Libera is an all-boy English vocal group founded by the late Robert Prizeman. Libera performs concerts in many countries, including the UK, the US and throughout Asia, and often makes recordings for their own album releases and other projects. Many members also sing in the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

choir of St. Philip's,

Norbury Norbury is an List of areas of London, town and suburb in south London. It shares the postcode London SW16 with neighbouring Streatham. The area is mainly in the borough of Croydon London Borough Council, Croydon, with some parts extending int ...

, in

South London South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...

. According to a 2009 ''

Songs of Praise ''Songs of Praise'' is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns, worship songs and inspirational performances in churches of varying denominations from around the UK alongside interviews and stories reflecting how Ch ...

'' TV special, the group usually consists of approximately 40 members between the ages of seven and 16, including new members who are not yet ready to fully participate in albums or tours. The group recruits from a variety of backgrounds in the London area, and does not require its members to belong to any specific denomination. In addition to recording albums, touring and making TV appearances as Libera, the group sings on a weekly basis as part of the full choir of men and boys at parish choral services. Libera is run as a not-for-profit registered UK charity, "providing the opportunity for suitable boys to train as vocalists from any background". Members do not get paid for their work within Libera, but their expenses are covered when touring. The group's name comes from its signature song, "Libera", which is based on the " Libera Me" portion of the Requiem Mass. ''Libera'' is the Latin singular imperative of ''liberare'', meaning "free 'me/him/her'".

History

The

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

(High Church) parish of St Philip's,

has a long choral tradition. Their first non-traditional commercial work was in 1984, when the boys of the St Philip's Choir backed

Sal Solo Sal Solo (born Christopher Scott Stevens; b. 5 September 1961 in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England) is an English singer. Career Solo began his career with a band called The News, which released one 7" single on GTO Rec ...

on his song "San Damiano". In 1987, the boys of St Philip's Choir released the single, "Sing Forever". In 1988, the choir released the single "Adoramus". In 1988, the choir released their first full commercial album, ''Sing For Ever'' under the name St Philip's Choir. The title track for this album was chosen by the BBC as the first

Children in Need ''BBC Children in Need'' is the BBC's UK Charitable organization, charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people across the country. Established in 1980, the organisation has raised over £1 billion by 2023 through its ...

telethon anthem. The second album, ''New Day'', released in 1990, was the first album to use the name Angel Voices. During the 1990s, the names "St Philip's Boy Choir" and "Angel Voices" were both used to refer to the choir. The third album, ''Angel Voices'', was released in 1992. It was re-released in 1993, with the choir referred to as the St Philip's Boy's Choir. ''Angel Voices 2'' was released in 1996 and ''Angel Voices 3'' was released in 1997. Both were released under the name of St Philip's Boy's Choir, by the record label MCI. In 1995, Robert Prizeman released a single and a CD, ''Libera''. The CD contained seven remixes of his original song, "Libera". The first four tracks feature Libera with Daren Geraghty as the main soloist; the last 3 tracks are performed by other artists. In the same year, the choir, calling itself Libera, performed the song on the TV programme '' Sunday Live''. In 1999, the choir released another album entitled ''Libera'', published by Warner Classics. From that point on, the choir has been consistently referred to as "Libera" when acting in its commercial capacity. The next Libera album, ''Luminosa'', was released by Warner Classics in 2001. In 2003, Warner Classics re-released ''Libera'' and ''Luminosa'' as a two CD set entitled ''Complete Libera''. In 2004, Libera signed a contract with EMI. Their first EMI album was '' Free''. '' Visions'' came out in 2005. Libera's 2006 album, ''Angel Voices'', was nominated as Album of the Year by the Classical Brit Awards. '' New Dawn'' was released in March 2008. In December 2008, they released their first double CD entitled ''Eternal (The best of Libera)'' which contains 26 tracks taken from earlier albums and six new tracks. Their album ''

Peace Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...

'' was released in 2010. November 2011 saw the release of '' Libera: The Christmas Album''. Libera remained under contract with EMI until its acquisition by Warner Music Group in 2013. While contracted to WMG the group made two DVDs and released soundtrack CDs before entering a partnership with the independent label Invisible Hands Music in 2016, with whom they have released 6 physical CDs and a Digital Album during the 2020 pandemic.

Libera as a charity

Libera became a registered charity in 2009 under the guidance of the late Steven Philipp (whose son Ben was a soloist in the choir). A US arm of that charity was set up in 2014.

Television appearances and concerts

As Angel Voices, the group made frequent appearances on UK television, mostly on the BBC. During the earlier years as Libera, the group seldom made any TV appearances and concerts were also few and far between. It is only since the group turned into a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

in the UK, where a

board of trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

consisting largely of parents of members makes all decisions, that Libera have made regular tours (usually three times a year) and more frequent TV appearances. Major roles in the 1992 TV programme ''Titchmarsh on Song'', presented by Alan Titchmarsh, and the 1993 TV programme '' Thora on the Straight and Narrow'', introduced Angel Voices to a wider public.Lacrymosa.org
/ref> The show featured the first public performance of the song "De Profundis", which would become "Libera" and give the choir its name. Libera has made numerous music videos for ''

'' and '' Classic FM TV''. Other TV appearances include guest spots on ''

GMTV GMTV (an initialism for Good Morning Television), now legally known as ''ITV Breakfast, ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited'', was the name of the national ITV (TV network), ITV breakfast television contractor/licensee, broadcasting in the Uni ...

'', '' Blue Peter'', '' Sunday Live'', '' Christmas Cooks'', ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

'', '' Wogan'', and '' Last Choir Standing''. In 1994, St. Philip's Choir sang in an episode of the TV series '' Poirot''. In 2003, Libera was the last act to perform on the UK version of the famous TV series '' This is your Life''; they performed for guest Aled Jones. During the episode, it was mentioned that Libera had performed at Aled Jones' wedding. In February 2007, Libera appeared on the television contest '' When Will I Be Famous?'' presented by

Graham Norton Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), known professionally as Graham Norton, is an Irish comedian, broadcaster, actor, and writer. He is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for the comedy chat show ''The Graham Norton Show'' (2007–present) ...

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

. They won, and were invited back the following week. Libera has made several TV appearances in Japan and Korea. Libera also recorded the signature tune for ''

''. Their rendition of "How Can I Keep From Singing" was featured on a British television ad for Waitrose. On 30 and 31 May 2007, Libera recorded two free concert performances at the Pieterskerk in

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

, the Netherlands, with the cooperation of the American Public Television. Footage from the performances was combined to create the TV special ''Angel Voices: Libera in Concert''. The programme was featured on

Public Broadcasting Service The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the ...

channels in the United States and released by EMI on DVD and CD. The DVD includes a bonus feature entitled "Libera in Their Own Words", which features interviews of some of the boys. A 35-minute special about Libera aired in January 2009 as an episode of the BBC1 TV show ''

''. On 22 December 2013, Libera were featured singing an arrangement of ''

Silent Night "Silent Night" () is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO The United Nations Educati ...

'' in the BBC1 ''Songs of Praise Christmas Big Sing'', recorded in the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

. See the comprehensive list of Libera's TV appearances, concerts, and other relevant data further down this page.

Supporting roles

Libera has provided choral backing to a number of artists, including Aled Jones,

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

, Hayley Westenra,

Peter Skellern Peter Skellern (14 March 1947 – 17 February 2017) was an English singer-songwriter and pianist who rose to fame in the 1970s. He had two Hit song, top twenty hits on the UK Singles Chart – "You're a Lady" (1972), which typifies his signature ...

José Carreras Josep Maria Carreras Coll (; born 5 December 1946), better known as José Carreras (, ), is a Catalan operatic tenor from Spain who is particularly known for his performances in the operas of Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Born in Barcelona, ...

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling musicians of all time. He has written and ...

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is a British singer and actor. He has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and, as of 2012, was the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart histo ...

, and

Michael Crawford Michael Patrick Smith (born 19 January 1942), known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English actor, comedian and singer. Crawford is best known for playing the hapless Frank Spencer in the sitcom '' Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'', Cornel ...

. Libera has also sung for several film soundtracks, including ''

Romeo + Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet or Romeo & Juliet may also refer to: Ballets * ''Romeo and Juliet'', a ballet score by Constant Lambert * Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev), ''Romeo and Juliet'' (Prokofiev), a ...

'', '' The Merchant of Venice'', '' Shadowlands'' and ''

Hannibal Hannibal (; ; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Punic people, Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Ancient Carthage, Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War. Hannibal's fat ...

''. A movie preview for '' The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'' uses a brief selection from one of their songs, but they do not appear in the film's final soundtrack. Several Libera members have performed solo work outside of Libera while still members of the choir. For example, Tom Cully sang for ''Silence, Night and Dreams'' by

Zbigniew Preisner Zbigniew Preisner (; born 20 May 1955 as Zbigniew Antoni Kowalski) is a Polish film score composer, best known for his work with film director Krzysztof Kieślowski. He is the recipient of the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis as we ...

, and can be heard singing in an episode of the British television series '' Foyle's War''. In 2002, Libera member Steven Geraghty was a featured soloist for the soundtrack of the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

game '' Ico''. More recently, Libera member Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey helped to record the soundtrack of oadwhich is a short film about motorbike racing. Former Libera member Ben Crawley did solo work for Paul Joyce's production of ''The Snow Queen'' in 2004.

Style

Music

Libera has a distinctive sound. All of its singers are boys, most with unchanged

boy soprano A boy soprano (British and especially North American English) or boy treble (only British English) is a young male singer with a voice in the soprano range, a range that is often still called the treble voice range (in North America too) no m ...

(also known as treble) voices, with those boys in their early teens singing the lowest parts. Almost all their songs are either new compositions by Robert Prizeman or new arrangements of classical and contemporary tunes. Prizeman often composed and arranged pieces with individual soloists in mind, to emphasize the variety of characteristics and qualities in the boys' voices. His compositions blended innovative textures, meditative soloists and vibrant ecstatic chorus harmonies that stretch across the full range of the boys' range. Libera's music frequently combines elements of

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek language, Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed main ...

, classical

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

s such as

Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

and Pachelbel, as well as contemporary pop and new age music. Some of their songs, such as "Sanctus", have appeared in different versions on several of their albums. Some more contemporary songs have been covered by the group, such as

Enya Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (born 17 May 1961; anglicised as Enya Patricia Brennan) known mononymously as Enya, is an Irish singer and composer. With an estimated equivalent of over 80 million albums sold worldwide, Enya is the best-selli ...

's '' Orinoco Flow''. Most of Libera's lyrics come from traditional hymns, the Latin Rite liturgy, and contemporary songs by artists ranging from

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...

and

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...

. However, lyrics from various poems and original lyrics are also used. For example, ''We are the Lost'' uses the poems "

In Flanders Fields "In Flanders Fields" is a war poem in the form of a rondeau, written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. He was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of friend ...

" by

John McCrae Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae (November 30, 1872 – January 28, 1918) was a Canadian poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during World War I and a surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium. He is best known for writing th ...

and " For the Fallen" by

Laurence Binyon Robert Laurence Binyon, Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (10 August 1869 – 10 March 1943) was an English poet, dramatist and art scholar. Born in Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster, England, his parents were Frederick Binyon, ...

, along with a single stanza from the English hymn, " O God, Our Help in Ages Past" by

Isaac Watts Isaac Watts (17 July 1674 – 25 November 1748) was an English Congregational minister, hymn writer, theologian, and logician. He was a prolific and popular hymn writer and is credited with some 750 hymns. His works include " When I Survey th ...

. While most of the Libera's original lyrics are written by Robert Prizeman, other individuals, including former Libera soloist Steven Geraghty, have also contributed new lyrics to recent albums. Libera uses a variety of instrumentation. Robert Prizeman, Ian Tilley and Steven Geraghty play electronic keyboards, piano and organ. Steven Geraghty also played clarinet for ''Free'', ''Visions'' and ''Angel Voices'', and percussion for ''Visions'' and ''Angel Voices''. All of their EMI albums feature Fiona Pears on the violin. ''Angel Voices: Libera in Concert'' has additional backing by Il Novecento Orchestra. The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra provides backing to their ''New Dawn'' album.

Clothing

For most of their performances, the boys of Libera wear distinctive white hooded robes based on monastic

cowls A cowl is an item of clothing consisting of a long, hooded garment with wide sleeves, often worn by monks. It was developed during the Early Middle Ages. The term may have originally referred to the hooded portion of a cloak, though contemporar ...

. The boys can be seen wearing the robes on the covers of several albums. Other Libera uniforms include white or black hoodies and black slacks with light blue shirts. Some of their videos have featured the boys wearing ordinary, casual clothing.

Cover art

Common motifs in the cover art of the choir's albums include birds, clouds, light as well as pictures of the choristers. The 2017 release of ''Hope'' adapts this theme using a line drawing of robed choristers, and this theme has been refined through subsequent releases.. The 1993 release of ''Angel Voices'', ''Angel Voices 2'', ''Angel Voices 3'', ''Libera'', ''Luminosa'' and ''Welcome to Libera's World'' all feature white birds (presumably doves, the bird of peace) on their covers. ''Sing Forever'', the 1992 release of ''Angel Voices'', ''Angel Voices: Libera in Concert'' and ''New Dawn'' show several of the boys dressed in white robes. ''Free'' and ''Visions'' both show a single, ghostly figure in white robes against a cloudy background. On album ''Free'' the ghostly figure featured is Callum Payne. The 2006 ''Angel Voices'' album shows several boys wearing what appear to be white hoodies.

Discography

Singles

* "Sing For Ever" (1987) * "Adoramus" (1988) * "Libera" (1995) * "Salva Me" (1999) * "Love and Mercy" (2008) * "Lead, Kindly light" (2010) * "What a Wonderful World" (2015) * "America the Beautiful" (2015) * "The Moon Represents My Heart" (2017)

Albums

As Angel Voices: * ''Sing For Ever'' (1988), featuring Jaymi Bandtock, Jonathan Arthey, Ian Grimley, Sam Harper, Gareth Lowman and Mathew Arthey as vocal soloists. * ''New Day'' (1990), featuring Robert Chee-A-Tow, Jaymi Bandtock and Gareth Lowman as vocal soloists. * ''Angel Voices'' (1992), featuring Oliver Putland, Daren Geraghty and Anthony Maher as vocal soloists. * ''Angel Voices 2'' (1996), featuring Chris Baron, Daren Geraghty, Liam O'Kane as vocal soloists. * ''Peace on Earth'' (1996) * ''Angel Voices 3'' (1997), featuring Liam O'Kane, Steven Geraghty, Adam Harris, Chris Baron and Alex Baron as vocal soloists. As Libera: * ''Libera'' (1995) There are seven tracks on this Disc Libera mixes, (Mercury Records Ltd.) London * ''Libera'' (1999), featuring Liam O'Kane, Adam Harris, Steven Geraghty, Alex Baron as vocal soloists. No instrumentalists are credited on the album, however Robert Prizeman did the keyboard work. * ''Luminosa'' (2001), featuring Steven Geraghty, Ben Crawley, Sam Coates, Simon Beston as vocal soloists. * ''Complete Libera'' (2003), two disc set with ''Libera'' and ''Luminosa''. * ''Free'' (2004), featuring Ben Crawley, Joseph Platt, Christopher Robson, Anthony Chadney and Raoul Neumann as vocal soloists, and Robert Prizeman, Fiona Pears, Dominic Kelly, Steven Geraghty, Chris Dodd, Ian Tilley and Helen Cole as instrumentalists. * ''Visions'' (2005), featuring Tom Cully, Conor O'Donnell, Michael Horncastle, Joseph Sanders-Wilde, Callum Payne, James Vereycken as vocal soloists and Robert Prizeman as director, conductor and instrumentalist. Other instrumentalists included Ian Tilley, Fiona Pears, John Anderson, Steven Geraghty and Chris Dodd. * ''Welcome to Libera's World'' (2006), featuring Joseph Platt, Ben Crawley, Liam O'Kane, Michael Horncastle and Joseph Sanders-Wilde as vocal soloists, and Robert Prizeman, Fiona Pears, John Anderson, Steven Geraghty, Chris Dodd, Ian Tilley as instrumentalists. The album was released only in Japan. Most of the tracks are re-released from the earlier albums. It includes only one new track, "Far Away". * ''Angel Voices'' (2006), featuring Michael Horncastle, Ed Day, Connor O'Donnell, Tom Cully, Joshua Madine, Joseph Platt, Christopher Robson, Anthony Chadney, Joseph Sanders-Wilde and James Vereycken as vocal soloists, and Robert Prizeman, Fiona Pears, John Anderson, Steven Geraghty, Chris Dodd and Ian Tilley on various instruments. * ''Angel Voices: Libera in Concert'' (2007), featuring Joshua Madine, Ben Philipp, Tom Cully, Ed Day, Liam Connery, Sam Leggett and Joe Snelling as vocal soloists, and Robert Prizeman, Fiona Pears, Steven Geraghty, Il Novecento Orchestra as instrumentalists. * ''New Dawn'' (2008), featuring Tom Cully, Joshua Madine, Ed Day, Liam Connery, Joe Snelling and Benedict Philipp as vocal soloists. Robert Prizeman, Fiona Pears, Ian Tilley, Steven Geraghty, Sam Coates and the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra filled instrumental roles. * ''Prayer: You Were There'' (2008), with Tom Cully, Ed Day, Joshua Madine, Liam Connery, Ben Crawley, Joseph Sanders-Wilde, Joseph Platt, Christopher Robson and Anthony Chadney as vocal soloists. The album was released only in Japan. Most of the tracks are re-released from the earlier albums. * ''Eternal: The Best of Libera'' (2009), a two disk compilation album with a mix of old and new songs. * ''

'' (2010), featuring Benedict Philipp, Joshua Madine, Tom Cully, Stefan Leadbeater, James Threadgill, Jakob De Menezes-Wood, Daniel Fontannaz, James Mordaunt and Ralph Skan as vocal soloists. The album was also released in a DeLuxe Edition. * ''Miracle of Life'' (2011) was released only in Japan. "Song of Life" was used in a Japanese television drama. * ''The St. Philip's Boys Choir: The Best of Angel Voices'' (2011), a compilation of songs from ''Angel Voices'' (1992) and ''Angel Voices 2'' (1996), from the time period from before the choir became known as Libera. * ''Libera: The Christmas Album'' (2011), a Christmas album, also released in a deluxe edition and Japan edition under the name ''Winter Songs''. * ''Angel Voices 2012'', a special compilation CD for the Japanese market, was released for the April 2012 Spring Tour in Singapore and Japan. * ''Song of Life: A Collection'' (2012), featuring a new song, "Song of Life", and songs from ''Free'' (2004), ''Visions'' (2005), ''Angel Voices'' (2006), ''Eternal'' (2008), ''New Dawn'' (2008), and ''Peace'' (2010). * ''Angels Sing: Christmas in Ireland'' (2013), a live concert recording of Libera's performance at the Armagh Cathedral. * ''Angels Sing: Libera in America'' (2015), a live concert recording of Libera's performance at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, US in August 2014. * ''Libera at Christmas'' (2016), featuring songs "Hymn To Mary" and "Santa Will Find You", and three re-recorded songs from ''Angels Sing: Christmas in Ireland'' (2013). * ''Beyond'' (2018), featuring songs "In Paradisum" and renewed versions of "Sanctus", "Voca Me", and "Salve Regina". It has 11 tracks and was released 12 October 2018. * ''Christmas Carols with Libera'' (2019) * ''If'' (2021) * ''Forever'' (2023), the first release without the group's founder Robert Prizeman at the helm. * ''Dream'' (2024)

Movie soundtracks

* ''Twelve Monkeys'' (1995) * ''Romeo and Juliet'' (1996) * ''Cousin Bette'' (1998) * ''Hannibal'' (2001) * ''The Merchant of Venice'' (2004) * ''Nobody to Watch Over Me'' (2008) * ''The Greatest Miracle'' (2011) * From the New World (novel) (2012 anime) * Home Sweet Home Alone (2021, Disney) * In Love and Deep Water (2023)

Supporting roles on albums and singles

As Angel Voices: * ''San Damiano'' (1984), by

* ''Christmas Wrapping'' (1990), by Tony Robinson * ''The Christmas Album, Vol 2'' (1994), by

* ''The Big Picture'' (1997), by

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

As Libera: * Monastery of Chant (Two Discs) (2002) (Warner Music) * ''Aled'' (2002), by Aled Jones * Classical Smoothies (simply the best) Warner Classics 2002 (Warner Music UK) * ''Higher'' (2003), by Aled Jones * ''The Christmas Album'' (2004), by Aled Jones * ''Aled's Christmas Carols'' (2008) by Aled Jones (DVD) *

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...

, with

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...

cond. Simon Rattle (2009) * Choirboys From Heaven : EMI Classics 2010 (EMI Records Ltd.) * ''The Prayer'' (2010) by Classical Relief for Haiti (various artists) * ''The Olympic Experience'' (2012) released by Warner Classics * ''Christmas at Downton Abbey'' (2014) released by Warner Music TV * ''Nia ~ Toward the Heavens'' from the

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Original Soundtrack with solois
Luca Brugnoli as boy Soprano

Concerts and appearances

Since becoming a registered charity in the UK, Libera has made numerous appearances on TV, radio, and in concert. 2000 *

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( St Andrew's Church, Plymouth) 26 October. * Torquay, England (St. Luke's Church) 27 October. 2002 *

Upper Norwood Upper Norwood is an area of south London, England, within the London Boroughs of London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, London Borough of Croydon, Croydon, London Borough of Lambeth, Lambeth and London Borough of Southwark, Southwark. It is north ...

, England ( St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood) 2 March. 2005 *

, England ( St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood) 4 March. *

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( Chungmu Arts Hall) 31 March; (

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) 2 and 3 April;

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

( Sumida Triphony Hall) 7 April and

Yokohama, Japan is the second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a population of 3.7 million in 2023. It lies on Tokyo B ...

(The Yokohama Blitz) 8 April. *

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( Aichi Arts Center Prefectural Arts Theater) 27 October;

(Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall) 28 October and

(

Bunkyo Civic Center The is the government building for Bunkyo ward in Tokyo, Japan. Its 25th floor houses a free observation deck. The building was completed in 1994. It has been described as a "colossal Pez candy dispenser" by ''The Japan Times''. The building is ...

Entertainment Hall) 30 October. 2007 *Libera won an episode of the BBC's talent show '' When Will I Be Famous?'' hosted by

broadcast on 17 February. They received prize money of £10,000. *

, England ( St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood) 23 March. *Angel Voices Tour -

Osaka, Japan is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third-most populous city in Japan, following the special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a populatio ...

(The Symphony Hall) 11 April;

( Aichi Arts Center Prefectural Arts Theater) 12 April;

( Bunkamura Orchard Hall) 14 April (two shows); Suwon, South Korea (Gyeonggi Arts Center) 17 April and

( Sejong Center) 18 April. * Arundel, West Sussex, England ( Arundel Cathedral) 5 May. *

Leiden, Netherlands Leiden ( ; ; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 127,046 (31 January 2023), but the city forms one densely connecte ...

(

Pieterskerk, Leiden The Pieterskerk is a late-Gothic architecture, Gothic Protestant Church in the Netherlands, Dutch Protestant church in Leiden dedicated to Saint Peter. It is known today as the church of the Pilgrim Fathers, where the pastor John Robinson (pas ...

) 30 and 31 May. These concerts were later released as a DVD entitled ''Angel Voices''. * Harrogate, England ( St Wilfrid's Church, Harrogate) 30 June. *

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

Performed

's song '' Love and Mercy'' when he was an honoree at the

Kennedy Center Honors The Kennedy Center Honors are annual honors given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to Culture of the United States, American culture. They have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in ...

2 December. The performance was broadcast on 26 December. 2008 *Angel Voices US Tour –

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

(Asbury Hall) 4 April;

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

( The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts) 6 April;

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

( The Egg) 7 April;

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

( Byham Theater) 9 April;

New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

( Riverside Church) 17 April. *Performed in The Concert of Hope

(

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...

) 20 April where Pope Benedict XVI was in attendance. *London, England (Queen Elizabeth Hall) 11 May. * Torquay, England (St. John's Church) 30 July. *Libera appeared on UK television with Aled Jones in a Christmas special where they performed new versions of carols. This was subsequently released on DVD. 2009 *BBC TV's ''

'' aired an entire programme dedicated to Libera on 25 January 2009. *Angel Voice Tour 2009 - Sendai, Japan (Miyagi Hall) 6 April;

( Bunkamura Orchard Hall) 8 and 9 April; Palm Desert, California (St. Margaret's Episcopal Church (Palm Desert, California)) 16 April and Garden Grove, California (Crystal Cathedral) 19 April. *Promo appearances on Japanese TV in Japan. * Arundel, West Sussex, England ( Arundel Cathedral) 9 May. *Dublin, Ireland (National Concert Hall) 31 July *Belfast, Northern Ireland (St Peter's Cathedral, Belfast) 3 August *Edinburgh, Scotland (St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh (Roman Catholic)) 11 August *The Philippine Tour - Manila, Philippines (Philippine International Convention Center Plenary Hall) 25 October and Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines (Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino Grand Pacific Ballroom) 28 October. 2010 *Angel Voices Tour 2010 –

( Bunkamura Orchard Hall) 8 and 9 April;

( Sejong Center) 11 April Makati, Philippines (RCBC Plaza Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium) 16 April (two shows). (Due to air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption, the group was forced to return to England from the Philippines via land and sea connections.) * Arundel, West Sussex, England ( Arundel Cathedral) 15 May. *USA Summer Tour 2010 – Dallas, Texas (Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church) 1 August; Fort Worth, Texas (Arborlawn United Methodist Church) 2 August; St. Louis, Missouri (Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis (St. Louis)) 5 August; Brentwood, Tennessee (Brentwood United Methodist Church) 8 August and Atlanta, Georgia (Peachtree Presbyterian Church) 10 August. *UK Autumn Concert Tour 2010 – Bristol, England (Clifton Cathedral) 27 October; Chester, England (Chester Cathedral) 29 October; London, England (St George's Cathedral, Southwark, St George's Cathedral) 19 November and Beverley, England (Beverley Minster) 20 November. *Appearance on BBC TV ''

'' performing "Eternal Light". *Various UK TV appearances including "Christmas Cooks", "This Morning", and BBC "Breakfast". 2011 *Epsom, England (Epsom Playhouse) 18 March. *Libera Live in Canada - Toronto, Ontario (St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica (Toronto)) 14 April; London, Ontario (First-St Andrew's United Church) 15 April; Toronto, Ontario (Islington United Church) 17 April; Kitchener, Ontario (Centre In The Square) 18 April; Chatham, Ontario (St Paul's Congregational Church) 19 April; Hamilton, Ontario (West Highland Church) 22 April and Guelph, Ontario (Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate) 24 April. *Libera Live - Minneapolis, Minnesota (Basilica of Saint Mary (Minneapolis)) 27 July; St. Paul, Minnesota (Cathedral of Saint Paul (Minnesota)) 29 July; Chicago, Illinois (University of Chicago Roosevelt Chapel) 31 July; St. Louis, Missouri (Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis (St. Louis)) 3 August; Frisco, Texas (Stonebriar Community Church) 7 August and Houston, Texas (Tallowood Baptist Church) 9 August. *Sang at Services at Moody Church Chicago, Illinois 31 July *

50th Anniversary Concert at (Alexandra Palace) London, England broadcast on 2 October. *Manila, Philippines (Philippine International Convention Center Plenary Hall) 25 October. *Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines (Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino Grand Pacific Ballroom) 28 October. *London, England (St George's Cathedral, Southwark, St George's Cathedral) 25 November. *Appearance on BBC TV's ''Songs of Praise'' performing "Still, Still, Still". *UK TV appearances included "Live with Gabby" on Channel 5, and ITV's "This Morning". *Christmas appearance on BBC Radio 2 on the "Chris Evans" show. 2012 *Appearance on BBC TV's ''Songs of Praise'' performing "How Shall I Sing That Majesty" (All Saints' Church, Cheltenham). *Spring Tour 2012 – Singapore (Esplanade Theatre) 6 and 7 April and

( Bunkamura Orchard Hall) 13 and 14 April. * Arundel, West Sussex, England ( Arundel Cathedral) 5 May. *Japanese TV promo filmed at All Saint's Church, West Dulwich, London, UK. *Channel Islands 2012 Tour – Saint Helier, Jersey (Jersey Opera House) 1 and 2 August and Saint Peter Port, Guernsey (St James, Guernsey) 7 and 8 August. *Armagh, Northern Ireland (St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh (Roman Catholic), St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh) 1 November. *Belfast, Northern Ireland (St Peter's Cathedral, Belfast) 2 November *London, England (St George's Cathedral, Southwark, St George's Cathedral) 16 November. 2013 *Concerts in Taiwan - Taipei, Taiwan (National Theater and Concert Hall, Taipei) 2 and 3 April; Hsinchu, Taiwan (Hsinchu Performing Arts Center) 6 April; Kaohsiung, Taiwan Dadong Arts Center 7 April and Taichung, Taiwan (Taichung City Seaport Art Center) 9 April. *Angel Voices - Bundang-gu, South Korea (St. John's Church, Seongnam) 12 April and

( Sejong Center) 13 April. *Guildford, England (Guildford Cathedral) 11 May. *Armagh, Northern Ireland (St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh (Roman Catholic), St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh) 8 and 9 August. *Christmas With Libera - Manila, Philippines (Philippine International Convention Center Plenary Hall) 29 October and Cebu City, Philippines (Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod) 31 October. *London, England (St George's Cathedral, Southwark, St George's Cathedral) 28 November. *Appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno - Burbank, California (The Burbank Studios) broadcast on 19 December. *Appearance on Today (American TV program) -

(NBC Studios (New York City)) broadcast on 25 December. 2014 *Spring Concerts , USA: -

(Church of the Incarnation, Episcopal (Manhattan)) 15 April and Morristown, New Jersey (Mayo Performing Arts Center) 16 April. * Arundel, West Sussex, England ( Arundel Cathedral) 10 May. *Live in the United States -

( Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception) 6 and 7 August. *

, England ( St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood) 20 December. 2015 *Moscow, Russia (Moscow International House of Music, Moscow International Performing Arts Center Svetlanov Hall) 18 January. *Live in the United States - Boston, Massachusetts (Wilbur Theatre) 1 April; San Antonio, Texas (Tobin Center for the Performing Arts) 4 April; St. Charles, Illinois (Arcada Theatre) 8 April and Atlanta, Georgia (Woodruff Arts Center) 10 April. *Guildford, England (Guildford Cathedral) 16 May. *Exeter, England (Exeter Cathedral) 27 July. *Christchurch, Dorset, Christchurch, England (Christchurch Priory) 28 July. *

(Universal Studios Japan) 5 August. *London, England (St George's Cathedral, Southwark, St George's Cathedral) 11 December. *Christmas Tour 2015 -

(Grand Cube Osaka) 21 December and

(Tokyo Opera City Tower Concert Hall) 23 December (two shows). 2016 *Angels Sing - Manila, Philippines (Philippine International Convention Center Plenary Hall) 16 February and Cebu City, Philippines (SM Seaside City Cebu Center Stage) 18 February. *Angel Voices Libera - Suwon, South Korea (Gyeonggi Arts Center) 29 March;

(Seoul Arts Center) 31 March; Icheon, South Korea (Icheon Art Hall) 1 April and Daejeon, South Korea (Daejon Culture & Arts Center) 3 April. *Romsey, England (Romsey Abbey) 23 April. *Libera Live - Kraków, Poland (St. Kazimierz Królewicz Church) 26 July and (Main Square, Kraków) 27 July and Vallendar, Germany (Schoenstatt Pilgrims' Church) 2 August. *Performed in Koncert Credo in Misericordiam Dei Brzegi, Wieliczka County, Poland (Campus Misericordiae) 30 July as part of World Youth Day 2016. *London, England (St George's Cathedral, Southwark, St George's Cathedral) 2 December. 2017 *Ely, England (Ely Cathedral) 29 April. *Angel Voices Tour 2017 "Hope" -

( Bunkamura Orchard Hall) 29 and 30 May;

(Grand Cube Osaka) 2 June. *Libera USA Tour 2017 - Garden Grove, California (Christ Cathedral (Garden Grove, California) Arboretum) 28 July; Westlake Village, California (Calvary Community Church) 30 July; Houston, Texas (Tallowood Baptist Church) 3 August; Tulsa, Oklahoma (Asbury United Methodist Church) 6 August; St. Louis, Missouri (Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis (St. Louis)) 9 August *2017 Chinese Tour - Shanghai, China (Wuxi Grand Theatre) 24 October; (Shanghai Jinshan District Culture Museum) 25 October; (Shanghai Chongming District Theatre) 26 October; (Shanghai Symphony Hall) 27 October; (Shanghai Oriental Art Center) 28 October. *London, England (Westminster Cathedral) 1 December. 2018 *Ely, England (Ely Cathedral) 12 May. *2018 Summer Concert Tour - San Antonio, Texas (Tobin Center for the Performing Arts) 24 July; Plano, Texas (St. Andrew United Methodist Church) 29 July; San Francisco, California (Saint Ignatius Church (San Francisco)) 31 July; Los Angeles, California (Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (Los Angeles)) 3 August and Garden Grove, California (Christ Cathedral (Garden Grove, California) Arboretum) 7 August. *London, England (Westminster Cathedral) 17 October. *Angel Voices Tour 2018 "Beyond" -

(Shinjuku Culture Center) 22 and 23 October;

(Zepp) 24 October and

(Grand Cube Osaka) 26 October. *Brighton, England (St Bartholomew's Church, Brighton) 15 December. *Moscow, Russia (Zaryadye Hall) 28 December. 2019 *The Friendship Tour - Manila, Philippines (Meralco Theater) 19 February and Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines (Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino Grand Pacific Ballroom) 23 February. * Arundel, West Sussex, England ( Arundel Cathedral) 22 June. *2019 US Tour - St. Paul, Minnesota (Cathedral of Saint Paul (Minnesota)) 26 July; St. Louis, Missouri (Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis (St. Louis)) 29 July; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (First Southern Baptist Church) 1 August; Westlake Village, California (Calvary Community Church) 4 August and Garden Grove, California (Christ Cathedral (Garden Grove, California) Arboretum) 6 August. *Angel Voices Tour 2019 -

( Bunkamura Orchard Hall) 21 and 22 October and

(Grand Cube Osaka) 25 October. *Christmas With Libera - London, England (St John's, Smith Square) 3 December. 2020 *Online Mini Concert - online (Youtube Premier) 6 June 2020. *Libera in London - London, England (St John's, Smith Square) 6 December 2020. 2021 *Libera in London 2021 - London, England (St John's, Smith Square) 5 December 2021. 2022 Libera at Ely Cathedral - May 2022.

References

External links

Official website
*
EMI Classics page about Libera
(now defunct as EMI Classics artists were absorbed into Warner Classics in 2013).
Warner Classics page about LiberaLibera page at Let's Sing It (lyrics and info)Leonid Sakson (a prominent Russian poet, Germany). „Michael: A Poem. Full version in Russian. (Dedicated to Michael Horncastle, a singer of the boys band “Libera”)”, 2016.
{{Authority control Choirs of children Musical groups established in 1995 EMI Classics and Virgin Classics artists 1995 establishments in England London choirs