Greetings from Florida

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hiskeys
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Location: Florida, US

Greetings from Florida

Post by hiskeys »

First, let me say a hearty "Thank you!" to those who maintain sites like this that allow fans to engage one another and stay informed.

If my memory serves correctly, I believe I saw the 2002 "I Am the Day" video on TV somehow, about 6-8 years ago, and then bought Eternal, the Best of Libera, and sometime later I think the New Dawn CD. I can remember listening to them extensively on a car trip to Washington DC in 2008. Then I somewhat 're-discovered' them when I was ordering something on eBay autumn 2012, and thought, "What can I add to this in order to save shipping costs?" So I ordered 1 or 2 more CDs, but also began to discover their YouTube presence.

Since then I've bought almost every CD (except for some overlaps), both DVDs, downloaded over 100 videos, given CDs and DVDs to about a dozen new fans at church, and now attended my first two concerts last week. I would assume that qualifies as 'being hooked'.

To me, Libera embodies a unique combination of qualities which are altogether endearing - to music lovers, Christians, and other groups. Being an all-young group distinguishes them in some sense from other cathedral choirs. Their on-pitch clarity of tone and ethereal studio recordings set them apart from ensembles with only live recordings. Having humble (and almost accidental) beginnings, and still having a non-pretentious character about them has an attraction all its own. Their mix of music, which includes original compositions and arrangements, showcases their range of talent, and widens their appeal. Having the boys be their own spokesmen allows fans to become engaged at an additional level, not to mention teaches them confidence and public speaking skills. And of course, for me, to see young men (our future leaders perhaps) taking time to sing about eternal concepts and not just fluff, is hopeful and encouraging.
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john45
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Re: Greetings from Florida

Post by john45 »

hiskeys wrote:First, let me say a hearty "Thank you!" to those who maintain sites like this that allow fans to engage one another and stay informed.
I second that..

To me, Libera embodies a unique combination of qualities which are altogether endearing - to music lovers, Christians, and other groups. Being an all-young group distinguishes them in some sense from other cathedral choirs. Their on-pitch clarity of tone and ethereal studio recordings set them apart from ensembles with only live recordings. Having humble (and almost accidental) beginnings, and still having a non-pretentious character about them has an attraction all its own. Their mix of music, which includes original compositions and arrangements, showcases their range of talent, and widens their appeal. Having the boys be their own spokesmen allows fans to become engaged at an additional level, not to mention teaches them confidence and public speaking skills. And of course, for me, to see young men (our future leaders perhaps) taking time to sing about eternal concepts and not just fluff, is hopeful and encouraging.
Couldn't agree more.

Welcome to the forum. I suspect your official welcome from Yorkie will appear very soon.

John
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Yorkie
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Re: Greetings from Florida

Post by Yorkie »

And a hearty welcome to the forum hiskeys.

You certainly seem to have all the attributes of another victim of the Libera bug - may you 'suffer' for many years without cure :lol: If you feel up to the task we would love to hear your thoughts/observations/reviews of the two shows in the concert thread :wink: Whereabouts are you from in Florida? I have a sister who lives in Celebration.

This certainly isn't official, but it is a sincere welcome to our little fan community:

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If I’ve got owt to say I says it, and if I’ve got owt to ask I asks it.


Mercy & Love
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hiskeys
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Location: Florida, US

Re: Greetings from Florida

Post by hiskeys »

Thanks John and Yorkie!

I've visited the forum for a while, and probably should have jumped in sooner.

I'm in the Tampa Bay area, but I did get to poke around Celebration about three years ago during a reunion in Kissimmee - very nice town.

I took a commuter bus from New Jersey and arrived at the church about lunchtime. I wasn't sure whether I could peek inside, but the door was open, and I sat for a few minutes and watched a little sound setup. Stephen, Sam, and a couple others I didn't recognize (light crew?) were at the board, and Josh and JB were sitting up front talking. When Stephen went to the foyer, I spoke with him for a minute, nice and friendly. Later Josh and JB were in the foyer also, so I took a minute with them also to say thank you for their time and efforts, and how they were most likely getting to do some other things in their free time; also very friendly. It was rather unexpected to be able to speak with them, so I might have come across a little awkward.

I took a few pictures of the inside while there was still light coming through the stained glass, and walked off to find lunch. A few blocks north I stepped into Let's Dig Inn, a small busy eatery where you choose a protein, starch and 2 vegetables; all fresh and healthy - yum. Off to wander around Grand Central Terminal and the huge New York Public Library, then to St. Patrick's Cathedral, where I almost didn't go in. There was scaffolding and it was all boarded up, and I almost turned around, but realized that the main entrance was on the west end. Lot's more scaffolding inside, so any pictures didn't do it justice.

Back to get in line, where there were about eight people at that point. I met Yuki, Yumiko, and their friend who's studying in Toronto, Fan de Lok from France, ? from Spain, Derrick, Craig, two young German men from California (brothers?). I spoke with a few others in line, asking where they were from and how they heard about Libera - some recently through PBS airings of Christmas in Ireland. I had three DVDs in my pocket of Libera YouTube videos that I made and gave them to a family with two girls (future Libera fans, I'm sure!). Realizing that there would be ample empty seats, at one point I removed a small poster and stood at the street corner for a few minutes, mentioning that they were all the way from London and at the church tonight only. Alas, it didn't seem to be all that successful, so I returned it.

The atmosphere for this concert was probably unlike any other, due to the candlelight and not a large audience. It was intimate, and yet there was all of the professionalism that comes with Libera. Certain songs had short instrumental lead-ins, which were not only nice to hear, but covered the boys while they changed positions.

I liked the new song additions. Joyful, Joyful was a good start with lots of energy (not totally new; sung quite a while back). Certain songs had the high part singer in back, which was probably a good idea, since they can just sing it out loud with more confidence and not feel so conspicuous. I was about six rows back and about six people in on the right, and the speaker rack blocked the view of the rightmost three or four singers sometimes. But I did get to watch Josh and Stephen on keyboards and clarinet.

I thought the sound was excellent, especially considering balancing 24 voices and 10(?) instruments. The second set opener, Dies Irae, led musically right into Gloria, which was a pleasant surprise and very effective. It was also nice to see the ever-changing solos, duets, etc., and how Robert knows how to give opportunity to quite a few different singers. I thought all of the newer singers did well - Sam, Allesandro, Lucas, Bertramos, Alex Montoro, etc.

I didn't even bother to take a picture afterward. I guess I had resigned myself to just relax and take it all in. There was a nice rousing standing ovation, then the encore and more standing applause, followed by people, who like myself, were probably thinking, "I could have listened to that all night!" But after all, we had just been treated to 19 songs, and the boys need rest for tomorrow's concert.

(Morristown next post)
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hiskeys
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Location: Florida, US

Re: Greetings from Florida

Post by hiskeys »

On Wednesday, I decided to drive the rental car into the city, since on Google Maps I saw a parking lot on the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, where I was headed. I had reserved a spot on the 'Vertical Tour' (only Wednesdays at noon), taking 15 of us up small winding staircases onto the clerestory, upper 'sidewalk', attic, and roof. If you go by internal square footage, it's evidently the largest cathedral in the world. Episcopal, begun in 1892 and still unfinished, it incorporates different architectural styles by virtue of taking so long to build. Off for a jaunt through the Columbia University campus to Riverside Church, where Libera sang in 2008 I believe.

Back to Morristown, 5 minutes from where I was staying. I looked for a small bite before the concert, and walked by Yuki and friends again in the window of a small eatery. Got to join them and talk for a while - very nice people. Spoke with a young man from Atlanta in the lobby, who unfortunately missed Libera when they sang in Atlanta (didn't know about it until too late.) Again, introduced myself to people around me, asking where from and how they discovered Libera.

I was very pleased to see more people this evening. And the atmosphere was obviously quite different. There was full lighting, a larger platform, and all instrumentalists were behind the singers. There was plenty of energy, and it was very consistent with last night's presentation. I know they mention it, but the substantial rehearsal time they have together is worth it, giving the boys the assurance they need, and providing a very memorable evening for everyone. Again, two standing ovations later it was over all too soon. Sorry I couldn't provide a song-by-song, but really all the songs were sung well - as you know it's hard to find a major nitpick with Libera. And of course, it was just enjoyable for me to see a group of mostly unrelated boys, side-by-side, working as a team, refreshing people's souls.
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Yorkie
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Re: Greetings from Florida

Post by Yorkie »

Great write up, many thanks for taking the time to post. I find that I enjoy reading about people's experience of the day just as much as who sang what and who stood where :D
d
If I’ve got owt to say I says it, and if I’ve got owt to ask I asks it.


Mercy & Love
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