AD Radio Christmas Program

[dude]

Happy to announce a special Christmas program with selections by Libera (St. Phillips London ) Boys Choir - Vienna Boys Choir and the Choir of Kings College, Cambridge.

Program is being aired Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day depending on where you are listening.

Merry Christmas to All!

Mike

[Chris James]

Good choices and such wonderful voices. Thank you, Dude.

[Merkin]

Wonderful--Thanks so much, Dude. I've been looking for some background to tree trimming, and this will be perfect.

[colinian]

Great listening, sitting by our fireplace in the family room at home on a cold Christmas Eve in Walnut Creek.

Thanks, Mike, from Colin and Chris, Tom, Jean, Elizabeth and Annie. (That's me and my brother, our dad, our mom, and our two sisters.)

[Chris James]

I have been a fond fanatic of choir music throughout my life. Mike has managed to hit upon several choirs from which I have collected albums over the years, but it is good to see them here.

I know I rant about Libera on occasion, but they are probably the largest part of my collection in the past decade. The very nature of a boys choir means the sound changes as the faces and voices change in the lineup. Some groupings make the collective sounds better than others, but it is all of a very high quality.

In fact I see the past decade as having three distinct generations of choristers. My interest began when they were the St, Phillips Boys Choir with the exceptional voices of Ben Crawley and Adam Harris in many of the leading roles. But there in the background was the next generation of soloists awaiting their chance which would only come with age.

The middle generation was filled with the voices of Tom Cully, Michael Horncastle, Edward Day and Liam Connery who made the Libera sound so unique, the true voices of angels as many described them. But boys grow up, move along and allow new voices to take over.

This is where solos by Stephen Leadbeater and Casius O'Connell filled the gap. This new generation may sing the older songs that have become classic Libera. Good performances of the songs although not quite the same, but they are developing as the new voices gain strength and courage.

Not bad for a bunch of English schoolboys who sing because they love to and for the chance to tour the world with their music. I am looking forward to next year because who knows which lad will step forward and give me a thrill with his voice.