, Jonathan Barrington, Josh Madine, Alex Leggett and Liam ConneryFansite dedicated to Tom CullyODDs & ENDShttp://www.timeandleisure.co.uk/editions/A1r63i/ESCMAR11/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.timeandleisure.co.uk%2Fonline-magazines.html (Article (unabridged) about Libera in March 2011 edition ofTime & Leisure magazine, Pp 11-12.https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AVHLeX_0QhuhZGRxeGI2cTlfM2Ntc3ZzcTh3&hl=en (Compendium of Libera FAQs)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiSBrWV5vyU (Radio Interview with James Mordaunt and Daniel Fontannaz/ITV Inspirational Breakfast Radio)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbTlHA6kgOA (2010 Holiday video by French fan Dikoy/features several generations of Libera, atmospheric animation)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G1tfYr-6LQ (extended 2010 fan video by Japanese fan Snowy0155/includes Japanese, Korean, US and UK tour footage and stills)
