Libera is a non-profit all-boy English vocal group directed by Robert Prizeman. The albums, tours and TV appearances they do as Libera are in addition to their regular singing. They come from a variety of backgrounds in the London area, attending many different schools, including local state schools, church schools and performing arts schools. Most join between the ages of seven and ten, however older boys may join if they have the appropriate singing abilities.
According to a Songs of Praise TV special that aired January 25, 2009, the group has approximately 40 members between the ages of seven and 16, including new boys who are not yet ready to fully participate in albums or tours. 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 word for "free".
Libera has provided choral backing to a number of artists, including Aled Jones, Björk, Luciano Pavarotti, Hayley Westenra, Peter Skellern, José Carreras, Neil Diamond, Cliff Richard, and Michael Crawford. Libera has also sung for several film soundtracks, including Romeo & Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, Shadowlands and Hannibal. 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, 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 game ICO. Libera member Ben Crawley did solo work for Paul Joyce's production of The Snow Queen in 2004.
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