St. Paul Concert

Libera concert #2! Tonight was in one word…perfect. It wasn’t any certain solos or singers, it was just like each and every song was perfect, rich and full. The cathedral was again, amazing, and the acoustics were really great. Liam and Sammy ARE here! Apparently they were both on a school trip to Poland (wow!) and couldn’t make it to the first concert, but they will be here for the rest. Yay! =) So we're up to 28 boys now! Just imagine how awesome it looks to have 28 boys filling the stage! And how great the sound is that they produce!

I guess I should mention that this was the hottest Libera concert ever. lol. It was like 100 degrees in there (no air conditioning), so imagine how hot it was for the boys wearing robes under the lights. But they sang so great anyway! =)

We sat right in front of the little newbies most of the time, and I noticed how they all have really good diction. And are those little newbies ever cute! They sing with such expression! Josh is back to being the "stage manager" and making sure that everyone gets to their correct spots on time, sometimes moving the little ones when they don’t quite make it. =)

We got to see the boys that sang in Te Lucis today because they had them sing from way up in the organ loft in the back of the church, which was a really cool effect. There were 7 today because they added Liam and Sammy, so it was Tiarnan, Liam, Josh, Sam, Alex, Sammy, and Ben all standing in a semi-circle taking turns singing. It sounded so cool! I remember noticing when Sam was singing by himself. Really great! 

Ralph’s high part on The Fountain sounded amazing tonight! That boy can crank out those high notes! We got the red lights shining on us in Ave Verum tonight. =) They swooped back over the audience, which was kinda cool. Now we know what it's like for the boys to have those bright lights shining in their eyes. lol. Man, when the boys form that V for the last part of Ave Verum…it is SO COOL! I get goose bumps every time!

I don't remember what song it was on, but I remember being able to hear Matthew Madine's voice. It's really good! =D

Every time you go to a concert, you notice something new. This time I noticed that in Glory To Thee they stand in 7 groups. These groups all sing in waves. Group 1 starts, then 2, then 3... Then they drop out in that order until group 7 is the last singing. Liam and Sammy joined Josh on the final "Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost." Super beautiful!

And one last note, Jakob can SING! He’s hitting high and low and all over the place! I love his voice! Go Jakob! And go Libera! See you in my home town! =)



Our friend Luke took pictures, so we took a video. Luke's pictures should be posted around Monday or so.

Libera Interview on Fox News 9 Minneapolis

Libera was interviewed on Fox News 9 this morning! They did such a great job! I think it is one of the best interviews they've ever done! Thank you to Jimmy Riddle for uploading it on YouTube. 



Interviewer: Well, they're putting a new twist on the term "boy band", entertaining audiences around the world with their angelic voices. Take a look at this. (Time video) Trust me though, that doesn't do the boys justice. Libera is made up of boys ages 7 to 16 who all hail from South London. They performed at the Starkey Gala on Sunday and are in concert tomorrow night at the Cathedral in St. Paul. Joining us are four members of the group. We have Joshua, Cassius, Ralph and Kavana. Good morning, guys.

All: Good morning.

Interviewer: Well, we said you performed at the Starkey Gala. I was there, and I have to say, and I'm not just saying this cause Kevin Costner's not here, and Miley Cyrus, but I said to the guest that I was with after the show, in a 5-hour show you guys were our favorites. You kicked off the show. And, so go down ages, cause I gave the age range. How old are each of you?

Josh: I'm 16.

Cassius: I'm 10.

Ralph: I'm almost 13.

Interviewer: Almost. How much almost?

Ralph: The 12th of August.

Interviewer: OK, see that counts though. I'm the 5th of August so both ?

Kavana: And I'm 12.

Interviewer: OK. How did you guys get involved? Was there an audition process? Cause, you know, when you think "boy bands", you think "audition." So how did each of you get involved with the group?

Josh: Well, the audition is quite informal. It's just really to test if you've got the necessary potential to really grow as a singer. It's not like a big X-Factor type thing.

Interviewer: Simon Cowell isn't waiting to boot you from the group.

Josh: No.

Interviewer: So were you nervous going through it?

Cassius: Well, actually my school, my music teacher is friends with the musical director, and so they did auditions. And so I got in, and it's just so great.

Interviewer: So see, Cassius, it proves it's who you know. That's exactly who you know. Ralph, how did you get involved?

Ralph: Well, I had a singing teacher at school in about year 3, and she told me about Libera, cause I wanted to get involved with some singing. But I didn't want to have to go to a boarding school. And so I found about Libera, and I took an audition, and I got in.

Kavana: I guess like pretty much the same thing, but I also like say that most of the boys that are in the group mostly go to sometimes the same schools, and that's mainly because maybe the same music teacher will pick maybe 5 or 6 boys, and then they'll all audition.

Interviewer: For whatever reason I said you know the Starkey Gala, but you've also performed at the Kennedy Center Honors, in front of presidents. What's been a personal favorite? What experience for whatever reason has been a favorite for you guys.

Kavana: Well, I would say that, I wasn't there at the Kennedy Center Honors, but I think my favorite has to be the Papal Mass in 2008 where we performed for like 65,000 people. And that was really, really exciting.

Interviewer: And you look out, and you see that sea of people. What was that like?

Kavana: Well, really we couldn't really see anyone, because the stadium lights were really big, and the sun was shining. But we could just see the stands, and it was like so much adrenaline. And it was really good.

Interviewer: Ralph, how about for you?

Ralph: I honestly can say I don't know. There's been so many things which I enjoyed.

Interviewer: Have you wrapped your brain around the fact, I mean, of the success? Like I said, you guys are huge hits, and you're all over the world. Have you wrapped your brain around the fact of how big the group is? Or have you not really thought about it yet?

Josh: I don't think so. We just like to do our own thing and make our music. And it's quite humbling that so many people seem to find it so enjoyable.

Interviewer: What do your families think of it? It must be a thrill for them to be in the audience and see you. What's been your family's reaction?

Cassius: Well, my family, they were quite shocked when they first knew that I was going on tour. They were quite shocked, because it's like I'm the odd one out of the whole family.

Interviewer: What do you mean "odd one out?" I think you're the lucky one out.

Cassius: Yeah, I'm the lucky one out.

Kavana: But it is good, because like they give so much support and everything. And I guess that without them, it wouldn't really be the urge to go on tour. But I mean like, say they might appear at one of your concerts, and they can tell you that you did really well. And it's just great to know that you've got something to keep you going and motivate you.

Interviewer: Last question. We'll go down the row. Who inspires you musically? We'll start with you, Kavana.

Kavana: Um, well I guess I don't really have a musical inspiration. But I think that, the singing, I think that what motivates me is the reaction of the people we sing to. It's great to know that they enjoy our music, and we can appeal to so many different people.

Ralph: There's a man called Matt Bellamy, and he's the lead singer and guitarist and pianist of a band called Muse in England. And he inspires me a lot, because he's just amazing.

Interviewer: Cassius, odd man out.

Cassius: Well,...everything inspires me.

Interviewer: You don't have to say anything else, Cassius. That's the best answer ever. You can stop right there. That was it. Everything.

Cassius: Yeah, because...we're making music, and music is the world.

Interviewer: Cassius, why don't you just stay here and host the show. Just take over. We don't probably pay as much, but you can just host the show. And finally, who do you like musically?

Josh: I'm a bit like Kav. I just like to do what I do, and I think it's the audience's reaction. And we hope as many people come to our concert tomorrow as possible.

Interviewer: Well, believe me, if you guys get a chance, go. They're amazing. And Ralph has a solo that's amazing. And thank you so much. They're performing tomorrow night at the Cathedral in St. Paul. For tickets log onto libera.org.uk.

Free Christmas Preview Download!!!

EMI Classics just wrote to us that you can get a free preview of Libera's upcoming Christmas CD! The song is "Joy To the World." Click HERE to enter your information and the song will be e-mailed to you! Awesome!!!

If this song is any indication of what the rest of the CD is like, it's going to be fabulous! The harmonies and high notes are amazing, and you can hear Ralph's voice quite distinctly in one part. Excellent!

These pics must be from the photo shoot they were doing earlier this month! Aren't they cute?! Stefan, Matthew R-A, Cassius, Barney & Ralph are pictured up top. Below is Matthew, Cassius and is that Barney? or Eoghan?

Libera Fun Time

Between the Starkey Gala and the Minneapolis concert, Libera spent some fun time at Madden's Resort on Gull Lake. Madden's posted a picture of the Libera boys! Thanks to Jimmy Riddle for the link. The caption says, "The Libera choir boys joined us for a few days on their tour of the United States. Pictured is the group walking down Strawberry Hill for breakfast at the Lodge. The unique group is visiting from London. Learn more by visiting: http://www.libera.org.uk/"

The resort is about 2 hours northwest of Minneapolis. It's a beautiful place with lots to do - 5 pools, 3 sand beaches, Gull Lake waterpark with trampolines and water toys, boating, fishing, waterskiing, tubing, tennis, croquet, shuffleboard, badmitton, volleyball, horseshoes, and lots more. Hope they had a lot of fun there!

Minneapolis Concert

Libera concert #1 is over! =( It all went by so fast! We were joking that the end of the concert only felt like the intermission! But it was a really GREAT concert! With some good surprises. =)

First off, I have to say this concert was even better than any I went to in the US last summer or in Canada! How is that possible?! You're about to find out. Next, the venue was amazing! The acoustics were great, and the sound just went on forever! There were 6 touring newbies, Thomas Delgado-Little, Ben Fairman, Isaac London, Matthew Madine, Michael Ustynovych-Repa, and Orlando Woscholski. Great to see the little guys! There was no Jonathan, Stefan, or Mini James. Also missing, although pictured in the program, were Liam and Sammy. We’re not sure why they're not here (except for Stefan working on an opera), but we miss all of them! A lot!

There are 26 boys on this tour - Henry Barrington, Tiarnan Branson, Jude Collins, Luke Collins, Kavana Crossley, Jakob De Menezes-Wood, Thomas Delgado-Little, Dylan Duffy, Ben Fairman, Daniel Fontannaz, Freddie Ingles, Matthew Jansen, Alex Leggett, Sam Leggett, Barney Lindsell, Isaac London, Joshua Madine, Matthew Madine, Eoghan McCarthy, Cassius O'Connell-White, Benedict Philipp, Matthew Rangel-Alvares, Michael Ustynovych-Repa, Carlos Rodriguez Villegas (that's a new addition to his name), Ralph Skan and Orlando Woscholski. Welcome to the US! =)

Fan de LoK already took a picture of the program, so I'll just post that here.

Program picture page

Front of church

Back of church

Audience

Audience

The program was similar to, although not exactly like, the one in Canada.

1. JUBILATE - They started with Jubilate with Ralph, Alex, Jakob, Barney and Carlos singing, then joined by the others. What a beautiful song! Then they swelled into...

2. LIBERA - The lights get bright and off they go! Great solos by eoghan and Luke with Josh standing in the center. Ralph did the high parts at the end.

Speech - Barney and Cassius talked about how there are 26 boys here, old and new, who waved their hands. The newbies are sooo little! Barney said that he started singing with Libera when he was 9. And the youngest on this tour is 8! Wonder who that is. =)

3. SONG OF LIFE - Ralph sang a beautiful solo with Daniel and Kavana. Daniel's voice is still so high!

4. SANCTISSIMA - Solo also sung by Ralph. He has such a great voice!

5. SANCTUS - Jakob sang the high parts from the back (that boy’s voice is still as high as a kite!), and Luke sang the "Sanctus" at the end.

Speech - Kavana and Cassius gave the second speech about Moose, Libera’s mascot who we found out has been on every tour since Libera began and now has his own passport and seat on the coach. =) He is a very spoiled moose.

6. ALWAYS WITH YOU - Freddie sang the solo and was great! The strongest I've ever heard him! Jakob sang the high bits, and Josh stood in the center because he's the tallest. Although Alex may have a growth spurt on this tour and catch up to him! He's verrrry close. =)

7. ETERNAL LIGHT - AND THEN CAME THE SHOCK! Ralph and Daniel came out to sing Eternal Light, and I figured they must have given Stefan’s solo to Daniel, but then, much to my surprise, the big boy in the middle began to sing the solo. AND IT WAS JOSH!!!! I think I audibly gasped! =) He sang the solo down an octave which sounded different, but really good! He was totally enjoying every minute of it, you could tell. He had this look on his face like "oh yeah, Josh is back." =) I was enjoying every minute of it too! I can't wait to hear this one again! From that excitement we launched right into...

8. SALVA - Matthew R-A sang the high parts very well from the back.

Speech - Barney had a speech introducing the musicians and introducing Lamentione which they sing in "our own special *airquotes* ‘Libera way.’" And he made the airquotes sign with his fingers! lol!

9. LAMENTIONE - Daniel, Jakob, Carlos, Ralph, Matthew J., Matthew R-A, Dylan, Eoghan, Barney and Freddie sang facing Mr. Prizeman while all the other boys are behind them with their hoods up. This is a stunning song!

10. EXULTATE - This song was changed up a bit. Ben's solo was sung by Freddie, eoghan, Ralph and I think another boy. Wait, what, it's time for Intermission already?!!!!

Intermission - Mr. Philipp said that the boys come from 15 different schools in South London. Wow!

11. TE LUCIS - You've got to see and hear this song! Wow! It started out with low voices singing from behind the altar. This was really cool, because we honestly had no idea who was singing until they came out. It was Ben, Sam, Josh, Alex, and Tiarnan! They harmonized perfectly! This segwayed perfectly into...

12. MYSTERIUM - Ralph and Luke were great together! All the boys took their hoods off at the same time instead of staggering from tallest to littlest. Then they segwayed into...

13. GLORIA - I am still always blown away by the transition from Mysterium to Gloria. I love it! And I love this trio of songs together! It's a WOW!

Speech - Cassius and Freddie gave their same speech about their huge hoods and practicing blindfolded in which Freddie yanks Cassius’ hood down completely over his head. =) Crowd loved this!

14. THE FOUNTAIN - Ralph's solo was amazing! He has such a nice voice.

15. WHEN A KNIGHT WON HIS SPURS - Ralph soloed again. This song has to be, oddly enough, like one of my favorite songs. Ever since Mr. Prizeman rearranged it for the Canada tour.

16. STAY WITH ME - Our smiley Daniel sang the solo, which I LOVED. Daniel is so sweet, and he always looks so happy when he sings this song. =) Matthew R-A did another great job on the high parts.

Speech - Sam, yes SAM gave the voice-changing speech, which was really nice, because we don’t get to hear from Sam a lot. He fist-bumped Jakob in the dark just before he started. =) I'm so happy Sam is here! He has such a kind, serene face, you just sigh, and think "Sam's here. Everything's going to be great." He seems so nice to me.

17. AVE VERUM - Carlos did a great job on his solo with Jakob harmonizing. This song never fails to give me goose bumps at the V formation at the end. And there's Josh in the center, in charge of everything. =)

18. LOVE AND MERCY - Cassius sang Mini-James’ duet with Freddie! They both sounded great! And then Cassius did the last "mercy and love" by himself! Great job! 

19. GLORY TO THEE - This was another very moving song that came with another awesome surprise of the night - Eoghan sang the solo at the beginning, and it was STUNNING! I mean strong, beautiful, soaring, and PERFECT. I was so blown away by it that I almost didn’t notice that Josh got to sing another mini-solo on the last "Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." Ok, I said ALMOST. =) He's hard to miss. =)

Speech - Jude and Mini-Mini Ben (the little newbie, Ben Fairman) came up to give the last speech. I loved how they played on Jude’s Canada speech, which he started by saying "Hello, I’m Jude, and I’m new," by having him say that, and then having Mini-Mini Ben wave and say, "But I’m newer!" He said he'd only had 2 months to learn all the songs, words and stage movements. Some of the newbies sat out on a few songs, but still, great job newbies!!! So excited to see you on your very first tour! =D

20. HOW SHALL I SING THAT MAJESTY? - Eoghan, Jakob, Ben and Jude sang the solo parts. What a soaring way to end!

Encore - EXULTATE

Standing ovation! Crowd loved it! There were a lot of new people at this concert who heard about Libera on Minnesota Public Radio and liked the songs they played! It was an amazing concert! I can't wait for Friday! No Meet & Greet. Maybe Friday.

I took some pictures. Sorry they are blurry. I'll try to get screen shots from the video later. 

Group shot

Mini Mini Ben, Henry, Jude, Cassius, Isaac, Michael

Daniel, Alex, Kavana, Tiarnan, Ralph, Ben, Eoghan

Jakob, Luke, Sam, Matthew R-A, Josh, Barney, Orlando

right side - Matthew J, Carlos, Thomas, Freddie, Dylan, Matthew Madine

For Chicago Concert-goers

We want to provide some information for those fans traveling to Chicago for the Libera concert. Most of you whom we've heard from will be staying downtown on or near Michigan Avenue (The Magnificent Mile). This is a beautiful area with lots of shopping, restaurants and museums. A good site with lots of information about this area is http://www.themagnificentmile.com/ 

How to get to the concert.

By car - take Lake Shore Drive South. There are lots of entrances onto it, but I like Monroe or Jackson which are south of the Chicago River.

Drive south about 6 miles. 

You can take the 53rd Street exit, go west, turn left on Woodlawn and drive south to Rockefeller Chapel at 5850 S. Woodlawn. This will take you past some nice homes in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Park on the streets around the chapel. Rockefeller is on the northwest corner of Woodlawn and 59th Street.

Or you can take the 57th Street/Museum of Science and Industry exit as shown on the map below. Curve south around the museum, turn right on Midway Plaisance and park along that street or turn right on Woodlawn and look for parking around the chapel. 

By bus - you want CTA #6 Jackson Park Express. You get on at Wacker & Columbus. You get off at 57th Street for the University of Chicago/Museum of Science and Industry. Walk west on 57th Street, turn left on Woodlawn and walk south to Rockefeller Chapel. Click here for the schedule brochure.

By train - take the Metra Electric commuter train from the Millennium Station at 151 N. Michigan Avenue or the Van Buren Station at 132 E. Van Buren. Train schedules can be seen here. 

Get off the train at the 55th-56th-57th Street Station or the 59th Street/University of Chicago Station. Walk west to Woodlawn.

Sightseeing - see http://www.explorechicago.org for all the museums and attractions.

The #1 tourist site in the city is Navy Pier. There is a Ferris wheel, carousel, wave swinger, mini golf, boat cruises, crazy Seadog speedboats, IMAX theater, Shakespeare theater, Cirque Shanghai show, restaurants, a few shops and fireworks every Saturday night at 10:15 pm.

The Skydeck at Sears Tower (Willis Tower) is a good place to go. You can go out on The Ledge. See http://www.theskydeck.com/ for ticket information.

Millennium Park is the place to get your picture taken in front of the Bean (Cloud Gate). Check out the Pritzker Pavilion, Lurie Gardens and Crown Fountain, too. 

Hope you have fun in Chicago, especially at the Libera concert!

EMI Contest Giveaway

EMI Classics US has announced a contest giveaway with some really great prizes! It's to celebrate Libera's US tour. See the announcement below.

"Hi everyone!

I’m from the U.S. branch of EMI Classics (Libera’s record label), and I just wanted to let you know about a new contest we’re running to celebrate the Libera US Tour that starts tomorrow – the grand prize is an entire Libera discography (all CDs/DVDs the group has released) signed by the boys, and 15 secondary prizes of signed deluxe copies of Peace and posters of the group. The contest web page is at http://www.angelrecords.com/liberatour2011/ and tour details are at www.libera.co.uk, please take a look and spread the word!

If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to email us at emiclassicsus@gmail.com.

Thanks!
The EMI Classics US Team"

You have to be at least 13 years old and live in the US or it's territories to enter. You can enter one time between now and August 12. Winners will be notified by e-mail by August 17. Good luck everyone!

Libera on Moody Radio

Moody Radio interviewed Robert Prizeman, Kavana and Ralph this morning. Thank you to Jimmy Riddle for recording it for us!

http://www.zshare.net/audio/93002405816225e7/

Libera on the Radio

Libera will be doing an interview with Moody Radio Chicago tomorrow (Tuesday the 26th). It is supposed to air between 8:00 - 8:30 am Central Standard Time on Mark Elfstrand's "The Morning Ride" show. The web site is here.   This is great because Moody Radio is the largest Christian radio station in the area, and the interview will be on when lots of people are listening while driving to work.

There's also an interview coming up on Classical MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) with Steve Staruch. His show airs 3-6 pm CST. I have a call in to see if that is airing today or tomorrow. The web site is here.

Libera at Starkey Gala

Libera posted on their Facebook page, "Looking forward to the Starkey Awards Gala later today. Wondering who we will meet backstage..."

The ballroom is all ready!!! :D

Libera doing a sound check with country singer, John Rich!!!

Who is the tallest one with the dark hair in the back row?

The gala started a little before 6 pm. Libera was the first on stage to sing! They sang "Song of Life" with Ralph singing his beautiful solo, and I think I see Ben! You can see a short clip here. There is also a clip of them walking off the stage here. There appears to be a lot of boys here on the tour! Yay!!! :)

UPDATE: Fan de LoK was in the crowd outside after the performance and was told by one of the chaperones that Libera sang 3 songs!

I see Mr. Prizeman, Steven Geraghty and Matthew R-A on the right.

Kavana, Luke & Tiarnan

Is that mini James? Or a newbie much minier?

Henry

Ralph

There are 3 more clips here of Libera on stage with John Rich singing a song called "For The Kids" with Libera singing back-up and Marlee Matlin interpreting in sign language. We don't hear Libera singing in these clips, so I'm really hoping Starkey will post longer clips later. I see Daniel back row right! :D

And who is the dark-haired boy at Marlee Matlin's elbow? If you see the video, you can tell it's not Daniel. It's the boy standing next to Daniel. Update: It's Carlos! See below! :)

Pictures on Starkey's Facebook page.

?, Luke, Matthew J., Carlos, Freddie, Daniel & Jude.

Starkey raised over $7.2 million dollars tonight! Congratulations, Libera, on such an exciting night! I'm sure you wowed the crowd and made a lot more fans tonight!

Now...on with the tour!!!!  :D

Starkey Gala is Sold Out!

The Starkey Gala is sold out! Libera will be performing to a packed house! Here's a picture of what the RiverCentre Ballroom looks like while they're setting up.

Hope we get to see Libera walk the Red Carpet!!!

Video of the stage being set up - HERE

Kyle Massey's going to be at the gala! I love that guy! He was on Disney's "That's So Raven" and "Cory in the House!" To the left is his brother, Christopher. He was on Nickelodeon's "Zoey 101." Here they're playing golf at the Starkey golf tournament. :D

They're HERE!!!

I just woke up. Libera tweeted and posted on Facebook at 3:47 am our time:

"We've arrived safely in the USA."

It's really happening!!! Hope you were able to sleep on the plane and that no one has jet lag. I can't wait to see which boys came on the trip and how many there are! It's been really hot here. Supposed to be 93 (34) degrees today in Minneapolis. Have a great time tomorrow at church and at the gala! :D

Today is Alex's birthday! With the time change, he's gonna have the longest birthday ever! Hope you have a great day, Alex!

Libera Christmas Album!!!!!

Oh my word! Libera is putting out a Christmas album! It's what I've been hoping for! You can read about it here. I don't know how they have time for all of these things, but thank you, Libera!!!!! :D

And how cruel to show us a picture with only 8 boys. I know it took more than that to record the album. lol. It's a very cute picture, though. :)

UPDATE: And now there are 9 boys! :D