British all-boys choir Libera to perform in Manila and Cebu

The boys from Libera will perform on Oct. 25, 8 p.m., at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), and in a concert presented by the Arts Council of Cebu Foundation Inc. at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu on Oct. 28.

The Philippine concerts follow the successful worldwide release of the choir’s two hit recordings, the DVD Angel Voices-Libera in Concert from the memorable live performance in St. Pieterskerk, Netherlands, and Eternal-The Best of Libera which is a two-CD package containing the choir’s most-requested hits. Both are released by EMI Records.

The group had a successful 2008 US Tour where the boys showcased astonishing performances notably in their stint at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington DC and in the Concert of Hope offered by Pope Benedict XVI in New York. The choir likewise staged highly-acclaimed concerts in Japan and Korea and had performed with international artists like Bjork, Elton John and Luciano Pavarotti.

The members — whose ages range from 7 to 16 years old — purvey angelic harmonies when they perform classical pieces by Beethoven, Debussy, Pachelbel, and other masters, as well as Gregorian chants and Latin rite liturgies. Libera has also covered contemporary music by Enya and Brian Wilson.

The group’s most popular songs include Always With You, Far Away, Going Home, How Can I Keep from Singing, Sing Forever, Ave Maria, Sanctus and Adoramus, among others.
The concert will be held in celebration of the RP-UK Friendship Week and will be for the benefit of the British Alumni Association’s (BAA) Foundation for Disadvantaged Children and Children’s Hour. It is sponsored by BAA, in cooperation with The British Embassy Manila, The British Council, and British Chamber of Commerce Philippines.

“Libera Live In Manila” is presented by Shell; co-presented by Globe, British Gas, STRADCOM, Thunderbird Resorts and also by Alaska, SGV Foundation, Equipment Engineering Inc (EEI), and Zest Air. Special thanks to EMI, United Overseas Bank, SR Metals, Liwayway Marketing. Among the media partners are ETC, 2nd Avenue, Jack TV, Philippine Star, Philstar.com, 92.3xFM, Dream 106.7, and 105.1 Crossover. Official music channel is MTV Araw-Araw while official residences are AIM Conference Center Manila (ACCM) and Shangri-La Mactan Resort & Spa.

Tickets (priced at P3,850, P3,000, P2500, P2,000, P1500, P800, and P500) are available at Ticketworld. For inquiries, call 891-9999 or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph. VIP tickets are available at the BAA Secretariat. Call 568-0638 for details.

For tickets to the Cebu performance, call the Arts Council office at 233-0452 and SMS 0917-3287917 or e-mail \t “_blank” artscouncilcebu@yahoo.com.

Libera Philippine Tour is produced by Concertus.