2023 US Tour

[Surpinto]

Though we've been speculating about this for some time now, the tour has been officially announced with this teaser clip by Libera of the US.

[Surpinto]

Now that we have this confirmation and a teaser of things to come, we can start to (wildly? ) speculate as to where they will go!

Sam Coates in an interview seemed to hint at performing in LA again; which would stand to reason given that they have performed there on all three of their last US tours. Their other location at which they have performed 2 of the 3 tours has been St Louis. We also have indications that they may wish to perform on both coasts. They have not been to the US east coast since 2014 and 2015 when they cancelled some concerts (including the ones I had tickets for, thereby causing me to not see them at all ) due to an inability to fill seats.

I have no doubt that Libera can fill seats on the east coast, it just has to be announced in advance. However, that past statement from Libera of the US may no longer be relevant as some time has passed since that newsletter email was sent out. Financially speaking, flying the choir and its entourage to the east coast, then to the midwest, and then to the west coast is likely prohibitively expensive when we consider that there will be 30 boys and maybe up to a dozen adults (chaperones as well as the music staff); and the distances are likely too great for a bus. More likely, if we divide the US into roughly three sectors made up of east, middle, and west, the choir will only come to two of three of those areas. Either way, fundraising will surely begin soon.

[Luckdragon]

According to Libera of the US, you can have them come to the city of your choice for a USD 12,000 donation.

Lacking that, they will probably start with a retreat in Minnesota and work their way west again. They do tend to return to places where they've had success and it's hard to blame them. The US East Coast has not been kind to them, although they did fill the DC Basilica in 2014 thanks to the free admission.

[dani]

According to Libera of the US, you can have them come to the city of your choice for a USD 12,000 donation.

Lacking that, they will probably start with a retreat in Minnesota and work their way west again. They do tend to return to places where they've had success and it's hard to blame them. The US East Coast has not been kind to them, although they did fill the DC Basilica in 2014 thanks to the free admission.

So all you need is 200 fans in one city to spread the cost

[Josquin2Penderecki]

According to Libera of the US, you can have them come to the city of your choice for a USD 12,000 donation.

Lacking that, they will probably start with a retreat in Minnesota and work their way west again. They do tend to return to places where they've had success and it's hard to blame them. The US East Coast has not been kind to them, although they did fill the DC Basilica in 2014 thanks to the free admission.

Although I live in Minnesota, I hope they go elsewhere this time. I would rather see them bring their music to new places. Also, I don't like going to the unairconditioned Cathedral of St. Paul in the middle of Summer.

[Surpinto]

According to Libera of the US, you can have them come to the city of your choice for a USD 12,000 donation.

Lacking that, they will probably start with a retreat in Minnesota and work their way west again. They do tend to return to places where they've had success and it's hard to blame them. The US East Coast has not been kind to them, although they did fill the DC Basilica in 2014 thanks to the free admission.

So all you need is 200 fans in one city to spread the cost

I don't think that's what it means though Seems that it's $12k to sponsor a concert whose location is determined by Libera, rather than $12k in exchange for choosing the location.

[TullyBascombe]

I'd think that a cross country tour would be rather hard on the group. If they performed in several venues distributed from the east coast to the west coast that would entail a lot of hours in buses.

[tom413]

I don't think there's much chance of a cross country tour. The last few US tours the model has been to pick two areas that can support multiple concerts by bus and fly between them. Keeping that in mind it is theoretically possible to appear on both coasts, though I hope it doesn't work out that way this time.

I think one of the big reasons they return to familiar locations is because of the amazing support those repeat churches provide over and above hosting the concert. It isn't easy to find hosts that are willing and able to provide practice areas, recreational facilities, members who will host outings or lunches etc. It is my understanding that one congregation had souvenirs made up at their cost and gave them to Libera to sell to help raise funds. Churches that can offer that kind of support should always be high on the list when they're trying to determine where to go.

If they were going to new areas, I'd like to see them try either the Mountain West (Denver, Salt Lake, Las Vegas) or the Southeast (anywhere apart from Atlanta). Regardless of where they go, I'm excited that they are planning to do longer tours again. Hope it works out for them.

[Surpinto]

Not sure where to stick this funny video about the behind-the-scenes making of a promo. But since it directly advertises, and is intended, at least in part, to advertise the 2023 tour, I'll stick it here



Hahaha So much effort goes into making these short clips lol.

I don't think there's much chance of a cross country tour. The last few US tours the model has been to pick two areas that can support multiple concerts by bus and fly between them.

I think they will follow a similar model going forward and I agree with the rest of your analysis. Spot on!

[in2dwww]

Awesome! I first saw them in 2019 at Calvary and Luca nailed his first solo.

[Luckdragon]

News from Libera Boys Choir

As you might remember, we sent an email a couple years ago expressing our plans to bring Libera back to the US. That was in 2020. Little did we (or the world) know, but the pandemic had different plans. We feel that 2023 is now the right time to give this another try.

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You may also remember our pledge to look for venues on both sides of the US and we have followed through with those plans, securing concert dates in New York State, Washington DC, and California. We won’t officially announce the venues until it’s all on paper, but we’re confident that the concerts will happen.

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Can you help?

We’ve raised about half of the funds we’ll need to organize the tour and would like to ask for your help to reach our goal for 2023.

Libera of the US is a 501(c)3 charity, so US taxpayers may deduct their donations on their taxes. We hope you ‘ll consider our choir for a year-end 2022 donation. You can make your donation by following the link below when you click the “DONATE NOW” button. Or visit https://uslibera.org/donate

We also encourage donors to consider setting up a monthly donation. Monthly donations help us to plan ahead with some amount of stability and confidence that we’ll have enough funds to plan for another tour. To do so click “Make this donation monthly” when you set up your donation.

Libera of the US would like to thank all of those donors who have made touring Libera in the United States possible, and welcome all of our new 2022 donors.

DONATE NOW

Happy New Year!

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We all wish you a Happy New Year, and hope that you and your loved ones stay healthy and safe in the year to come.

[Surpinto]

Yup! Got the same email from Libera of the US.

The two East Coast locations, even if the New York State city is currently unknown, are definitely accessible to me. Very exciting!

DC is even better because I have free accommodations available at a friend's house in the area. Maybe that savings can pay for a stint to sunny California? Probably not but at least this means I can see them twice during a tour which will be something new for me.

For those who have never been, DC is accessible with a decent metro as well as good connections to inter-city trains and has three major airports. If you're planning on using the metro system be sure to get a smart trip card or getting the app.

New York State is a bit more tricky and ambiguous. Depending on the exact location, it might only be accessible by car and there may not be any public transit for travel within the city or town (such as from your hotel to the venue). Uber and Lyft are great in that scenario. Of course, the closer the location is to New York City the more easily travelers from outside the area will be able to get there from New York City airports, but if it's in some other place then renting a car may be the best way to go. It really will depend on the exact place.

[theriverflowson]

Thanks for the advices, Surpinto! I can't avoid to create certain travel scenarios in my mind right now, poor me... Are rental cars still that expensive in the US due to the thinning of the vehicle fleet during Covid?

[Surpinto]

Thanks for the advices, Surpinto! I can't avoid to create certain travel scenarios in my mind right now, poor me... Are rental cars still that expensive in the US due to the thinning of the vehicle fleet during Covid?

I'm not sure without going and looking, and I'm not super familiar with rental prices because renting isn't something I have done much.

But I'm sure that carpooling with other fans could save money especially if you all agree to split gas costs.

The other factor is traveling between locations which might be easier by train or plane depending on the exact places in question.

[TullyBascombe]

Washington DC would be easy for me, it's only a 3 1/2 hour drive. Regarding New York state, wouldn't NYC be the logical choice? They have performed there in the past. It's only an additional 4 hours by car.