Libera Dreams

Good evening,

I'm not sure if everyone's seen it yet, but Warner Classics put out notice that Libera will be in the U.S. again Oct. 25 - Nov. 2, and again in Dec. 21-24.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases ... 09771.html

It doesn't say where yet, but it looks like the trips are still in support of last year's Christmas DVD and CD. It could be that Warner Classics wants to take full advantage of the pleasant success last year, when the CD topped one of the U.S. Classical charts for three weeks.

Here's the text:

Boychoir Phenomenon Libera Returns To U.S. For October And December Tours In Support Of Chart-Topping Christmas Album
PBS Prepares For Return Of Major Pledge Special Around 'Angels Sing - Christmas In Ireland' CD & DVD

2013 Christmas Season Saw Libera Performing On NBC's Today And Tonight Show With Jay Leno

NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- This fall, boychoir sensation LIBERA returns to the U.S. for two tours – October 25-November 2 and December 21-24 – in support of their smash hit 'ANGELS SING – CHRISTMAS IN IRELAND' album, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Classical Charts last year.

One of the world's most accomplished and acclaimed boy choirs, the London-based group – with members aged 7 to 16 – flew to America last holiday season for a pair of major national TV appearances, including a stellar rendition of "Carol of the Bells" on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (streaming at http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/vid ... lls/n44539). They also offered a performance of "Joy To The World" on the Christmas morning edition of NBC's TODAY (streaming at http://www.today.com/video/today/53914976).

"ANGELS SING - CHRISTMAS IN IRELAND" – available both on CD and DVD – features remarkable new arrangements of 14 beloved carols, including six never previously recorded by the group, as well as the classic "Danny Boy," performed live in the iconic St Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh, Ireland. Conducted and directed by Robert Prizeman, the inspirational concert includes traditional favorites like "Joy to the World," "Silent Night," "Carol of the Bells," and many others, all featuring distinctive new arrangements exclusive to this collection. In addition to the CD's chart-topping success, the "ANGELS SING - CHRISTMAS IN IRELAND" concert special was an overwhelming success on PBS last year, receiving over 900 broadcasts on more than 360 Public Television stations nationwide.

Libera has topped charts around the globe with their vivid arrangements and innovative harmonies that stretch the full range of the boys' voices. Named after their signature performance based on the "Libera me" segment of the Requiem Mass, the group has been praised for its exceptional sound, a stirring approach combining elements of Gregorian chant, classical composers and contemporary pop and new age music. The boys who make up Libera come from remarkably diverse backgrounds, their voices coming together to form extraordinary music that is at once both ancient and modern.

Libera has already made a deep connection with US audiences via a number of concert tours, PBS specials like 2007's hugely popular "ANGEL VOICES: LIBERA IN CONCERT," and such high profile appearances as their memorable performance honoring The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson at the 30th Annual Kennedy Center Honors and participation in a Papal Mass before a capacity congregation of 65,000 at New York's Yankee Stadium. Recognized the world over for its trademark flowing white robes, the group has enchanted an ever-growing fan base, with fervent followings in the UK and the US as well as Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea.

For more information, please visit libera.org.uk and http://www.facebook.com/OfficialLibera.

Woo hoo!

Thank you for this information, this is great news. I am shocked that they would return to the United States so soon, especially since they already toured here twice this year. Their tour will probably not be on the east coast again which really makes my ability to attend rather limited because of work commitments being disrupted by travel time But if it's possible I will try to attend. We will have to see what the dates and venues are.

They seem to be quite fond of last minute announcements, if they tour at the end of October they only have about a months notice for fans to buy tickets. When they did something similar back in the Spring they had to cancel a concert; I presume as a result of poor ticket sales. I totally get that arranging a tour with some 30 boys and a limited adult staff is difficult because of the issues with special visas for music performance and the like and they do not want to announce a concert or tour until the arrangements are finalized. Still, it's not an ideal situation to know only a few weeks in advance.

Hope we hear something about exact dates and venues soon!

Hi Guys

I wonder if this 'tour' they talk about will actually just be to make TV appearances to promote the CD and DVD with a limited number of boys, rather than an all-out venue ticketed tour.

If it's the latter, then it would be pretty much unprecedented for them to travel so far for several concert tours in such a short space of time.

From the title of the text, it seems to make reference to a PBS Pledge special, I assume they will do some sort of show in order to raise funds, which are always needed considering the costs they have.

In any case, it will be interesting to see what further announcements are made about this. Nothing at all yet on their official website, and Oct 25th is just a few weeks away if it is to be a venue tour.

I hope they will return to the DC area! So many great venues...and close

Well, unless it's a TV promo or something of that nature I think we can wave goodbye to a tour of the US in October sadly. Wonder if we will get the usual November at St George's concert here in the UK?

Yorkie wrote:Well, unless it's a TV promo or something of that nature I think we can wave goodbye to a tour of the US in October sadly.

Can't say I'm surprised as it seemed somewhat unrealistic to start with. And now that we are so close to the October date, it's not realistic at all.

I'm still affected by my first live concert of them in August and am holding my breath until I can see them live again!

Maybe there will be a cool TV special? I hope so. And what ever happened to that online shop that was supposed to be set up selling their merchandise? I remember someone spoke of that earlier. There were shirts and hoodies and calendars and moose on sale during the DC concert and lots didn't get sold - I remember because I held the door open for an employee wheeling the stuff off to a back room after the show and there were boxes full of the stuff!

I see that the choristers got some of it so that is good.

Yeah, I've been waiting for the Libera merchandise to come up and I haven't seen it either. (I've been checking the libera.org site, in addition to watching Twitter, the official site, etc.) I thought maybe they didn't have enough left to make it worth their while to sell it, but if they did have a lot left over, I wonder why they haven't put it up. Maybe they just haven't gotten around to it? One of the things I wanted was a calendar, so I hope they get them up by December at least.

The employee had 1 to 2 hand trucks full of boxes. I do not remember what was inside because some of the boxes were open and others were not. The only thing that that there seemed to be plenty of, to the point that they spilled out from the boxes as this poor guy was barely fitting the hand truck through the door and I had to help him pick them up, were little flags (British and American); the kind that stand freely on a desk or table. I don't know who would want them since they're not Libera merchandise in any way, but whatever! heh

Now, given the thickness of something like a hoodie, and a limit on how many you can fit in a box, and seeing that 30 some odd boys got one, I am not sure how many they still had on hand after everything was said and done. Maybe they don't have enough to set up a shop as you say, but ordering merchandise for a one off gig would seem illogical, no?

If they do a fall concert in the UK we will have to see whether or not this merchandise will be on sale, or whether this is just an American thing through their US affiliate. I am relying on those in the UK or traveling thereto to keep us informed.

Re: merchandise.

I too somehow got the feeling that there was just enough merchandise made for the August concert. And I think you might be correct about 'Libera of the US' being responsible for having it available, since they were working with Libera in promoting this concert for the first time.

Perhaps on the one hand, Libera does not want to overdo merchandise, and in some way cheapen the uniqueness and caliber of what they do. That's certainly understandable. On the other hand, it's a legitimate way to raise some extra much-needed funds, provide the fans something else to look forward to, and wearing something might spark conversations about Libera which lead to new fans or supporters.

Ultimately, I trust Libera to know where they're headed and what they would like to focus on. I'm sure it's sometimes a dauntingly difficult task just to keep the wheels moving with all that they are involved in, especially in light of the hard working volunteer staff.

In case you missed it, Libera merchandise has gone up for sale, details are in Yorkie's post in the News section of the forum.
http://www.forum.libera-dreams.com/view ... f=3&t=2159

Visit Lexi & Lauren's Mini-Angels Blog for more details on ordering. http://mini-angels.blogspot.com.au/2014 ... store.html