Thanks so much for your report!
tom413 wrote:I got to sing with Libera today!
This is one of the reasons I like to visit St. Philips when I'm in London - that way I can tell people I sang with Libera. Rich
Libera California-bound (USA concerts, April 2009)
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Knowing the older boys i wouldnt mind betting they teased Kavana over the signs, it must be nice for them to get treated like stars when over here they are treated pretty much like normal, we seem alot more uptight with the boys than the Japanese or even the Yanks . They all put so much hard work in and seem to get paid very little so knowing they are loved by fans must be nice for them. By the sounds of some fans lol Kavana seems to be the new favorite member , im sure he has a great future ahead of him in Libera.
i should make a sign for the arundel performance..... or not get weird looks from my fellow english men lol... its cause as a nation we are to proud to let ourselves show our commitment to music were as we willing fight for sport.... were messed up lol
When you miss me just look up to the night sky and remember, I'm like a star; sometimes you can't see me, but I'm always there.
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worshipper28
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RiseInGlory
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Libera Dream France has a report from Yahoo Group Voices_of_Angels
http://libera-dream.exprimetoi.net/disc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... e-t255.htm
Twenty-three trebles from ten miles south of Big Ben, the clock (thus defined for us by "Mini-Ben" - so-called to distinguish himself from "Little Ben" Crawley and Big Ben) crash-landed in Los Angeles as a result of cancelations of a concert tour in Korea following a successful series of events in Japan. Korea's loss is LA's gain. And with a mere three weeks to organize, not to mention the most urgent need: to get the word out to the public of the choir's appearance at Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, an obligation that fell heavily on the shoulders of GGCC's minister of music, Sean Groombridge, who fortunately knew what had fallen so gratuitously into his lap. Classical radio station KUSC-FM did a piece on the concert, some press print was forthcoming, and perhaps most beneficial, the notices posted on Libera's own website and the appearance of the choir for the church's early services on the day of the concert, were key, resulting in an "instant audience" of an estimated 1600-1700 persons, among them people from every age group, a most unusual element in any treble boychoir performance.
For Libera fans, there was a keen disappointment: Tom was no longer with the choir, having entered into pubescent voice change during the Japan segment of the tour. There are a few other key soloists who are nearing that point in their vocal careers, a sort of death to childhood, while surrounded by adult males whose voices attest to the resurrection of the instrument (although the metaphor of caterpillar-to-butterfly seems to be exactly opposite in this case). An annual one-third turnover due to voice change is typical, so one turns to the eager, hopeful and utterly charming new faces featured on the front row, to identify who the "next Tom" will be. My bet is on Freddy.
Most community-based boychoirs are not eager to feature star performers. Libera is the unabashed exception. Fan adulation is encouraged, and post-concert "meet and greet" encounters with the public are essential elements of the group's success, as millions of photographs are snapped and autographs collected and cherished by those lucky enough to participate.
As this is written, Libera are homeward bound aloft, and my guess is, fast asleep. Their relatively casual ten days in LA ended with a full day of performing, a whiplash of circumstances that had them rusting vocally, and then being dropped quite suddenly (apart from the concert in the desert on Thursday evening) into the performance cauldron of the church's Hour of Power worldwide television exposure starting at 9:30 AM, a task singers of any age find daunting.
Dressed, as always, in their white-for-purity monk's robes with excessively large hoods that were employed and deployed without obvious context throughout the performance, and white slippers, surrounded as always by a light show that sometimes worked in the Crystal Cathedral's large spaces and displayed for the most part against the large pipe organ casements above the stage, and working less well, the sometimes on and sometimes off fog machine that raised the humidity inside the space from around a tolerable 10% to a hothouse 50% in the course of the evening after a day of sizzling outdoor temperatures that neared 100 degrees Fahrenheit. With the cathedral's large floor-to-ceiling doors open wide before the concert began, the heat inside caused a lot of programs-made-into-makeshift-fans to be waved futilely about, but the boys, situated twenty feet higher in elevation to the audience, had to endure an evening of very hot, very humid performance conditions, and did so without fainting, although one or two boys wobbled a bit precariously before a programmed stage move rescued them from the indignity of insensibility. At least one allergy sneeze rang out thanks to the abundance of microphones, although further outbursts were well stifled through pure will power. Well done!
Accompanying Libera was the genius who formulated the concept around 1984, Robert Prizeman, who conducted alternatively from an electric keyboard and grand piano, and fellow synth player and former boy singer, Steven Geraghty. Other former boys helped in the tech area: Stephen Ellerington on lighting, Ian Tilly on sound mixing and production, Sam Coates on sound mixing, Ben Rentoul on sound engineering, Ben Crawley and Andrew Winter on stage management, and on the violin by non former boy singer, Fiona Pears, a Celtic woman.
So what did Libera sing? A generous supply of items taken from the years-ago album "Luminosa" and of course, several hits that have made the choir an icon in the UK pop music charts, and doubtlessly elsewhere, too, with a bow to Japan:
Adoramus
Gloria in excelsis (based on the Organ Symphony by Saint-Saens)
Far Away
Love & Mercy (Brian Wilson - Beach Boys)
Sancte
Secret
Salve me
Sanctus (based on Pachelbel's canon)
Always With You
I Am The Day
[Offering and Intermission]
Sakura
May the Road Rise Up
Hymn to Beauty
Prayer from Humperdinck's opera Hansel & Gretel"
You Were There
Orinoco Flow
Mysterium
Sacris Solemnis (based on Beethoven's 7th Symphony theme)
Stay With Me
Going Home (based on Dvorak's New World Symphony theme)
Libera
Josh, who carried the bulk of the ballad solos, is now one of the tallest boys, and up close, startles with his deep blue eyes. When asked post-concert if he missed Tom, replied, "Ummmmm ... no!" When asked where he thought he might be in ten years' time, he answered, "I don't know, I hadn't thought about it." When further prodded with "Maybe in music?" he smiled and nodded eagerly. Smiles were not his badge in trade this evening, perhaps due to fatigue, but perhaps also the worry about voice change sometime in the near future. But maybe just the heat and fatigue.
Mini-Ben's dimples were well documented by millions of cameras at the meet and greet. Ben knows very well how to attract the cameras. And in the course of the concert, he was the OTT showman in introducing "the next soloist" - all eaten alive by the eager fans, which included the Crystal Cathedral's retired founding pastor, Robert Schuller and his wife, Arvella.
http://libera-dream.exprimetoi.net/disc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... e-t255.htm
Twenty-three trebles from ten miles south of Big Ben, the clock (thus defined for us by "Mini-Ben" - so-called to distinguish himself from "Little Ben" Crawley and Big Ben) crash-landed in Los Angeles as a result of cancelations of a concert tour in Korea following a successful series of events in Japan. Korea's loss is LA's gain. And with a mere three weeks to organize, not to mention the most urgent need: to get the word out to the public of the choir's appearance at Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, an obligation that fell heavily on the shoulders of GGCC's minister of music, Sean Groombridge, who fortunately knew what had fallen so gratuitously into his lap. Classical radio station KUSC-FM did a piece on the concert, some press print was forthcoming, and perhaps most beneficial, the notices posted on Libera's own website and the appearance of the choir for the church's early services on the day of the concert, were key, resulting in an "instant audience" of an estimated 1600-1700 persons, among them people from every age group, a most unusual element in any treble boychoir performance.
For Libera fans, there was a keen disappointment: Tom was no longer with the choir, having entered into pubescent voice change during the Japan segment of the tour. There are a few other key soloists who are nearing that point in their vocal careers, a sort of death to childhood, while surrounded by adult males whose voices attest to the resurrection of the instrument (although the metaphor of caterpillar-to-butterfly seems to be exactly opposite in this case). An annual one-third turnover due to voice change is typical, so one turns to the eager, hopeful and utterly charming new faces featured on the front row, to identify who the "next Tom" will be. My bet is on Freddy.
Most community-based boychoirs are not eager to feature star performers. Libera is the unabashed exception. Fan adulation is encouraged, and post-concert "meet and greet" encounters with the public are essential elements of the group's success, as millions of photographs are snapped and autographs collected and cherished by those lucky enough to participate.
As this is written, Libera are homeward bound aloft, and my guess is, fast asleep. Their relatively casual ten days in LA ended with a full day of performing, a whiplash of circumstances that had them rusting vocally, and then being dropped quite suddenly (apart from the concert in the desert on Thursday evening) into the performance cauldron of the church's Hour of Power worldwide television exposure starting at 9:30 AM, a task singers of any age find daunting.
Dressed, as always, in their white-for-purity monk's robes with excessively large hoods that were employed and deployed without obvious context throughout the performance, and white slippers, surrounded as always by a light show that sometimes worked in the Crystal Cathedral's large spaces and displayed for the most part against the large pipe organ casements above the stage, and working less well, the sometimes on and sometimes off fog machine that raised the humidity inside the space from around a tolerable 10% to a hothouse 50% in the course of the evening after a day of sizzling outdoor temperatures that neared 100 degrees Fahrenheit. With the cathedral's large floor-to-ceiling doors open wide before the concert began, the heat inside caused a lot of programs-made-into-makeshift-fans to be waved futilely about, but the boys, situated twenty feet higher in elevation to the audience, had to endure an evening of very hot, very humid performance conditions, and did so without fainting, although one or two boys wobbled a bit precariously before a programmed stage move rescued them from the indignity of insensibility. At least one allergy sneeze rang out thanks to the abundance of microphones, although further outbursts were well stifled through pure will power. Well done!
Accompanying Libera was the genius who formulated the concept around 1984, Robert Prizeman, who conducted alternatively from an electric keyboard and grand piano, and fellow synth player and former boy singer, Steven Geraghty. Other former boys helped in the tech area: Stephen Ellerington on lighting, Ian Tilly on sound mixing and production, Sam Coates on sound mixing, Ben Rentoul on sound engineering, Ben Crawley and Andrew Winter on stage management, and on the violin by non former boy singer, Fiona Pears, a Celtic woman.
So what did Libera sing? A generous supply of items taken from the years-ago album "Luminosa" and of course, several hits that have made the choir an icon in the UK pop music charts, and doubtlessly elsewhere, too, with a bow to Japan:
Adoramus
Gloria in excelsis (based on the Organ Symphony by Saint-Saens)
Far Away
Love & Mercy (Brian Wilson - Beach Boys)
Sancte
Secret
Salve me
Sanctus (based on Pachelbel's canon)
Always With You
I Am The Day
[Offering and Intermission]
Sakura
May the Road Rise Up
Hymn to Beauty
Prayer from Humperdinck's opera Hansel & Gretel"
You Were There
Orinoco Flow
Mysterium
Sacris Solemnis (based on Beethoven's 7th Symphony theme)
Stay With Me
Going Home (based on Dvorak's New World Symphony theme)
Libera
Josh, who carried the bulk of the ballad solos, is now one of the tallest boys, and up close, startles with his deep blue eyes. When asked post-concert if he missed Tom, replied, "Ummmmm ... no!" When asked where he thought he might be in ten years' time, he answered, "I don't know, I hadn't thought about it." When further prodded with "Maybe in music?" he smiled and nodded eagerly. Smiles were not his badge in trade this evening, perhaps due to fatigue, but perhaps also the worry about voice change sometime in the near future. But maybe just the heat and fatigue.
Mini-Ben's dimples were well documented by millions of cameras at the meet and greet. Ben knows very well how to attract the cameras. And in the course of the concert, he was the OTT showman in introducing "the next soloist" - all eaten alive by the eager fans, which included the Crystal Cathedral's retired founding pastor, Robert Schuller and his wife, Arvella.
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carina_gino20
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kjackson83
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Hi All,
I have landed back home now. I did not bring a camera with me, but I suspect there will be pictures available from Sunday's event soon. Some of the people in line were actually shooting the practice (since the doors were open for awhile due to the heat).
Consulting with the Angel Voices yahoo group I see a small selection of California pictures already posted.....
Interestingly phrased review you found RiseInGlory.
It is written in the authoritative style of a news article and yet it is filled with inaccuracies....[insert sarcasm] it was a shame about Tom's voice breaking during the Japanese leg of the tour wasn't it - but at least Libera management had the good sense to terminate their relationship with him and send him home without further delay [end sarcasm].
Personally, any commentary that features prominent sadness about "the death of childhood" makes me want to gag. The comment about Josh not being able to smile because he was worried about his impending "death" was pretty creepy too.
I will agree that it was awfully hot in the Cathedral on Sunday though.....
Something else that I forgot to mention in my post-Sunday writeup is that Ben Crawley, Steven Geraghty and Sam Coates were briefly interviewed during the intermission. Steven mentioned that he and Ben were going to be graduating from college within a month or so - congratulations to them both!
I asked Steven if this milestone is his life might necessitate his having to move on from Libera and he gave no indication that he intends to leave. I was really glad to hear this as I enjoy watching him perform almost as much as I do the boys.
It has been my pleasure to share my experiences with the group.
I have landed back home now. I did not bring a camera with me, but I suspect there will be pictures available from Sunday's event soon. Some of the people in line were actually shooting the practice (since the doors were open for awhile due to the heat).
Consulting with the Angel Voices yahoo group I see a small selection of California pictures already posted.....
Interestingly phrased review you found RiseInGlory.
It is written in the authoritative style of a news article and yet it is filled with inaccuracies....[insert sarcasm] it was a shame about Tom's voice breaking during the Japanese leg of the tour wasn't it - but at least Libera management had the good sense to terminate their relationship with him and send him home without further delay [end sarcasm].
Personally, any commentary that features prominent sadness about "the death of childhood" makes me want to gag. The comment about Josh not being able to smile because he was worried about his impending "death" was pretty creepy too.
I will agree that it was awfully hot in the Cathedral on Sunday though.....
Something else that I forgot to mention in my post-Sunday writeup is that Ben Crawley, Steven Geraghty and Sam Coates were briefly interviewed during the intermission. Steven mentioned that he and Ben were going to be graduating from college within a month or so - congratulations to them both!
I asked Steven if this milestone is his life might necessitate his having to move on from Libera and he gave no indication that he intends to leave. I was really glad to hear this as I enjoy watching him perform almost as much as I do the boys.
It has been my pleasure to share my experiences with the group.
Last edited by tom413 on Tue Apr 21, 2009 3:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
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RiseInGlory
- Member
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Baidu Tieba (the Chinese fan forum) has a fair number of photos as well originating from YahooGroups
http://tieba.baidu.com/libera/tupian/li" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... a_USA_2009
You can scroll through three pages of photos by clicking on the links on the bottom of the page.
http://tieba.baidu.com/libera/tupian/li" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... a_USA_2009
You can scroll through three pages of photos by clicking on the links on the bottom of the page.
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carina_gino20
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Also some pics from the Chinese forum:
http://tieba.baidu.com/f?z=560205469&ct" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... era&pn=270
http://tieba.baidu.com/f?z=560205469&ct" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... era&pn=270
