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Last updated/revised 11/22/2021
Disclaimer:
This essay-with-videos is strictly an informal ongoing history, and, while I've attempted to make it as accurate as possible, some of my sources (or my interpretation of them) may be flawed or inaccurate. If you notice errors that I have made, or facts that were taken from inaccurate sources, please let me know at my email address, aahill@sonic.net, so that I may make appropriate changes.
I also welcome suggestions,questions, corrections, disputations, official photo credits, and potential additions to this material.
This piece of writing has not been authorized by, nor is it connected with, the Libera/St. Philip's organization, or with EMI Records. It is not to be posted on Facebook, MySpace or any other Internet site, (including other Libera fansites) without permission of the author.
Thanks,
Amie Hill
Please Note: More changes/photos/videos/links/updates to all parts may appear at any time. As sites are continually being updated/revised, please excuse any temporary small errors. All photos/videocaptures that are not otherwise credited are from the Libera Official photo archives.
For Part One (introduction to Libera and to the Timeline, extensive overview & 1981-2007), please go to: http://liberatimeline.blogspot.com/
For The Tables of Contents for all Parts & Appendix A
(There is also a Table of Contents at the beginning of each part.)
https://liberatimelinetocappenda.blogspot.com/
For Part Two (2008-2009) http://liberatimeline2.blogspot.com/
For Part Three (2010) http://liberatimeline3.blogspot.com/
For Part Four (2011)http://liberatimeline4.blogspot.com/
For Part Five (2012)http://liberatimeline5.blogspot.com/
For Part Six (January-May 2013):http://libera-timeline-6.blogspot.com/
For Part 6A (May-December 2013)http://libera-historicaltimeline6a.blogspot.com/
For Part Seven (January-July 2014)http://libera-historicaltimelinepart7.blogspot.com/
For Part 7A (August-November 2014)http://libera-historical-timelinepart7a.blogspot.com/
For Part 7B (December 2014)http://libera-historical-timeline-part7b.blogspot.com/
For Part 8 (January-March 2015)https://lib-erahistorical-timeline-part-eight.blogspot.com/
For Part 8A (January-March, 2015)http://liberahistorical-timeline-part-8-a.blogspot.com/
For Part 8B (August-December,2015)http://liberahistoricaltimelinepart8b.blogspot.com/
For Part 9 (January-July, 2016)http://liberahistoricaltimeline-part-9.blogspot.com/
For Part 9A (July through December, 2015)http://lib-erahistorical-timelinepart9a.blogspot.com/
For Part 10 (January 1st, 2017 August 11th, 2017) https://li-berahistoricalt-imelinepart1a.blogspot.com/
For Part 10A (August 12th to December 31st, 2017) https://lib-era-historic-altimelinepart10a.blogspot.com/
For Part 11 (January 1st, 2018 – Present, please go to: https://lib-er-ahistorical-timelinepart11.blogspot.com/
For Part11A ( October 21st to December 31st, 2018) https://li-berahistoricaltime-line11a.blogspot.com/
For Part 12 (January 1st to August 17th, 2019) https://liberahistoricaltimelinepart12.blogspot.com/
For Part 12A (August 18th to December 31st, 2019) https://lib-era-historicaltimelinepart12a.blogspot.com/
For Part 13 (January 1st to December 31st, 2020) https://liberatimelinepart13.blogspot.com/
For Part 14 (January 1st – July 5th, 2021: https://liberahisttimelinepart14.blogspot.com/2021
For Part 14a (July 5th - Present, 2021: https://histtimeline14alibera.blogspot.com
For Part 15 (January 1st - Present, 2022: https://15libhisttimeline.blogspot.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CLASSIC WINTER DOLDRUMS
(Libera At-Home Concerts: A Guideline)
(Signs of Spring)
(Pre-Tour Countdown)
TAIWAN/KOREA TOUR 2013
(Taiwan)
(Korea)
GUILDFORD CONCERT
CLASSIC WINTER DOLDRUMS
Matthew Jansen takes a break.
For those unfamiliar with the Libera cycle, this has generally been a quiet time of year for the group, at least for online followers—post-holiday, post-touring season, a time for the singers to re-group, learn new material, and perhaps do some special projects or recordings (the last all-new CD was 2011's The Christmas Album). Occasionally fans have been surprised with a new music video or two in the months before the spring tour (which in 2013 was scheduled for April in Taiwan and Korea). Welcome to a new year in Libera-land.
The first entry of 2013 is actually a look back at 2012, posted on January 5th by Yuki, creator of the Dear Libera fansite and an enthusiastic follower of the group in the global sense — she's attended almost every Libera concert in the past few years, including all foreign tours. This video is a lively record of all 2012 tours (with the exception of a single concert in Arundel Cathedral in May).
http://youtu.be/pkR8ePQjd70(Libera 2012 by Yuki/post-concert and meet-&-greets/candid photos)
 
Boys hauling luggage on arrival in Japan |
Barney Lindsell's face is lit up by a videographer's camera during a post-concert
meet-&-greet in Singapore. Cassius O' Connell-White is on the right.
A poster for an Asian tour features Eoghan McCarthy, Kavana Crossley, Dylan Duffy, Jakob De Menezes-Wood, and Jude Collins.
On January 10th, Libera announced the seventh concert date of their spring tour to Taiwan and Korea, at St. John's Catholic Cathedral in Bundang, Korea. The itinerary as of this date was (thanks to the Mini-Angels site for maps):
 April 2nd and 3rd, 2013
Taipei, Taiwan
National Concert Hall
April 6th, 2013
HsinChu, Taiwan
HsinChu Performing Arts Center
 April 7th, 2013
Kaohsiung Taiwan Dadong Arts Center
Kaohsiung Dadong Arts Center
April 9th, 2013
Taichung, Taiwan
Taichung ZhongXin Hall
Friday, April 12th
Bundang, South Korea
St John's Catholic Cathedral
 St John's Catholic Cathedral, Bundang, described as the largest church building in Asia Saturday, April 13th
Seoul, South Korea,
Sejong Center
NOTED: An article in the London Daily Telegraph online reported that boys' voices in general at this time seemed to be changing at an earlier age as compared to past decades. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9737554/Quality-of-British-choristers-under-threat-from-onset-of-puberty.html  Liam Connery One of the places that you can find the work of Libera alumni and older members of the
group) is on the popular SoundCloud music site. Here are three pieces by Liam Connery
(2005-2012), which show a promising maturity (and, in the case of the
exercise called "Motif," considerable charm. ) https://soundcloud.com/liam-connery Guildford Concert Announced 
Guildford Cathedral, Surrey On January 24th, Libera announced an upcoming concert at Guildford
Cathedral in Surrey ( not far from London ), on May 11th, 2013. May concerts had traditionally been held in the Arundel Cathedral, and this was to be the group's first performance at Guildford. (An amusing note: part of the 1976 horror movie The Omen,with Gregory Peck and Lee Remick, was filmed at Guildford Cathedral.) By early February, the poster for the Korean concerts had appeared.
 Back row: Freddie Ingles, Cassius O' Connell-White, Jude Collins, Henry Barrington
 On February 6th, three Libera boys (Jude Collins, Ben Fairman and Cassius O' Connell
-White) appeared in a 30-second video that was clearly aimed at the potential audience
for their upcoming Taiwan concert series. Impressively, at least half the speech was in
Chinese. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOn4crxr2p4&feature=youtu.be (Chinese-captioned greeting in conjunction with 2013 spring tour to Taiwan, with Jude Collins, Ben Fairman, and Cassius O' Connell -White)  Libera on Non-Libera CDs French Libera enthusiast FanDeLoK has made a point of collecting information about all of the CDs and soundtrack recordings on which Libera tracks have appeared—128 as of March, 2013, not counting all-Libera CDs and compilations, or even collaborations with other artists. Some of these are fairly unbelievable.
  
It was also discovered that three early Libera recordings of "Sacris Solemnis," "Angelis," and "Jubilate," had been included on a 2012 Olympics CD. 
Libera Partners With iTunes
In mid-February, LiberaOfficial posted the following message:
We have today set up a partnership with iTunes to deliver music downloads via our
Web site. Click here to visit our online store. Select your store and if we have a
partnership in your location you will see the iTunes download button. This can be
used to purchase music by any artist, not just Libera - though we'd love you to
purchase ours of course!
SIGNS OF SPRINGSpring Tour Promotional Video
http://youtu.be/u-Klf-RmTccPromotional Video for April 2013 concerts in Taiwan and Korea On February 27th, Libera released a brief promotional video for the 2013 spring concert tour, featuring footage from the recent concert in St. George's Cathedral, interspersed with shots of the boys interacting informally, and a tantalizing glimpse of several of them in the recording studio, provoking rumors of a CD release this year.
The new guard: Ben Fairman, Michael Ustynovych-Repa, Tom Delgado-Little, and
Isaac London in the recording studio.
(An Interesting Similarity:)
Several people noted this resemblance:
Eoghan McCarthy, Libera, 2013.
On March 2nd, a Chinese-captioned and slightly different (it includes footage of
Isaac London singing "Far Away") version of the spring tour promotional video appeared.
(Chinese-captioned promotional video for 2013 Taiwan tour) In the captioning, it was mentioned that Libera would be singing a popular Chinese song
called “Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin,” meaning " The Moon Represents My Heart." A version of it is sung in the video below by Teresa Teng.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XXTUJJIsfA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XXTUJJIsfA ( Teresa Teng singing “Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin”/3:28)
Also appearing on March 2nd was an all-new photo of eight boys, including brand-newbie Marc Alvares (signaling the end of his mini-boy probation period), and his big cousin Matthew Rangel-Alvares.
The new look of Libera: Front row, L to R: Ben Fairman, Marc Alvares, Bertie Smart; 2nd row: Thomas Delgado-Little, Lucas Wood; Back row: Jude Collins, Matthew Jansen, Matthew Rangel-Alvares
On March 6th, a third Taiwan/Korea promotional video appeared, this time with Isaac London, Dylan Duffy, and Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey speaking what appears to be more-than-passable Korean.
 (Promo for 2013 Korean concerts)
All three promos contain up-to-date footage from a late-2012 performance at St. George's Cathedral in London, and all three contain this vignette of three "mini-boys" in their first concert, with Marc Alvares, Camden Stewart and an unidentified boy just a beat late into the fast stage-right-facing turn in "Orinoco Flow."  At the same time, a charming series, soon dubbed the "Ice cream
photos," were released by Seoul Arts Management, Libera's Korean
Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey, Cassius O' Connell-White
Above and below: Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey, Cassius O' Connell-White, Matthew Madine, Michael Menezes, Dylan Duffy
 PRE-TOUR COUNTDOWN New Libera CD in the Works On March 8th, some big news for Libera Fans emerged, with the publication
on the Seoul Arts Management blog of a program-note-like greeting to the Korean audience (translation from Korean by Enyu):
Welcome to our Libera Concert!
We are so glad to be back in South Korea once again. Many years ago our very first international tour brought us here, to Seoul, and we have never forgotten the fantastic welcome we received. Indeed the enthusiasm and support was so encouraging that it gave us the confidence to travel more and more, and to take our music across the world. Although we are now quite accustomed to touring, there is always a great sense of excitement
and anticipation as we begin a new season. Because Libera is a boys' choir, the members gradually change as the years go on, so there are always new boys on stage, and new singers inheriting the solos and harmony parts from the older boys. New young 'mini-boys' as we call them, come away from home for the first time—some of them travel on a plane for the first time. So nothing in a boys' choir stays the same for long. As if to underline this, on this tour we have, playing keyboards and working backstage, many of the boys who once used to stand up front in their white robes. We are singing many often-popular Libera songs including some of our very first compositions, like 'Sanctus', 'Libera' and 'Salva Me', alongside more recent pieces like 'Song of Life' and 'Eternal Light'. You will also hear some new music, which is only just
about to appear on an album. Music truly is an international language - it respects no boundaries, and may break free of its
roots in one country and be welcomed in others. We are truly honoured that our Libera music and the Libera singers are able to cross the world, and we thank you for your help and support in making that possible. LIBERA IN MUSIK MAGAZINE IN TAIWAN
The Taiwanese Musik magazine for March made Libera's visit the subject of a four-page
cover story.
    (Photos courtesy of the Mini-Angels website) The article includes information on all the Taiwan concerts, and a full-page ad for yet another compilation CD—last year's " Ave Maria" double CD (here called the "Asia Tour Exclusive Version") to be re-released mid-March for the Taiwan/Korea concert tour. The cover appears to be a combination of pictures from The Christmas Album (2011) and the 2007 New Dawn CD photos, and the song list seems to be the same as that of the CD version released for the 2012 Singapore/Japan tour.
Song list:
Disc #1
1. Air on the G String
2. Ave Maria
3. Silent Night
4. Far Away
5. Ave Maria
6. Twilight
7. Sing the Story
8. Sanctissima
9. Recordare
10. Mother of God
11. Jerusalem
12. Faithful Heart
13. Sempiterna
14. Waltz of the Snowflakes from "The Nutcracker" (Libera-chorus version)
15. La Khalifa (Libera - chorus version)
Disc #2 - same as "Song of Life - A Collection" album (see Part 5)
1. Salva Me
2. Be Still My Soul
3. Tallis's Canon
4. Sanctus
5. Song of Life
6. Ave Verum
7. You Were There
8. Gaelic Blessing (Deep Peace)
9. Voca Me
10. Adoro Te
11. Ave Virgo
12. I Am the Day
13. How Shall I Sing That Majesty
14. Abide With Me
15. Gloria
16. Panis Angelicus
17. I Vow To Thee My Country
There are apparently two versions of "Ave Maria" on Disc #1. This may be explained by the fact that Robert Prizeman made two arrangements of the song (original credited to Giulio Caccini). One is for a spectacular solo voice, and was recorded by Steven Geraghty, now a Libera staff member, on the Luminosa CD in 2001, and by Tom Cully (in photo below) for New Dawn in 2008. The other arrangement is for two voices and chorus, with the chorus featured much more prominently, to the point where they often seem like two different songs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKtqYYg3ZZs (Ave Maria [Caccini]/solo by Steven Geraghty/Luminosa CD/2001/4:27
http://youtu.be/8peuIYKNytg (“Ave Maria” from Angel Voices: Libera in Concert DVD/2007/solo by Ed Day/second voice by Tom Cully) LIBERA ON TAIWANESE TV
 Around March 15th, This newsclip about Libera's upcoming appearance in Taiwan appeared on a TV station there, with the narration backed by what appeared to be a new music video of “Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin/ The Moon Represents my Heart.” It featured a charming solo ending by Michael Ustynovich-Repa (below). Only 12 of the 26 boys on the tour appeared on this clip.
Libera fan Tully Bascome had this to say about the song (on the Libera Dreams Forum):
Recently I've been watching some Chinese movies which focus on the first half of the 20th century. To me this particular piece is similar to some of the popular Chinese music of that era. In fact it was written by a Taiwanese artist in the 1970's and it was one of the first "outside" pieces allowed to become popular on the mainland in that era when China was just beginning to relax the tight cultural control of the [Communist] party.  Michael Ustynovich-Repa
http://youtu.be/XCm_UoOwT7I( “Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin/ The Moon Represents myHeart”/ Music video accompanying TV news clip about Libera from Taiwan/solo by Michael Ustynovych Repa/3/15/2013) A SACRED INTERLUDE  On March 17th, past, present and future members of Libera joined in a 50-voice choir at St. Philip's Church, Norbury, for a fund- and spirit-raising service featuring the Requiem by W.A. Mozart. In the photo of the program below, the column on the left is devoted to full members of Libera (and it seems that Alex Montoro, Camden Stewart, and Marc Alvares have been promoted to that status). The group at top right consists of past and recent members who have gone on to join the St. Philip's adult choir, and the "Juniors" translates to aspiring "mini-boys."
The last group was notable for the fact that it appeared to contain three little brothers or
cousins of currently performing members: Gabriel Collins (Luke and Jude Collins); James Menezes (Michael Menezes); and Mark Ustynovych-Repa (Michael Ustynovych-Repa)
  Interior of St. Philip's, detail of altarpiece (Photo by Johan) Johan, a loyal fan from the Netherlands, attended the concert/service ; below are his
(selected) observations; thanks also to Johan for the program photos above. He also noted
that, unusually, Robert Prizeman stood in front of the choir (which was arranged in a double half-circle) to conduct.
"The choir was indeed about 50 strong, but that includes the mini-boys, or juniors as they were called here. They sat in the front row in church and only joined the choir for the "Dies irae" and the "Sanctus." [Of those mentioned in the program, Josh Madine and Andy Winter were absent—Ed.]
"The performance was a collective effort of all participants and all deserve a great ’thank you,' but there are a few I want to mention especially. First there was Isaac London. I was so greatly impressed by his solo in "Tuba mirum," really great. In the same part also Steven Geraghty did a very good part as a countertenor. Steven and Isaac sounded very good together. Also special commendations for Jude Collins and Thomas Delgado-Little in different parts. Jude Collins was concentrated during the whole performance and did much better than I ever heard
him before. Thomas Delgado-Little again, as we know from him, was rock steady in a solo together with Eoghan McCarthy, whose voice appeared to be lower than it used to be.
Sam Wiggin, who knows how to be quiet
(photo by Ashley) In a choir with so many young boys it is logical that some lose concentration from time to time.So I think it is only fair to mention those that gave the impression of being ‘ínto it’ the whole time,and therefore honours for Matthew Jansen, Sam Wiggin and Ben Fairman in addition to the abovementioned soloists."—Johan
TAIWAN CONCERT PROGRAM
Artemis Art, the Libera concert promoters in Taiwan, released a photo of the song listing on the 2013 concert program:
 The boy in the photo is Jude Collins. There were no strictly "new-to-2013-Libera" songs listed on this program. "Mysterium" is gone from the previous lineup, as are "Be Still My Soul" and "Sanctissima." Additions are "Song of Life," and " How Can I Keep from Singing," which was last heard on 2003's Eternal CD, with Josh Madine credited as soloist. (This version also was used as the soundtrack for a 2008 Waitrose Grocery Stores Christmas advertisement.)
This lovely song was originally recorded in 1992 by Oliver Putland on the first Angel Voices CD, and sung as a group number in the 1992 TV series Titchmark on Song, and on a 1993 TV series, Thora on the Straight and Narrow. It also appeared as a memorable solo-on-video by the great Liam O' Kane in 1998.
 Liam O' Kane videoed in Highgate Cemetery, London
http://youtu.be/rO-gHaZDYbg(How Can I Keep from Singing/Liam O’ Kane/1998)
If the group, rather than the solo, version, were used for this program, it probably would be some variation on this arrangement by Enya, used in both 1992 and 1993. The first three boys visible singing on the video below are early Angel Voices soloists Anthony Maher, Oliver Putland, and Daren Geraghty.
http://youtu.be/-6ylXL6mjeE(How Can I Keep from Singing/Angel Voices/ Thora on the
Straight and Narrow/1993/arr. by Enya)
It seemed probable that the new song “Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin/ The Moon Represents my Heart” would be the first encore, and "Libera" the second. YET ANOTHER GREETING TO TAIWAN AND A LOCAL NEWSPAPER STORY  On 3/26 , two now-seasoned Libera spokesboys, Cassius O' Connell-White and Ben
Fairman, showed off their language (or at least cue-card reading) skills in recording a video with an impressively lengthy message repeated in both English and Chinese. http://youtu.be/Px6UIGwVhOs(Greeting to Taiwan in English and Chinese/Cassius O’
Connell-White and Ben Fairman/2013)
At this point, a Chinese-language greeting on Libera's official website had received the greatest number of hits of any posting to date.
 On 3/28, it was announced by Taiwan promoters that autograph sessions would be held
following all concerts there. Artemis Art revealed that there would be a poster with photos of all 26 boys in the touring group available for sale at 100 yuan. It was also announced that only five or six boys at a time would be available for signing after each concert. This had been done before in Singapore and Japan because of huge crowds there that would have had all theboys signing all night, exhausting during a busy concert schedule.
EVE-OF-TOUR NOTES AND ACTIVITIESAccording to Lauren of the Mini-Angels site, Artemis Art was doing a great job promoting Libera's first Taiwan tour, with flyers and huge posters in bookstores and gift shops throughout the country.   Taiwan's FM98.9 radio station played Libera songs during the days before the concerts, and there were several dozen magazine and newspaper ads and articles, with great excitement expressed about Libera's world-premiere performance of "The Moon Represents My Heart."
Lauren also mentioned that advance ticket sales for the five Taiwan concerts were excellent. This was also the case in Korea, according to the promoters, Seoul Arts and Korean fan Enyu, who reports seeing Libera posters throughout the city, including mounted on streetlight posts and plastered on buses.  
Photos by Enyu
YET ANOTHER PROMOTIONAL VIDEO On March 30th, Libera posted the fourth 2013 Spring Tour promotional video , with commentary by a lively quartet of boys—Isaac London, Jude Collins, Michael Ustynovych-Repa, and the ever-irrepressible Cassius O' Connell-White. It shows gives more scenes and swirling special effects from the video, as yet unreleased in its entirety at this point, of "The Moon Represents My Heart." (NOTE: this video was at the time unavailable due to copyright issues. The only record of the Libera performance in it was in the newscast above. It became available in full in 2019.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csK4nSI1tAE (The Moon Represents my Heart full video/3:28)
Isaac London, Jude Collins. Michael Ustynovych-Repa and Cassius O'Connell White discuss the video-shooting and language-learning process for "The Moon Represents
My Heart."
http://youtu.be/ly1Bv8UDoPU (A look at the creation of the video for “The Moon
Represents My Heart"/Isaac London/Jude Collins/ Michael Ustynovych-Repa/Cassius
O’ Connell-White/ March 1013)
Celestial boys in the video, all trebles (L to R): Jude Collins, Isaac London, Eoghan McCarthy. Dylan Duffy, Cassius O' Connell-White, Michael Ustynovych-Repa, Matthew Rangel-Alvares, Bertie Smart, Matthew Madine, Lucas Wood, Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey, Tom Delgado-Little TAIWAN/KOREA TOUR 2013 Taiwan  National Concert Hall, Taipei, Taiwan (Photo By Lauren) Taiwan Concerts April 2nd and 3rd Taipei, Taiwan National Concert Hall BLOG I As is customary, the boys blogged about their journey and arrival:
 Henry Barrington and Cassius O' Connell-White view Taipei 101, at that time the second tallest building in the world
Fortunately for those who couldn't make it to Taiwan, Lauren, from the Chicago-based Mini-Angels site wrote a complete and comprehensive review/running commentary on the April 2nd performance in the National Concert Hall in Taipei, and all concerts in both Taiwan and Korea. Here is a slightly edited version, with some small additions from the following night's concert.
Ni hao! Libera had their first concert in Taiwan tonight! There were fans here from all over the world – China, Australia, the Philippines, Japan, Canada, USA, France and UK (please let me know if I forgot anyone) – but it was the warm response from the Taiwan fans that really made
it great, especially when Libera talked and sang in Chinese.
There were 26 boys singing tonight. They were listed in the program in alphabetical order by first name.
1. Alessandro Mackinnon-Botti
2. Anthony Blake
3. Anthony Kerr-Munley
4. Benjamin Fairman
5. Bertramo (Bertie) Smart
6. Carlos Rodriguez-Villegas
7. Cassius O’Connell-White
8. Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey
9. Dylan Duffy
10. Eoghan McCarthy
11. Henry Barrington
12. Isaac London
13. Jude Collins
14. Jakub (Kuba) Niedermaier-Reed
15. Kavana Crossley
16. Lucas Wood
17. Luke Collins
18. Marc Alvares
19. Matthew Jansen
20. Matthew Madine
21. Matthew Rangel-Alvares
22. Michael Menezes
23. Michael Ustynovych-Repa
24. Oscar McFall
25. Samuel Wiggin
26. Thomas Delgado-Little
Stage with Steven Geraghty, Josh Madine, Simon Roth, and National Taiwan University of Arts string quartet ready to go.
The concert started off with a string quartet from Taipei entering the stage. They were followed by Simon Roth playing percussion, Josh Madine playing keyboard and piano, and Steven Geraghty playing keyboard, piano, clarinet and recorder. 
Percussionist Simon Roth
The lights dimmed and we heard Cassius O’ Connell-White’s voice reminding the audience to turn off their cell phones and refrain from taking pictures. Robert Prizeman entered without applause. I think he wanted to keep a quiet mood for the first song.
1. Dies Irae – Solo by Ciaran Bradbury Hickey. His voice is even stronger than before! Matthew Rangel-Alvares sang the backing part; he and Tom Delgado-Little sang the high notes. Dark and moving. Then they segued into…
2. Gloria – A sparkling song made even better by the lights shining on the gigantic organ behind the stage. Michael Ustynovych-Repa
All photos of concert program by Patrick
Speech – Ben Fairman and Cassius O’ Connell-White welcoming everyone. Ben just said his name and the audience applauded, so you can imagine the reaction when they spoke in Chinese. They said that Kavana Crossley is the oldest boy on tour at age 14, and Marc Alvares is the youngest, having just turned nine. Isaac London, the soloist on the next song, is ten.
3. Song of Life – Wow, wow, wow! Isaac’s solo was so beautiful! What a strong, clear voice in that little ten-year-old! [on the second night Isaac appeared to have a bit of a cold. It sure didn't hurt his singing though. His voice was clear and beautiful. During his song, there was a glitch and his mic went out. He didn't flinch. Just kept on singing. So professional for one so young.]
4. Voca Me – Solo by Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey. Tom Delgado-Little sang the shimmering high part (that top note gives me shivers) so effortlessly. [
 5. Sanctus – Dylan Duffy sang a really cool part, Michael Ustynovych-Repa sang the really high notes, and Matthew Jansen sang the last “Sanctus.” Beautifully done.
Speech – Cassius O’ Connell-White and Michael Ustynovych-Repa introduced their well-travelled mascot, Moose.
6. I Vow To Thee, My Country – Another wow! Matthew Jansen has the nicest quality to his voice, and it’s so strong and steady. He sang the solo with Dylan Duffy and Tom Delgado-Little. Michael Ustynovych-Repa had a cool part in this song.
7. Salva Me – The boys had their hoods up, and Michael Ustynovych-Repa sang the high "Salva"s.
The above group includes soloists Cassius O' Connell White, Ciaran Bradbury Hickey, Dylan Duffy, Eoghan McCarthy and Isaac London.
8. Eternal Light – The solo part was sung by Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey, Jude Collins, Dylan Duffy and Lucas Wood with Tom Delgado-Little joining in part-way through.
Speech – This was so funny! Jude Collins introduced the musicians. He went to point to the string quartet [from the National Taiwan University of Arts] and spun in a circle pointing at Steven Geraghty, Josh Madine, Simon Roth, oh there they are! The loudest applause was for Robert Prizeman.
9. How Shall I Sing That Majesty? – Beautiful solo by Eoghan McCarthy with Matthew Jansen and Lucas Wood, and Tom Delgado-Little singing the high part. Yes, this song still makes me cry. I love the words.
- Interval -
10. Orinoco Flow – The song started with Matthew Rangel-Alvares, Matthew Jansen, Dylan Duffy, Cassius O’Connell-White and another boy I can’t remember (sorry). Isaac London was playing the beat of the drum by hitting his side. Does he play percussion? Tom Delgado-Little has a cool, high part added. And the choreography and turns were even sharper than before. I love this song!
Speech – Michael Ustynovych-Repa and Cassius O’ Connell-White explained their white
robes and “massive” hoods. The audience loved Cassius’ hood demonstration.
11. Far Away – Solo by Isaac London. I’m trying not to use the word “wow” too much. Maybe I’m too sleepy to come up with another adjective. Just perfect.
12. The Fountain – Just when I vow to not use the word “wow” again, here comes this song. Matthew Jansen soloed. His voice is rich and low in the beginning, soars to crazy high notes in the middle, then closes quietly in a way that makes you sigh. 
Between concerts, Lauren caught the boys outside in their robes during a photo shoot.
13. Grateful Heart – Tom Delgado-Little and Michael Ustynovych-Repa are in the front with half of the boys kneeling in a semi-circle behind them and the other half of the boys standing in a semi-circle behind that. This is such a difficult song to sing, because it requires so much vocal control. These little guys can do it! Tom sang the first verse, Michael sang the second verse, Tom sang the third verse, and holy cow!, he held out that last clear note so long. Stunning. 
14. Ave Verum – Dylan Duffy, Matthew Jansen, Henry Barrington and Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey started the song. Michael Ustynovych-Repa sang the high notes. Shout out to Carlos Rodrigues Villegas, Henry Barrington, Kavana Crossley and Luke Collins singing the low notes. It always shows on this song. And the tallest was Luke at the front of the final “V” formation. 
Speech – This was the cutest speech! Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey explained that they need to learn to enunciate their words distinctly while singing. In order to do this, they practice vocal exercises. So they demonstrated three of of them. It was like an extra mini-song in the concert.The first exercise was a tongue-twister "pick a copper, pick a kettle". The second one was “Zing-a-momma, zing-a-momma, zing, zing, zing.” The third was a scale of “ma-ma-ma’s” that went super high. The audience loved it! And this, of course, led into… 
Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey
15. How Can I Keep From Singing? – Beautifully sung. The small-ensemble part is sung by Lucas Wood, Dylan Duffy, Eoghan McCarthy, Alessandro Mackinnon-Botti and Isaac London, with Michael Ustynovych-Repa on the high notes. 
16. Stay With Me – Main part sung by Tom Delgado-Little, Dylan Duffy, Cassius O’ Connell-White and Lucas Wood. Michael Ustynovych-Repa on the high notes. Cassius sang a solo at the end.
17. Glory To Thee – Solo part by Eoghan McCarthy and Matthew Jansen. The boys are in five groups and sing “Praise God From Whom All Blessings flow” in a round. Eoghan sang so strong and clear. What a voice!
Speech – Ben Fairman gave the longest speech in Chinese thanking everyone for coming.
18. Exultate – Tom Delgado-Little, Dylan Duffy, Matthew Jansen, Michael Ustynovych-Repa and Lucas Wood start the song. Solo by Tom with Luke Collins. A happy way to end the concert. But wait. There’s more! 
Ben Fairman, Dylan Duffy, Tom Delgado- Little and Matthew Madine sign autographs (Photo by Lauren)
Encore #1 – The Moon Represents My Heart – Stunning! As soon as the audience
recognized the song, they started clapping. I can’t understand a word of Chinese, and I was moved by it, especially at the bridge. Robert’s arrangement of this song is amazing. All the boys were standing in a semi-circle, and little Michael Ustynovych-Repa glided smoothly to the front and sang a solo at the end. The audience cheered so much. I saw people waving their hands in the air! The recorded song and video cannot be played in its entirety due to copyright. Hopefully, this will be resolved so that everyone can have a chance to hear the full song. [Editor's note: This happened in 2019]
Encore #2 – Libera
More cheers from the audience, and Robert was presented on stage with a huge bouquet of flowers.
A few other notes. Our newest smiley boy is Anthony Blake. He sings and smiles and looks right at audience members and smiles some more. What a joy to watch him!
Anthony Blake
And congratulations to Josh Madine for transitioning so smoothly (at least it seems so to me as an outsider) to being a staff member. His keyboard and piano playing is quite good, and some pieces are not easy.
 Josh Madine, cool at the keyboard (photo by Yuki)
Barbara Geraghty and Eleanor Lewis are here as chaperones. Andy Winter is Stage Manager. Sam Coates is on sound. Simon Lewis and Jonathan Barrington are stage managers. If I missed someone, it’s because the staff is not listed in the program.
After the concert, the venue handed out Libera balloons. They sold CDs, the DVD, commemorative Libera mugs, programs and posters. People wanting autographs were led to a queue outside.I thought it was going to be another outdoor signing in the dark like St. Louis 2010, but it turned out that only the fans were outside. The boys were inside a side entrance.
(Photo by Lauren)
Fans were able to get autographs from 10 boys instead of 5. It was a bit rushed. No time to talk. I think the venue thought that 1,000 people would be lined up for signatures. The line was long, but not too bad. I got a few photos before, during and after. The boys were so cute, saying “Xie xie” (thank you in Chinese) to the fans.
The second night's signing was in the same side entrance to the concert hall, but this time all the boys who had not signed last night were there, so anyone who went to the two Taipei concerts could have a fully signed poster or program or cell phone or balloon (Yes, I saw those being signed). The boys were happy and smiley and talkative, yet their fingers were flying, The line was much longer than last night's, but they got everyone through there super fast.
Fans waiting for autographs and crowding to photograph Libera boys. (Photo by Lauren)
A Taiwanese fan, Max, had this to say about his experience: "At the autograph signing after the concert, the sponsor prohibits the audiences from taking picture in the line for speeding up the process. I totally understand since the boys must be tired enough while still had hundredsof signing to do. I actually felt a little bit guilty to let the boys signing for me. So, basically it was like entering the room, passing what you would like to be signed to the staff, the staff thenpasses the item to a group of super busy head-down boys, getting back your item and then… done. Hum… it was a neither long nor short period of time and I didn’t expect too much interaction with the boys. All of a sudden, after Bertramo Smart signing right on his face and murmuring his face looks like that (lol), Kavana Crossley head-up and greets me; also Eoghan McCarthy said “Thank you for coming tonight!” It was way too kind of them to do so!! After being surprised and touched by these cute warm angels, it was the worst feeling of the day – the end of the beautiful night, right from the heaven back to the real world…"
Carlos Rodrigues Villegas, Matthew Madine and Oscar McFall on the bus. (Photo by Lauren)
A small group of fans waited outside to see the boys leave. They were waving from the
windows of their bus.
Thank you for a great concert! — Lauren
Taiwan BLOG II ...And this is the boys' second blog about their activities: 
One of Libera's outside activities was a visit to the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Center (above) in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, where, as reported in a local magazine article, they experienced a Buddhist ceremony and asked questions like "What's the difference between Buddha and God?;" "Why are Buddha's ears so long?" and "Does the lotus represent peace?"
Hsinchu Concert
April 6th, 2013
HsinChu, Taiwan
HsinChu Performing Arts Center
Comments by Lauren:
Tonight's Hsinchu (the "H" is silent) concert was amazing! This was a smaller city, and so it was a smaller audience, but they sure were enthusiastic. Here are a few details: 
Interior, Hsinchu Performing Arts Center (Photo by Lauren)
• First, I think I was just plunked down into the middle of a live music video! Some concerts just seem to draw you into the action on stage, so that nothing and no one else is in the room, just you and the performers.
There was a screen behind the stage, which has been used in other concerts, and which
played video scenes during some of the songs. This time just felt different. Perhaps it helped that the stage was lower. Maybe it was my oddly too-large seat that made me lean back and relax. Maybe it was the really great sound. Or all of these combined. But I was in some sort of virtual reality. Except it was real.
• Dies Irae - Ciaran started the concert off right. Have you ever watched someone sing, like in church, and you're white-knuckling it the whole time, worrying that they won't hit their notes. Yeah, Ciaran is not that person.
• Gloria - One to watch for: Sam Wiggin. On the right side I noticed Ciaran (I think) singing high and then realized that Sam was singing really high along with him! Sam wasn't wearing a mic, but he was definitely hitting those high notes.
Eager photographers at the Hsinchu autograph Session (Photo by Lauren)
• Speech by Ben & Cassius - It sounds like Cassius has a cold. :( Hope he feels better soon.
• The words of all of their speeches were posted on the screen translated into Chinese. This helped so much! The audience reaction was much better since now they could all understand what was being said.
• How Shall I Sing? - Eoghan McCarthy still has it! I sat right in front of him. :) And now I see (thank you right side) that Tom Delgado-Little AND Isaac London sing the high part. They just nailed it! 
Eoghan McCarthy (Photo by Gordon)
• At the start of the 2nd half, the audience applauded when Libera walked out on stage in the dark.
• Far Away - So great! Here I go again, gushing about Isaac London. If he's this good at 10 years old... wow!
1
Isaac London signs autographs
• The Moon Represents My Heart - On the video screen it read: "1953-1995 Teresa Teng" with a picture of her. I was told she was the original singer of this song. Perhaps in deference to this tribute, the audience did not clap as soon as they recognized the song. But when it wasdone they clapped so loudly and long that if Robert Prizeman hadn't cued up "Libera," they'd still be clapping.
• 8 boys did an autograph signing in the upstairs lobby. There was no picture-taking while in line, but pictures were allowed any other time. And boy, did people take a lot of pictures!
• When I went through the line, the boys were all so sweet and cheerful. Tom Delgado-Littleand Michael Ustynovych-Repa were at the end. They asked me what my favorite song was. When I said "The Moon Represents My Heart," Michael said "Yes!" That's his solo. Apparentlythere's a competition between the two of them to see whose feature songs gets the most votes. I should have said "Grateful Heart," since they sing it together.
Kaohsiung Concert
April 7th, 2013
Kaohsiung Taiwan Dadong Arts Center
(Photo by Lauren )
Comments by Lauren:
Ni Hao from Kaohsiung! Libera is now in the southern part of Taiwan (sunny and
warm) and in its second-largest city.
• Tonight's concert was really great! The sound was especially amazing! Before it started I told myself I wasn't going to worry about trying to remember details. I was just going to sit
back and enjoy it, unless something really stood out to me. That stand-out would be the song "Voca Me."
• We talk a lot about Libera soloists, who gets to sing which song, how did they do. But Libera is deeply loaded with talent. I want to give a shout-out to the boys who sing all those harmony parts, and that includes soloists who don't have a solo on that song. It takes all of those moving harmonies to make a song like "Voca Me" sound so great. Singing harmony is not easy to do, especially when you have someone standing next to you who is singing a totally different part. You can tell these boys practice a lot and practice well.
• One funny thing I noticed was that after the interval, several of the boys came out and started smiling and almost laughing. While "Orinoco Flow" is definitely a happy song, something was going on.
• The audience was really good tonight. They seemed to know English better and so
understood the speeches and laughed at all the cute jokes.
•The same eight boys did the autograph session, except Cassius O’ Connell-White took
Lucas Wood's place. If you'll notice, the table is loaded with soloists. Four of them asked me what was my favorite song tonight. How do you answer that when they're all hoping you name one of their songs? Oh, the competitiveness of boys. I answered honestly, "Voca Me," and Tom Delgado-Little seemed disappointed. While I love it for the moving parts, it's Tom, Tom, Tom, singing the amazing high parts.
Autographers and soloists: (L to R) Cassius O' Connell-White, Eoghan McCarthy
Dylan Duffy, Matthew Jansen, Michael Ustynovych-Repa (Photo by Lauren)
• During the concert I sat next to a girl from Taiwan named Helen. She said that she has been listening to Libera's music for 8 years! Since she was 12 years old! Her brother was in a choir
and introduced her to Libera. During the autograph session we were talking, and she asked me to give Libera a message since her English is not very good.
She then proceeded to tear up while describing in excellent English how much she loves them and their music, and how their music gives her power to feel better when she is sad. So I walked through the line with her so she could tell them herself. It shows how powerful music can be for good.
• When the boys left to get on the bus, it was amazing to see how much energy they still had. They were waving at the fans and jumping up and down. It looks like they are having a great time in Taiwan.
 TAICHUNG CONCERT
April 9th, 2013
Taichung, Taiwan
Taichung ZhongXin Hall
Enthusiastic Taichung fans wait for autographs (Photo by Lauren)
Jude Collins, Cassius O' Connell-White, Dylan Duffy,
Robert Prizeman and Kavana Crossley make their way through A
gantlet of adoring fans, security guards, cameras and microphones.
(Photo by Gordon)
Here are Lauren’s thoughts on the final Taiwan Concert:
Libera's 5th and final Taiwan concert was tonight in Taichung, and the boys did
not disappoint. I thought they would be exhausted from touring all over Taiwan for
10 days, but they performed with so much energy, and their vocals were especially
strong tonight.
• Taichung is a university town, and there were a lot of young people in the audience.
There were even some very young school children who left after the first half,
probably because it was past their bedtime.
• At the end of “Dies Irae” and “Gloria,” I remember thinking "perfect." Then Isaac
London sang his solo on “Song of Life,” and his voice had such a tender quality,
that I again thought "perfect."
• In“Voca Me,” Tom Delgado-Little’s high notes were so spot-on pitch! “Sanctus” –
Dylan Duffy! How did I miss you singing all those high notes in so many songs? It's
probably because you make it look so easy. You also blend so well with other boys'
voices when you sing harmony. What a great voice you have!
Dylan Duffy (Photo by Gordon)
• “Salva Me” and Michael Ustynovych Repa’s high part were again great. At this point
I was thinking, "Everything is just perfect so far!" “Eternal Light” was lovely, and
Eoghan McCarthy with Matthew Jansen and Lucas Wood on “How Shall I Sing That
Majesty” were excellent.
• Cassius O’ Connell-White did not sing during the second half of the concert until
he returned for the last song. I don't know if his cold is bothering him or not. He
actually sounded much better while giving his speeches. Ben Fairman took Cassius’
place for the "white robes and massive hoods" speech with Michael Ustynovych-
Repa.
• The crowd applauded and quite literally yelled "Encore." After “The Moon
Represents My Heart,” they applauded even louder. After singing the song “Libera,”
the choir Libera took their final bows in Taiwan, and Robert was presented with his
5th bouquet of flowers. Where is he putting all of them?
Budding linguist Isaac London (L) with Alessandro Mackinnon-Botti.
(Photo by Gordon)
• The autograph session had eight boys. While they were being seated, Isaac
London was making sure everyone remembered their Chinese phrases for when
they greeted fans. He said if anyone had any questions, ask him.
I'd like to congratulate Taiwan on doing such a great job for Libera's first trip here.
It was a really well-run tour, and Richard Chen and the Artemis Art employees and
volunteers worked very hard to make it a success.
Kavana Crossley, the oldest on the tour at age 14. He began touring with the group in 2008.
Here's a nice and concise mini-review from another fan:
by john45 » Tue Apr 09, 2013 6:55 am
Taichung 9th April
Anthony Kerr-Munley and Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey leaving the concert hall.
Note lines of security personnel. (Photo By Gordon)
Well, that was the last of the Taiwan concerts. Another brilliant performance. The
venues may not have been filled, but they are large and the audiences were very
appreciative and enthusiastic. From Libera's point of view it was undoubtedly a
success, having brought their music to several thousand fans, many of them new,
on their first visit here. CD sales appeared to be going very well. From a fan’s
perspective everything was very well organized. I just hope it was also a com-
mercial success for the sponsors who worked so hard to make it happen. By all
accounts, in spite of some inclement weather, the boys themselves had a great
time.
Some of my favourite moments (in no particular order) were:
• Dylan Duffy’s's descants.
• Michael Ustynovych Repa’s's beaming smile when the audience erupts at the end
of "The Moon Represents My Heart. "
Michael smiles: worth an encore. (Photo by Gordon)
• The "shining like a rainbow" crescendo in “Eternal Light”
• Tom Delgado-Little’s' final note in “Grateful Heart”— how can he hold it for so long
so effortlessly?
Matthew Jansen
• Matthew Jansen's huge gear-shift from low to high in "The Fountain"
• The top D in “Voca Me” (Tom Delgado-Little)
• Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey on vocal gymnastics
Vocal gymnast Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey (C), signing autographs with Lucas Wood
(Photo by Gordon)
• The "Ave Verum "V"
• “Glory to Thee”—"Amen" (well, the whole hymn really)
• Nano-Ben Fairman speaking in Mandarin.
• Many more.
• At the signing sessions several of the boys would ask "Which was your favourite
song". There seemed to be some sort of competition going on. Whether this was
like a horse race and each had tried to pick a winner or they were rooting for their
own solo, I don't know. After some deliberation, I picked "Grateful Heart" as the
photo-finish winner between it and "The Moon Represents my Heart". This was
greeted with a "Yesssss!!!" from Tom Delgado-Little but with a sigh of disap-
pointment from Michael Ustynovych-Repa, which leaves me no wiser as they
share the honours for "Grateful Heart."
Tom Delgado-Little (Photo by Gordon)
• I found the Taiwanese people to be most friendly, courteous and helpful wherever
I went. I felt completely safe walking late at night. Traveling within and between
the cities on the excellent and spotless subway and high speed rail systems was a
breeze. Taxis are cheap and the drivers honest.—john45
Isaac London obliges a fan.
One of the highlights of the boys' extracurricular activities was a visit with the Choir of the Pingtung County Tai Wu Elementary School, for lunch and a demonstration by the choir, directed by Camake Valaule. Many of the Tai wu children were from the indigenous Paiwan tribe of Taiwan. Here's the boys' blog about it: http://www.libera.org.uk/blog/terrific_taiwan_3
 The Tai Wu singers also gave the Libera boys copies of their CD: "Vingacan ta Senay Nia Vuvu" (Where the Songs Begin), and the boys had the experience, unusual on tour, of being
the ones requesting autographs. For the full range of photos, go to:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=555266077839618&set=a.555266041172955.1073741859.
100000686939101&type=3&theater
(Copy and paste if link doesn't work on your computer.)
Accompanying the boys on this visit and throughout the tour was Dr. Roberto de Ocampo, former minister of finance for the Philippines, now an arts ambassador and great friend ofLibera. Among his many other honors, Dr. De Ocampo was honored in 2012 with the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) for promoting artistic relatiions between the UK and the Philippines. 
Dr. Roberto De Ocampo
Carlos Rodrigues Villegas( (C) and Kavana Crossley check out the Tai Wu Choir's CD
Bertie Smart and Lucas Wood trade autographs
More Autographs (Back row, L to R): Kavana Crossley, Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey
Bertie Smart, Kuba Niedermaier-Reed, Carlos Rodrigues Villegas, Matthew Jansen; Front: Lucas Wood, Marc Alvares.
Kuba Niedermaier-Reed with new friends 
Cassius O'Connell-White, Kavana Crossley and Ben Fairman
form part of a chain.
Demonstration by Tai Wu Choir
Michael Ustynovych-Repa, surrounded, with banana
KOREA
 One of the first activities on Libera's arrival in Korea was this lively interview on a
Bundang radio morning show with four veteran spokesboys. It provided a number of amusing insights into the group's dynamics, personalities, and history, as well as a number of personal anecdotes and observations about what it's like being a Libera singer.
http://youtu.be/FE04RYvRYYg(Jude Collins, Cassius O’ Connell-White, Kavana Crossley, and Ben Fairman, interviewed prior to their two Korean performances on the 1013 Mainstreet Show in Bundang, with Ahn Junghyun on TBS eFM 101.3.)
Friday, April 12th
Bundang, South KoreaSt John's Catholic Cathedral 
Vast interior of St. John's Catholic Cathedral, Bundang
(Photo by Lauren)
Lauren of the Mini-Angels site continued with her observations and commentary for this first Korean concert:
Tonight was Libera's first-ever Asian concert held in a church! How cool is that?
St. John's Cathedral is about 1 hour south of central Seoul in the suburb of
Bundang. I went there with eight other fans in a rental van. Many thanks to Korean
Libera fan, Enyu, for arranging that for us. The church is fairly easy to spot as you
drive up as it is gigantic, the largest building in Asia!
They were selling CDs and programs but no posters. Tickets had been sold in
numerical order, so we were told to wait in a large room with tables and chairs and
food available for purchase. We lined up in numerical order and entry began in
sections 30 minutes before the concert began.
The display of photos in this Korean program was imaginative and effective
(All photos of program by Lauren)
The concert itself was simply spectacular! Everyone sang so well. I couldn't see
most of the balcony, but the main floor was packed!
• Dies Irae - The audience applauded when Libera entered the stage in the dark.
Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey, Matthew Jansen, and Tom Delgado-Little gave us such a
strong opening song. And I'm happy to say that Cassius O’ Connell-White was
back singing for the whole concert (after taking time off because of a cold).
• Gloria - The music echoed off of the stone walls, and the lighting effects sparkled
against the church decorations and organ pipes. So beautiful!
• Speeches - The audience was very enthusiastic and clapped and yelled when the
boys spoke in Korean.
Steven Geraghty, Josh Madine, Simon Roth and string quartet await the beginning of the Bundang concert. (photo by Lauren)
•Voca Me - Perfect song! Loved how the light made a shadow of hooded Tom
Delgado-little on the wall.
• Salva Me - You can't beat this song with hoods up in a cathedral!
• In Jude Collin’s speech he asked "Are you enjoying the concert" in Korean, and
everyone cheered! I was told that the boys who gave speeches spent only
10 minutes learning their Korean lines. Wow! They're quick learners!
• Far Away - Another perfect solo by Isaac London. Dylan Duffy has a nice high part.
He is so subtle when he sings that you often don't realize that that wonderful sound
is coming from him!
• The Fountain - Matthew Jansen wowed them with this one! It's amazing how he (and
Ralph Skan before him) can sing in a middle range and then pop it up an octave and
sing so high.
• Ave Verum - Very powerful. The stage was a bit short so it was hard to fit all 26
boys into the final "V".
• How Can I Keep From Singing? - I keep forgetting to mention that when they
sing the line "I lift my eyes..." they all look up into the lights. It really makes you feel
the emotion of the song along with them.
• Stay With Me - Cassius O’ Connell-White was back singing the solo and did a
great job!
The first encore was " The Moon Represents My Heart." Since it's sung in Chinese,
there's naturally not going to be as big of a reaction to it as the audiences in Taiwan
had, but the Korean fans really loved it. I'm so happy for them that they also get to
hear this beautiful song.
• The second encore was "Libera." The audience cheered loudly and gave a
standing ovation! Great concert!
• There were two negative points for me, which I must share in the hopes that it doesn't
happen again. During the entire first half of the concert, an official photographer
was crouched down in the middle aisle between the very front pews taking pictures.
His camera was clicking constantly. It was distracting beyond words. Just as a soloist would be singing a moving and tender part of a song, "click, click, click!" If I had been in charge, I would have lunged at him in the dark after "Gloria" and told him to stop. (lol and yet I'm serious) After people complained about it during the interval, he did not return for the second half.
• My second gripe is about the use of cell phones during the concert. Yes, girl sitting
next to me recording every song, I'm talking to you. When they announced in
Korean and English not to take photos or recordings during the concert, that
included you. I know you weren't the only one (there were many), but the light from
your cell phone screen at the beginning, ending, and often the middle of every single
song was so bothersome. Please fans, there's a reason for these rules. Respect
Libera and your fellow concert-goers.
What it looks like when someone is sitting in front of you taking photos
• Ten boys did an autograph signing after the concert. The other 16 will be signing
after the Seoul concert, probably divided into 2 groups due to the size of the
audience. They all seem to be having a great time on tour. I mentioned to Eoghan
McCarthy that I liked his high part in “Exultate,” and he said that he's not always
hitting high notes anymore. Aw, but I still love the timbre of his voice.
• I met two fans, from Japan and Korea, who were attending their very first Libera
concert. I'm sure there were many other first-timers, but it's always so fun to talk to
them. They're in this special euphoric state after finally getting to hear Libera live.
One more concert left at the huge Sejong Center! Can't wait!— Lauren
Eoghan McCarthy glimpsed between fans at Bundang signing.
http://youtu.be/RQgBPpd3iYA (Lauren's video of autograph signing at St. John’s Cathedral, Bundang)
SEJONG CONCERT
Saturday, April 13th
Seoul, South Korea,
Sejong Center 
Another vast interior—Sejong Center (Photo by Lauren)
Oh my word! Libera had their final Asia Tour concert tonight at the Sejong Arts Center in Seoul, and it was amazing! The concert hall was nearly sold out with the main floor and two balconies quite full.
• From the beginning of "Dies Irae," the sound just hit me between the eyes! It was so much louder than any other venue I've ever been to. I sat on the right side for the first time during this tour and on the 4th row, so I had an entirely different view of the stage. There again was a screen behind the stage that gave the Korean interpretation of the words to the speeches. Some of the sceneson the screen during the songs looked new also, but maybe that was because I could see better.
• When Ben Fairman started his first speech, the audience laughed and clapped at everything he said in Korean.
• All of the songs were excellent! I think the lighting was better, too. I noticed at the end of “Salva Me” that all the boys were lit in blue light except for Michael Ustynovych-Repa, who was lit in red light for his final “Salvas.”
• During Jude Collins’ speech, he told us that the string quartet was called SM Quartet.
Autographs! Jude Collins, Henry Barrington, Cassius O' Connell-White,
Carlos Rodriguez Villegas and Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey
(Photo by Lauren) 
...and the waiting crowd (Photo by Lauren)
• How Shall I Sing That Majesty gave me goosebumps tonight! And not just because the air conditioner came on.
• Michael Ustynovych-Repa and Cassius O’ Connell-White are really great speakers and actors. They got a great reaction from the audience with their "lovely white robes and massive hoods" speech. Such hams!
• Far Away with Isaac's solo was just lovely. At the beginning of The Fountain , when Josh Madineplayed the opening chords, I couldn't see the piano, but he really banged them out, and I remember thinking, "Oh, that sounds like a really nice concert grand to get to play on!"
• In Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey's speech, he finally said his name for the first time. And he has beautiful diction. When Libera sang the first two vocal exercises, the audience clapped along in time! How Can I Keep From Singing has a line "No storm can shake my inmost calm while tothat rock I'm clinging..." It's hard to explain, but the boys really emphasized that word "shake" in a way that made me feel the shake in their voices. So cool!
• I'm so happy to have heard Eoghan McCarthy sing Glory To Thee in the US 2011 Tour,
Singapore 2012 and now on the Asia 2013 Tour. One of my favorite soloists! :
• The last song, Exultate , was great! The audience applauded loudly, and then it was time for the encore " The Moon Represents My Heart ." A Korean university student named Ashley told me that the audience may not have reacted as enthusiastically as the Taiwan audiences, because Koreans might not have realized that the song is in Chinese. She said it could have been in Latin for all they knew.
Full of Surprises: Isaac London
• And then it was time for the 2nd encore song, Libera. But wait! What was this?! Isaac walked way out to the very front of the stage. I thought he was going to make a presentation to someoneor give flowers to Robert Prizeman. The lights went down with only a light on him, and he sang" Danny Boy" a Capella! My green, Irish eyes were smiling, but then quickly they were crying!
It was so special. I felt like he was singing it just for me Anyway, it was a stunning extra surprise for the 7th and final concert of the tour. French audience member Patrick and Yuki from Japan also wrote of this event:
"Total silence in the hall. 2500 persons were staring right to this 10 years old boy standing on the edge of the stage, hands clasped behind his back. And then Isaac started to sing, by himself. No Robert to guide, no other singers around him, no noting. Just a little boy in the light in front of a crowd of 2500 persons. Isaac sung "Danny Boy" a capella, all along the song, no music, no instruments, no chorus from the others. Everyone in the public was stunned, so surprising, so cute, so moving....Quickly my neighbour started to cry and I too got my eyes wet.."—Patrick And from Yuki...
Of course the member & the set list was totally same as
Taiwan tour. (Actually there
were some little differences in who took solos
though). BUT, one thing was obviously different - a BIG surprise was
waiting for us at the encore of Seoul concert…
The "Moon" song finished with Michael's solo as always, and next
should have been "Libera". But suddenly Isaac walked up to the very
front of the stage at a smart pace. The rest of the boys were all still at the
back. He just stood alone at the centre of the front in a simple lighting.
Probably nobody in the audience knew what would be going to happen at that
moment. Actually I also uttered 'What? What?'. But all quieted down as soon as
Robert touched the piano for only a few sounds for him. And then he started to
sing - "Oh, Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling...".
Just 10-year-old Isaac grandly sang a cappella by himself in
front of such a large audience. Just AMAZING!! And that was PERFECT!! What a voice...
clear and strong but calm and tender… Really touched my heart deeply. My eyes
were filled with tears immediately and couldn't stop crying...:*)When they left the stage, my mum and I (were in front row) did
thumbs-up to Isaac. He found us and did the same back with lovely smile. Yeah
he did a really great job. I was quite lucky to be able to hear this! Proud of
him!—Yuki (Back to Lauren)
• After a 3rd encore song - Libera - they got a standing ovation! Well-deserved!
• Afterwards there was an autograph signing with 15 of the 16 boys who did not sign autographs in Bundang. Only Bertie Smart was missing. The line was so amazingly long!
Marc Alvares. Sam Wiggin, Oscar McFall and others wave a greeting to Korean fans. (Photo by Lauren)
• I got to meet Kavana [Crossley's] dad. He is so nice and understandably proud of his son. He said that Kavana's voice is so much deeper now, but he still can hit the high note in the final "Libera." Wow!
• I also met a woman named Rebecca who is from New York City but now lives and works in Seoul. She came to the concert because she heard a radio interview of four Libera boys. An English-language news radio station interviewed Kavana, Cassius, and she thinks Ben and Marc or Michael. She said the boys were so funny, and she's going to try to get a copy of the radio interview to share with everyone!
Thank you, Libera, for seven magical concerts. Each one was different from the rest and special in its own way. Hope you enjoyed your tour of Taiwan and Korea. We're looking forward to your blog and tour pictures. You'll have so many great stories to tell your family and friends. Have a safe trip home!
Staff members Steven Geraghty and Andy Winter, both former Libera singers, confer.
Steven Geraghty's mom, long-time chaperone Barbara Geraghty, checks up on Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey, Kuba Niedermaier-Reed and Marc Alvares.
*****************************************
GUILDFORD CONCERT WARM-UP
On April 15th, a promotional video for the May 11th Guildford concert appeared. It was nearly identical to the first Taiwan and Korea promos, although the titles were in English, and there were no spoken foreign-language segments.
Libera at-home Concerts: A guideline for New Fans 
Guildford concert poster, 2013
In Part 5 of this Timeline, I commented on some of the ways that at-home Libera
concerts in Britain, once fairly informal events, have been tightened up considerably, due to the unwise behavior of people who remind us that the term "fan,"in the sense of one who follows or admires an individual group, is derived from "fanatic."
Here, Patrick, a veteran of Libera concerts in many countries, answers (by way
of the Libera Dreams Forum) the questions of a new fan who will be attending his/her first concert at Guildford Cathedral in May:
What to expect???
Expect a nice concert and nothing else.
Last year a French newcomer came to Arundel, expecting a lot of unrealistic
things, like chat and talks with the boys, contact, handshakes, video recording
and so on. He had "only" a very nice concert, in a very well-located seat, and
despite this he felt deeply frustrated, causing him crisis and depression.
This person is an extreme case and is not representative fortunately, but this is
the message, to be concise: we will sit, they will sing, we will leave. Having a
brilliant concert is what you have to expect
Any hints and tips for a first-timer??
The main point: don't arrive too late at the queue. Better for you to lose 2 or
3 hours in a small queue rather than to save 2 or 3 hours and find yourself
seated far in the back of the church.
Have with you a folding umbrella, a little snack.Be prepared to talk and exchange with unknown people around you. 
Fans line up around a corner at Arundel Cathedral
(Photo by Patrick)
What to wear, what not to wear??
Just dress in a nice and comfortable way for you Some (a lot) are in jeans,
some wear a jacket (a few); almost nobody wears a tie
Camera?? Photos during the performance??
Absolutely no photography is allowed during the concert. A few people use the
vague moment at the very end, during the bowing, to take a few photos, but
this is the max you may do. O f course, before the concert you can take a lot of
photos of the venue, the building, inside, outside, the empty stage...
Is there usually a program?? Does it cost???
Yes, there's always a program.
A few years ago it could have been a simple B&W photocopied paper sheet;
nowadays it's more likely to be an 8-12-page libretto in full color.
The price is usually low— 2-3 pounds in the UK. it's possible they will also sell
pre-signed programs at £5 or £10.
Meet and Greet???
No chance at all. There has been no M&G in UK since 2008. Don't expect
anything because there will be nothing.
Will the cathedral be open during the day? Will there be tech rehearsals??
Usually the church on a concert day remains open to the public until 3PM,
3:30, or 4:00 PM at max. Before that you are free to walk in and see the
technical setup, lights, sounds... be careful not to disturb the techs.
When the choir arrives, the church will close and the queue will start to really
form. The boys will enter by a side or back door and you will not see them. All
the choir rehearsals are done with doors closed; you will see nothing and hear
almost nothing.
Is there anything else that could enhance the day/evening?
Depending on the announced weather, dress yourself in adequate way to bear
the cold, the rain, the sun....
Check five times that you have not forgotten your ticket at home.
If you start the queue early, which I encourage you to do, be prepared to have
no dinner till the end of the concert, so a snack in a backpack is a good idea.
Try to have with you a small cardboard tube, in case there are
any posters sold at a desk at intermission.—Patrick
A Somewhat Astounding Libera Fact
Libera enthusiast Jimmy Riddle, a regular on the Libera Dreams forum, made and posted this
interesting discovery:
by JimmyRiddle » Tue Apr 23, 2013 3:11 pm
I came across this online article http://www.coreacourier.com/view.html?idx=203 which
highlights how much of Libera's music has been used with South Korean TV programs and commercials... 
(This is a screenshot; you'll have to go to the Libera Dreams link below the next photo to access the videos.)
Libera’s music has been sought after by popular TV programs such as KPOP Star, Man’s
Qualification, and Gag Concert, and various commercials like Seoul Milk and Baskin-
Robbins. Last year alone it was used as background music to almost 300 TV programs and
more than 20 commercial films, pretty impressive considering it's now over a year since
Libera has been featured on UK TV.
[Editor's note: for many years Libera was featured regularly on the BBC's Songs of Praise TV show. At this point, however, their last appearance was in December of 2011. Whether a result of internal politics, lack of funding, or contractual difficulties, these videos were important to Libera enthusiasts as a means of keeping up with the group's current sound and personnel, as well as for the enjoyment of the music.]
I decided to investigate further and focused on the commercials. This article using a translator --> http://www.microsofttranslator.com/BV.a ... on%3Dsc278 reveals information on some of these commercials going back over 10 years. They mostly feature snippets from the Angel Voices era. 
(This is also a screenshot; you'll have to go to the link below to access the videos.)
So far I have managed to dig out these: (For all of Jimmy’s examples, go to:
Here’s an example of Jimmy's findings: http://youtu.be/wf-nNw-7m3E (Korean ad for Baskin-Robbins ice-cream cake with snippet of Angel Voices' “Walking in the Air”/solo by Gareth
Lowman)
Also came across this...
http://talk.imbc.com/board/view.aspx?ta ... me=drama07 - Although it takes a while to load and plays a jerky advert to begin with, the main video playback is smooth enough.
I haven't yet been able to locate video sources for the following;
Song of Joy : 황성주생식 이롬 라이프 CF (Hwang Sung-Joo reproductive erom CF?)
I Have a Dream : SBS 선거방송 광고 (SBS election commercials)
O For the Wings Of a Dove : 세콤 CF (the three com CF?)
Always There : 서울우유 , 에스콰이어 CF (Seoul milk, Esquire CF)
Sing Forever : 우리은행 2003 CF (Woori Bank)
In Dulci Jubilo : KB 국민은행 CF (KB Kookmin Bank CF)
Attendite : SK 텔레콤 장애인 높이뛰기편 2002 광고 (SK Telecom)
O For the Wings Of a Dove: 조선일보 (the Herald Sun?)
....so over to you! If anyone can fill in the missing parts, particularly those with Korean
connections then please feel free to 'ad' them to this thread.
Libera on South Korean TV Note: Some Libera radio and TV interviews, including the one below, have become unavailable with the passage of time. An ongoing collection of them can be found on the Libera Dreams Forum under the topic Concerts and public appearances: Libera interviews collection (click on this).  Practiced spokesboys Kavana, Jude and Cassius 
A young Korean fan emotes about Libera.
Photographers crowd for a look at the boys.
Souvenirs and Photo Gallery for 2013 Taiwan/Korea Tour
Cover of souvenir folder, with Isaac London, Cassius O' Connell-White and Michael Ustynovych Repa (Photo by Lexi)
Artemis Art, Libera's promoters in Taiwan, missed very few marketing opportunities—balloons, gift bags, folders, posters, program/booklets, mugs, T-shirts, etc.! Lauren from
the Mini-Angelssite, whose excellent coverage of the 2013 tour was appreciated by many, brought a sampling of these items home to her daughter and co-site manager Lexi, who provided photos of them, including this bit of exotica.
iPhone cover (photo by Artemis Art)
The Libera Official website was unusually quick off the mark in providing 56 tour photos in their "Gallery" Section, at http://www.libera.org.uk/gallery.  Ben Fairman speaking onstage.
 Singer-turned-staff-member Jonathan Barrington adjusts Isaac London's microphone, as Lucas Wood, Matthew Jansen (face hidden) and Eoghan McCarthy wait their turn. 
Boys in Taiwan: Ben Fairman, Bertie Smart, Cassius O' Connell-White
Michael Ustynovych-Repa, Jude Collins, Isaac London, Ciaran
Bradbury-Hickey, Lucas Wood
Carlos Rodrigues Villegas tries a Paiwan nose flute.
An excellent way to go through this gallery is to watch the slideshow accompanying a lively pre-Guildford interview, by Radio Surrey’s Graham Deane, with Ben Fairman and Michael Ustynovich-Repa (here called Michael Repa) along with Robert Prizeman. A "no-frills" version of the interview, made available by another fan, allowed listeners to hear he boys voices more clearly. A mention of the boys' school was clearly edited out of the first version to avoid the always present danger of stalking.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF3cI5vsLFE(2013 Asian Tour slideshow with BBC Interviewby Graham Deane on Radio Surrey, with Robert Prizeman, Ben Fairman, and Michael Ustynovych-Repa/May 2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q1lEgvQHuE&feature=player_embedded(Radio Surrey interview without slideshow or background music and with “Sanctus” performed at end)
GUILDFORD CONCERT 2013
Guildford Cathedral (Photo byYumiko)
Libera boys troop through the cathedral precincts at Guildford on their way to the concert. (photo by James)
Libera's Guildford Cathedral concert was held on the evening of May 11 th ,
attracting an audience of over 700 people. 41 singers appeared, including “old favorites” Liam Connery, Daniel Fontannaz and Ralph Skan, along with ten new boys. The singers marked with asterisks performed with the group during its presentation of the Mozart Requiem at St. Philip's Church, but had not otherwise toured or performed until now. With the presence onstage of the Collins boys, the event marked the first time three brothers from the same family had performed in an official Libera concert.
James Philip, of the London in Love website, provided an excellent collection of photos.
The boys onstage, with Ralph Skan, Liam Connery and Daniel Fontannaz in back row center. (James Philip)
The boys singing were: (Those in blue lettering did not advance to the touring group)
1. Marc Alvares
2. Shay Balsekar - new
3. Henry Barrington
4. Anthony Blake
5. Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey
6. Gabriel Collins - new
7. Jude Collins
8. Luke Collins
9. Liam Connery
10. Kavana Crossley
11. Thomas Delgado-Little
12. Dylan Duffy
13. Benjamin Fairman
14. Daniel Fontannaz
15. Alexander Gula - new
16. Matthew Jansen
17. Anthony Kerr-Munley
18. Timothy Lee - new
19. Isaac London
20. Alessandro Mackinnon-Botti
21. Matthew Madine
22. Eoghan McCarthy
23. Oscar McFall
24. James Menezes - new
25. Michael Menezes
26. Alexander Montoro*
27. Kuba Niedermaier-Reed
28. Cassius O'Connell-White
29. Matthew Rangel-Alvares
30. Carlos Rodriguez
31. Philip Russ - new
32. Eoin Sherry - new
33. Ralph Skan
34. Bertie Smart
35. Camden Stewart*
36. Rocco Tesei - new
37. Jamie Trinder - new
38. Mark Ustynovych-Repa - new
39. Michael Ustynovych-Repa
40. Sam Wiggin
41. Lucas Wood
 (Photo by Benedict)
Keyboards - Steven Geraghty, Josh Madine
Clarinet & Recorder - Steven Geraghty
Percussion - Simon Roth
Strings - The Kinetic Strings
Lighting - Luke Avery
Sound Mixing & Production - Sam Coates
Stage Management - Simon Lewis
Chaperones - Barbara Geraghty, Eleanor Lewis
Concert Management - Steven Philipp, David Stephens, Andrew Winter
  Libera: The Next Generation. Robert Prizeman escorts
some of the newest choristers through the Guildford Cathedral Grounds (James Philip photo) Note that some of the boys are wearing their jackets backwards.
Nine-year-old Lucas Wood performed his first onstage solos on "Eternal Light" and
"Mysterium," the second along with the excellent Dylan Duffy. Sam Wiggin soloed for the first time in "Ave Verum." "Mysterium" was begun effectively with the lower voices chanting the plainsong "Kyrie Eleison."
According to a report on the Mini-Angels site, most of the songs were sung by the 26 boys who had gone on the recent Asia Tour, with the addition of Ralph Skan, Liam Connery, and Daniel Fontannaz in the center back row. The ten new boys sang on “Gloria,” “Eternal Light,” “Stay With Me,” “Glory To Thee,” “Exultate,” and “Libera.”
A new song, entitled “I'm Dreaming of Home,” (see below) was added with Thomas Delgado-Little singing a solo part.
The cathedral organization built a raised stage to fit the 41 boys, with the musicians in front, and Robert Prizeman conducting, unusually, from the front center, probably for the benefit of the newer boys.
(Photos by Patrick) 
Keyboard accompanists Steven Geraghty (L) and Josh Madine
Song List (names in Parentheses indicate soloists:
1. Dies Irae - (Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey)
2. Gloria
3. Song of Life - (Isaac London)
4. Voca Me - (
5. Sanctus
6. I Vow To Thee My Country - (Matthew Jansen, Dylan Duffy, Thomas Delgado-Little)
7. Salva Me - (Michael Ustynovych-Repa)
8. Eternal Light - (Lucas Wood, Dylan Duffy)
9. I'm Dreaming of Home - (
10. How Shall I Sing That Majesty -(Jude Collins, Lucas Wood,
- Interval -
11. Mysterium - Sam Wiggin, Lucas Wood)
12. Orinoco Flow
13. Far Away - (Isaac London,
14. The Fountain - (Matthew Jansen,
15. Grateful Heart - (Michael Ustynovych-Reps,
16. Ave Verum - (Sam Wiggin)
17. How Can I Keep From Singing
18. Stay With Me - (Cassius O' Connell-White)
19. Glory To Thee - (Eoghan McCarthy
20. Exultate - (
Encore - Libera (Eoghan McCarthy, Dylan Duffy
For those unfamiliar with the lovely and touching "I'm Dreaming of Home," here is a version from the soundtrack of a film called Joyeux Nöel. According to concertgoers, the Libera arrangement is very much like this version, with the solo descant sung by Thomas Delgado-Little. The song was apparently suggested by soloist Ralph Skan's mother.
http://youtu.be/1rvyX9a01Rk( Dreaming of Home [Hymne des Fraternises] - Joyeaux Noel soundtrack/ solo by Thomas Delgado-Little)
Other fans submitted early comments:
by john45 » Sun May 12, 2013 1:12 am
From the outside, Guildford Cathedral, which dominates a hill outside the once pretty town of Guildford, has got to be one of the ugliest buildings in England. Massive, square, featureless, red-brick, thirties-style ugliness. Inside, it's quite a different story, much more like a traditional English Cathedral with high vaulted ceiling, elegant columns and beautiful windows. Add the wonderful sound and spectacle of Libera performing on an imaginatively lit elevated stage andit becomes magical.
( Photo by Yumiko)
The orchestra (string quartet, percussion, keyboards, piano) were in front of the stage but did not obscure it. Neither did Robert Prizeman, who conducted from the centre rather than his usual position to one side.
I would rate the concert as one of the very best that I have attended. Libera has certainly
entered a new Golden Age, and last night we were treated to even more new soloists. Lucas Wood gave a flawless rendition of "Eternal Light". His voice is very strong and clear, which was even more evident in “Mysterium,” in which he and Dylan gave a performance that easily matched those by any of the former masters of this piece. The introduction by the deeper voicesher "mystery" to the work. Sam Wiggin sang the English
verses of “Ave Verum” beautifully and with great confidence, in a warm, expressive voice. I had spotted his contributions at the Taiwan concerts. At one of the autograph sessions I had asked him if he might be due for a solo soon. "I hope so" was his modest answer.—John45
Lucas Wood and DylanDuffy are truly worthy successors to Ralph and Stefan on this difficult and exposed song ("Mysterium." All the rest was sung in unison, the deep harmonies sung by the others, the slow motions of the white hooded silhouettes bathed in purple-blue light, definitively one of the highlights of tonight's concert.—Patrick  For those who have never seen nor heard the eerily effective "Mysterium," here is an equally eerie videotape, made in St. John's Church, Norwich on two separate occasions, with footage from an oddand unsettling church procession of some sort thrown in. One of the mysteries is who's singing what? The 2005 footage of a very small Tom Cully (2001-2010) seems to be accompanied by the lovely voice of Adam Harris (1996-2000), who made the only known recording of "Mysterium" in 1999 for the first Libera CD. Harris was one of the soloists who began with the group called Angel Voices (which existed from 1987 to 1998, and became Libera in 1999, both under the direction of Robert Prizeman). Harris ended as a Libera singer, and argument about which parts he's singing in this video have gone on for years. It's fairly certain that Ben Crawley's voice accompanies the 2002 video, which appears second.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEu48b2iZ4g (Mysterium/2002 and 2005/ soloists: Adam Harris, Tom Cully, Ben Crawley) Many of the images above were taken from James Philip's video below: http://youtu.be/cml-o_C91qI(Video about the 2013 Guildford concert by James Philip)
Another enthusiastic follower of Libera, Johan, fom the Netherlands, provided a review of the Guildford event that helped readers visualize the actual action and movement of the concert. Some highlights:
• Not mentioned in the program but seen were [former Libera singers] Ben Crawley and Tiarnan Branson helping with stage management. The setup was different than usual, in that the musicians were sitting in front of the podium on which the boys stood. Robert Prizeman directed from in the middle in front. • The mini-boys were seated in two groups of five to either side of the podium. The choir came onto the podium from far behind in two files.
• During the whole concert, the three big boys (Liam Connery, Ralph Skan, and Daniel Fontannaz) stayed in the back row, but with two little ones in front of them and almost invisible behind the main line of singers. They were Camden Stewart and Alex Montoro, who seemed to be somewhere between mini-boys and official Liberans and remained separate from both groups.
Unknown mini-boy and Camden Stewart (Photo by James)
• Towards the end [of the first song] the mini-boys joined the group in order to participate in the next song, “Gloria,” which continued the preceding “Dies irae.”
• The first speech, by Ben Fairman, Cassius O’ Connell-White, and Isaac London, informed us of the presence of 41 members of the choir.
• Isaac London did the solo for “Song of Life,” and Steven Geraghty played the piano part. Isaac does not have the power and flexibility of voice yet that Ralph Skan had, but he will grow.
• “Voca Me” was very nicely done, especially with the high notes of Thomas Delgado-Little, who was here the only one with his hood up.
• [A speech by] Cassius O’ Connell-White and Michael Ustynovych-Repa informed us of
what and how they had to practice and learn, and introduced us to [the group’s mascot] Moose.
• Matthew Jansen, Dylan Duffy and Thomas led the way in “I Vow to Thee My Country.
Especially Matthew shone; what a voice! 
• For “Salva Me," All the boys had their hoods up, except Michael Ustynovych-Repa, who did the higher notes from behind (though not as far behind as Matthew Rangel-Alvares used to stand).
• “Eternal Light” had a surprise for me, the soloist being Lucas Wood. And very well he did it, impressive, a promise for the future. He was partly supported by Dylan Duffy.
• Jude Collins did the introductions of the participants, from the mini-boys to Robert Prizeman.
• There was a surprise, a new song: “I’m Dreaming of Home,” a lovely song based on a
French original and with a small but very high solo by Thomas Delgado-Little.
• “How Shall I Sing That Majesty,”which included the mini-boys, Matthew Jansen, Jude Collins and Lucas Wood, started from in front, supported by Thomas Delgado-Little for the very high notes. 
• “As usual, Mysterium” started mysteriously in the dark, with some low voices for the first lines.
• Other contributions were from Sam Wiggin and especially Lucas Wood. This song
overflowed into “Orinoco Flow,” with adapted choreography because of the large number of participants.
• “The Fountain” was better than I have heard before. Josh Madine was on the piano and Matthew Jansen and Thomas Delgado-Little did the solos. Matthew was especially
impressive with both the low and high parts.
•“Ave Verum” was sort of in two parts. The first part saw Sam Wiggin as soloist, after which the well known V-formation was formed with Luke in front.. Some of the older boys stayed
behind [presumably Liam Connery, Ralph Skan, and Daniel Fontannaz]. 
Sam Wiggin
• Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey informed us about the difficult technicalities of singing and made the choir demonstrate some exercises that were partly in English, partly in Latin and partly in no language at all.
• The words and melody to “How Can I Keep From Singing.” were the same as before, but I was under the impression that the music had a new arrangement with an important part for Josh Madine on the keyboard.
• The mini-boys joined again for “Stay With Me.” Cassius O’ Connell-White had a small solo towards the end.
• For those that thought Eoghan McCarthy was out of the running, here he was with a
beautiful “Glory to Thee,” which also included the mini-boys.
• Ben Fairman announced the last song, “Exultate.”with a solo by Thomas Delgado-Little. This was followed by “Libera” as encore, with Eoghan McCarthy and Dylan Duffy soloing..
A fantastic end to a fantastic concert.—Johan
Other fans contributed brief comments and different perspectives:
by Choirfan » Tue May 14, 2013 2:31 pm
Another mesmerising performance by Libera which can be summed up for me in two
words: “Voca Me.” Absolutely outstanding performance of this on the night, and worth the 30 pounds ticket price alone IMHO. Thomas Delgado-Little just soars flawlessly on this one.
(For newer Libera fans unfamiliar with the dark and mysterious "Voca Me," here is the 2004 video version, with Joe Platt (c.2001-2006) singing the part sung in 2013 by Thomas Delgado -Little, and Anthony Chadney (c. 1999-2004) and Chris Robson (c. 1998-2004) singing the verses sung nine years later by Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey. More on this recording can be found in Part One of this Timeline [link above].)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqeI-ZhxY9o (Voca Me/2004/solos by Anthony Chadney/Chris Robson/descant by Joe Platt)  
As others have mentioned, it was really great to see some of the newer boys getting solos for the first time and some other boys (Like Michael Ustynovych-Repa) getting more responsibility in some of the higher parts of the songs (such as “Salva Me”). Was a little sad to see “Be Still My Soul” dropped from the list as this was one of my favourites,but i understand they have to try out new things and not just stick to the same old setlist. Great to see such a big crowd there and they were very enthusiastic with even a few whoops and whistles at the end of some songs, and a well-deserved standing ovation at the end. Just as i and my companion were heading back to the car some of the boys were coming out of the refectory area and (presumably) being collected by parents and guardians (no bus this time) So there was just a little chance to give them a little wave
and praise for such an excellent show.
I always liken a Libera concert to an other-worldly experience. For me, it is two hours of
pure heavenly, endorphin-producing bliss. If i were to take drugs, i think it might feel a
little like being at a Libera concert. Here's to the next one in the autumn.—Choirfan
by john45 » Thu May 16, 2013 1:33 pm
Don't know where this really belongs, but it was the Guildford concert that prompted
this thought. I have always been intrigued by a conductor's role in concerts. I can
understand the role in the rehearsal stages but when the orchestra or choir have "got it"
does he/she really have much more to offer on the performance night?
Watching RP last Saturday I think I may have my answer. While some conductors use a
baton, others a single finger, Robert Prizeman uses his whole hands, and what expressive
hands they are.
If you can remember, before entering into what is now becoming an illustrious solo career, Matthew Jansen was well known for staring into the heavens as he sang. Not so as a soloist. On Saturday, the connection between the singer (MJ) and the conductor (RP) was uncanny. RP's hands seemed to weave a magic that was the clear focus of MJ's attention - and I believe that the intangible connection between them materially contributed to producing such outstanding performances of both " I Vow to Thee ..." and "The Fountain".
Thanks MJ. Thanks RP.
FINAL KOREA BLOG SURFACES
CONCERT PROGRAMS (OR PROGRAMMES) NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD
For those wishing for a close-up look at Libera (printed) programs from the past few years, high-resolution facsimiles can be downloaded for a PayPal
 End of Part Six; For Part 6A (May-December 2013) go to http://libera-historicaltimeline6a.blogspot.com/ |
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