Introducing Libera

[maartendas]

Today I wore my Libera hoodie to work - I tutor high school kids. One of them kept looking intently at the picture of the two hooded choristers, so I asked if he was wondering what it represented and explained it's a boys choir I really like. He seemed very interested. [...] I made sure to encourage him to look up Libera on Youtube.

Cool! Let us know if you have got him hooked.

Well, today I got a chance to ask if he had listened to Libera yet and he said he had and that he found it very beautiful and also quite special He mentioned an a capella song so I assume he watched the video of Nearer my God (among others). He thought it was remarkable to hear kids sing in such a choir and was curious how they were selected. I explained a bit about Libera's background - but I was supposed to be working and he was supposed to be studying, so I kept our chat to a reasonable minimum

[Surpinto]

Today I wore my Libera hoodie to work - I tutor high school kids. One of them kept looking intently at the picture of the two hooded choristers, so I asked if he was wondering what it represented and explained it's a boys choir I really like. He seemed very interested. [...] I made sure to encourage him to look up Libera on Youtube.

Cool! Let us know if you have got him hooked.

Well, today I got a chance to ask if he had listened to Libera yet and he said he had and that he found it very beautiful and also quite special He mentioned an a capella song so I assume he watched the video of Nearer my God (among others). He thought it was remarkable to hear kids sing in such a choir and was curious how they were selected. I explained a bit about Libera's background - but I was supposed to be working and he was supposed to be studying, so I kept our chat to a reasonable minimum

Awesome

[Victor C]

How would you describe Libera in one sentence?

In other words, what would be your answer to the question "What is Libera?"

Many people describe Libera as a choir which isn't incorrect. However when hearing the word 'choir' people tend to think of traditional church choirs, and Libera is obviously very different from those, or even the likes of WSK (Vienna Boys' Choir).

'Vocal group' is sometimes also used. However I feel Libera is also quite different from the most common meaning of this phrase, and it doesn't give the right kind of impression either.

I think we can all appreciate that Libera has their own very unique style, which I find quite hard to pigeonhole... So what do you think is an accurate and brief description of Libera?

[filiarheni]

How would you describe Libera in one sentence?

In other words, what would be your answer to the question "What is Libera?"

Many people describe Libera as a choir which isn't incorrect. However when hearing the word 'choir' people tend to think of traditional church choirs, and Libera is obviously very different from those, or even the likes of WSK (Vienna Boys' Choir).

Well, define choir! For me, there is absolutely no reason not to call Libera a choir. No-one over here would automatically associate the word "choir" with traditional (or) church music. Actually the first question you hear when telling other people that you sing in a choir is: "What kind of choir, what music do you sing?" There are so many different, classical, chamber, church, gospel, jazz, Gregorian, mixed style etc. Here is a list of the choirs we have in Cologne alone:
http://www.choere.de/choere_in/ort_k/koeln/a_z.html

Choir is simply a singing music group, where the different voices have more than one singer each, and it says nothing about their style. So, Libera is correctly called a choir and I really love them to be one.

I agree, though, with a certain traditional association, when it comes to saying "boys choir", but on the other hand many of them have started to loosen a strictly traditional repertoire. It's right: When I tell someone about Libera I say that they are a boys choir and explain what their characteristics are. However, I think that, rather than searching a new "drawer" to put Libera in, we should give up our narrow image of what a "boys choir" may have to be like. They are special, they are unique, but they are still a boys choir or at least that's how I see it. I also have no problem to explain about them, as I don't think that you can explain them in one expression or sentence so that people not familiar with them can really picture by it alone what Libera is.

Definitely, I will always refuse to ever call them a "boy band", which had already been suggested here and there! I stick with Kavana, see here at 0:40.

[maartendas]

Today, a number of people will be introduced to Libera with the live video of From A Distance. How? Well, I am in touch with the Dutch church in London and during Lent they send a daily e-mail with inspiring content to all their contacts. I was asked to provide input for one such e-mail and decided to use this platform to introduce Libera! I chose From a Distance because it is a nice general introduction to the current group and the lyrics fit with the daily Lent e-mail's theme of "turning point". I also wrote a short explanation about the song and how Libera has made me cross many distances to discover the world I just saw in my inbox that my e-mail was chosen to be sent out today!

[filiarheni]

Very nice idea, Maarten. I'd like to watch the readers'' reactions, opening the song and listening to Libera for the first time in their lives, and tried to imagine I was one of them.

[Surpinto]

Today, a number of people will be introduced to Libera with the live video of From A Distance. How? Well, I am in touch with the Dutch church in London and during Lent they send a daily e-mail with inspiring content to all their contacts. I was asked to provide input for one such e-mail and decided to use this platform to introduce Libera! I chose From a Distance because it is a nice general introduction to the current group and the lyrics fit with the daily Lent e-mail's theme of "turning point". I also wrote a short explanation about the song and how Libera has made me cross many distances to discover the world I just saw in my inbox that my e-mail was chosen to be sent out today!

That's wonderful.