St. Louis Concert

Hi! This is Lexi's mom. I went to the St. Louis concert while she's at Band Camp. This is my inadequate report. :)

I have no words. For 2 hours tonight I was transported to Heaven. While I sat on a cloud, there were angels near me singing the most beautiful songs you'll ever hear. These angels welcomed us. Some were small and wide-eyed; some were tall and confident. Their voices never waivered as their harmonies echoed out.

Libera performed here last year, and tonight was even more magical. The soloists were all wonderful, and I noticed Matthew R-A did exceptionally well on all of his parts. The soloists who usually sing from a raised position in the back instead stood on a raised box to the left so they could see Mr. Prizeman. Te Lucis was sung by the 7 from the left dome balcony. There were no lights up there, so you could see their white robes but not their faces. Very nice echo effect!

The audience responded so well, especially to the speeches. They loved Kavana, Cassius and Moose. When Sam said he is 16 but had been in the choir since he was 8, there was an audible gasp of appreciation. :) And the audience let the sound reverberate throughout the cathedral before clapping.

There are now 2 songs that make me cry. "Glory To Thee" (because Eoghan is so earnest when he sings it, and the words are so meaningful), and, of course, "How Shall I Sing That Majesty?" Which brings us right back to the Heaven theme. And then I woke up from my dream. It was over. But not really.

There was a full Meet & Greet with tables and chairs and posters and programs and pens and sharpies and pictures! Oh, ye of little faith. Wherefore didst thou doubt. :)

All the boys were happy and talkative. I asked Tiarnan and Matthew Madine what was the best thing they've done so far in the States, and they both said, "the bah-nah-nah (banana) boat!" Turns out that was everyone's answer, well, that I asked anyway. I found myself pronouncing it "bah-nah-nah!" lol While staying on the lake at Madden's, they had a crazy boat driver who pulled them behind on a banana boat. He'd turn sharply and everyone on board would go flying off. And apparently the best part was when Ralph went flying, landed on Alex, and came up with a bloody nose! Only in a boys choir would it be great that your main soloist nearly broke his nose! :D

Oh, but Mini Ben (Big Benedict, Ben Philipp) said that his favorite thing is the heat. Wow! Really!?!?! Well you came to the right place then. And you're going to LOVE Texas! :)

Michael, one of the cute, little newbies, told me that he is 8 years old, but that he's not the youngest. He's second youngest. So there are at least two 8-year-olds! :)

I said to Ben Fairman, "You're Ben, right?" He smiled and nodded. "But," I said, "HE'S Ben," pointing to Ben Philipp next to him. "So what do we call YOU?" Ben F. said, "Nano Ben!" So there you go. He's Nano Ben.

Quote of the night goes to Cassius. I said I'd see him in Dallas, and he said, "When you come would you wear that beautiful dress so we can recognize you?" What?! lol Split second to regain my composure. I said with a smile, "Do I have to wear this one again?" And Cassius said, "You can wear another beautiful one." Oh my word! How did a kid so young get so charming already?!!

Kudos to the older boys, and some young ones, who don't autograph over their faces in the program. Except Ben P. (Big Benedict). He can sign however he likes. :) Tiarnan signed in green, Barney in red, Matthew R-A in magenta, and Cassius had a great, sweeping "Cass" in silver! Liam, Jakob, Daniel, Freddie and Josh have an artistic curve to their signatures. Kavana signs like he's the CEO of a corporation, and Eoghan writes "EMcC" smiley face. Isaac gave me cat ears on his head, but Thomas tops all with his treble clef-looking signature with 2 check marks and a sun surrounded by scalloping! Wow!

So here's my pictures. I think I'm missing a few boys. I was last in line, and they started to get up, so... Oh, Lexi, you should have been here. Your pictures are always better. Maybe there'll be a Meet & Greet in Frisco.

Matthew Madine & Tiarnan

I like this one, too, so I put up both. :)

Luke & Carlos

Jude, Eoghan & Matthew J.

Michael, Ralph, Sam, Dylan & Alex

Ben & Jakob

Kavana & Nano Ben

Matthew R-A, Henry & Freddie

Cassius, Daniel, Orlando & Matthew R-A

Barney, Josh, Liam & Sammy

Isaac, Nano Ben & Thomas

Signed program. :D