January 1st, 2025 - Present

 

Japan, 2024

Last Updated May 12th, 2025

Welcome to all new readers.

If you are unfamiliar with Libera, you may wish to go to Part One (link below) of this Timeline for an overview and history of the group, including the story of its beginnings.

Please note: new material is added at the end of each post, rather than at the beginning, 

Once again I state that I'm a writer, not a techie, so please forgive the occasional odd configuration, type change, or spacing resulting from imported material. I welcome corrections, suggestions and comments at: aahill@sonic.net

Disclaimer: This  ongoing essay-with-videos is strictly an informal history, and, while I've attempted to make it as accurate as possible, some of my sources (or my interpretation of them) may be flawed or inaccurate. If you notice errors that I have made, or facts that were taken from inaccurate sources, please let me know at my email address (above) so that I may make appropriate changes.

 This piece of writing has not been authorized by, nor is it connected with, the Libera/St. Philip's organization.

Also, since the size of the Timeline makes it impossible to police all video links, some may have ceased to function or be unavailable. In this case, go to your search engine and enter "YouTube" and the name or subject referenced in the link. There will usually be a duplicate video available. 

For a very brief history of Libera with photos: https://intro-to-libera.blogspot.com

For Part One (introduction to Libera and to the Timeline, extensive overview, & coverage for 1981-2007), please go to: http://liberatimeline.blogspot.com/ 

For The Tables of Contents for all Parts & Appendix A (there is also a Table of Contents at the beginning of each part):   https://liberatimelinetocappenda.blogspot.com/ 

Hibaya Festival, Japan, 2024

For Part Two (2008-2009): http://liberatimeline2.blogspot.com/ 

For Part Three (2010): http://liberatimeline3.blogspot.com/ 

 For Part Four (2011): http://liberatimeline4.blogspot.com/ 

For Part Five (2012): http://liberatimeline5.blogspot.com/ 

For Part Six (January-May 2013): http://libera-timeline-6.blogspot.com/ 

For Part 6A (May-December 2013): http://libera-historicaltimeline6a.blogspot.com/ 

 For Part Seven (January-July 2014): http://libera-historicaltimelinepart7.blogspot.com/ 

For Part 7A (August-November 2014): http://libera-historical-timelinepart7a.blogspot.com/ 

For Part 7B (December 2014): http://libera-historical-timeline-part7b.blogspot.com/ 

For Part 8 (January-March 2015): https://lib-erahistorical-timeline-part-eight.blogspot.com/ 

For Part 8A (January-March, 2015): http://liberahistorical-timeline-part-8-a.blogspot.com/  

For Part 8B (August-December, 2015): http://liberahistoricaltimelinepart8b.blogspot.com/ 

For Part 9 (January-July, 2016): http://liberahistoricaltimeline-part-9.blogspot.com/ 

For Part 9A (July through December, 2015): http://lib-erahistorical-timelinepart9a.blogspot.com/ 

 For Part 10 (January 1st, 2017-August 11th, 2017): https://li-berahistoricalt-imelinepart1a.blogspot.com/ 

For Part 10A  (August 12^th to December 31^st, 2017): https://lib-era-historic-altimelinepart10a.blogspot.com/ 

For Part 11 (January 1^st– October 20th: https://lib-er-ahistorical-timelinepart11.blogspot.com/ 

For Part11A ( October 21st to December 31st, 2018): https://li-berahistoricaltime-line11a.blogspot.com/ 

For Part 12 (January 1st to August 17th, 2019): https://liberahistoricaltimelinepart12.blogspot.com/ 

For Part 12A (August 18^th to December 31st, 2019): https://lib-era-historicaltimelinepart12a.blogspot.com/

For Part 13 (January 1st to December 31st, 2020): https://liberatimelinepart13.blogspot.com/

For Part 14 (January 1^st – July 5th, 2021: https://liberahisttimelinepart14.blogspot.com/2021

For Part 14a (July 5th - December 31st, 2021: https://histtimeline14alibera.blogspot.com

For Part 15 (January 1st - February 20th, 2022): https://15libhisttimeline.blogspot.com 

For Part 15A ( February 20th - Present, 2022): https://libhisttimelinepart15a.blogspot.com

For Part 16 (January 1^st – December 31st, 2023): https://libhisttimeline16.blogspot.com

For Part 17 (January 1^st – Present, 2024) https://libhisttimeline17.blogspot.com

A note on source material: For many years, the premiere website/database for information on Libera members, recordings, videos, appearances, tours, etc. was the French site Libera Passion at https://libera-passion.exprimetoi.net/ . 

This is still the case, up to sometime in 2023 when the site administrator apparently had a sudden switch in priorities. The slack in keeping track of new members was taken up in 2024 by Padmachou, a contributor to the lively and knowledgable Libera Dreams Discussion Forum at: https://libera-dreams.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=4107 

The Forum's main index can be found at: https://libera-dreams.co.uk/index.php?sid=8ecb452d5bf3c3a9ca94e3e83b4121ed

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PART 18

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Southwark Cathedral Concert Announced

• Libera Appears on Songs of Praise, singing "Nearer , My God to Thee," and "One Small Voice."

• Ireland Summer Tour Announced

• SOUTHWARK CATHEDRAL CONCERT: May 10th, 2025

Note to new readers: This time of year, public Libera activities generally seem to enter a kind of "winter doldrums," with time given over to learning new material, recording, school requirements, etc. Stay tuned for increasing activity as spring approaches.

On February 10th, Libera posted the following:

Spring Concert Announced

We have announced a spring concert at London’s iconic Southwark Cathedral. We are very much looking forward to our first visit to this wonderful place.  We will be performing on 10th May 2025 at 7.30 pm. Ticket availability will be announced as soon as we have details.

Please Note – this is the Anglican Cathedral by London Bridge.

https://libera.org.uk/news/spring-concert-announced-2/

As Patrick FandeLok observed at the time: "[Southwark is] hardly the widest cathedral ever, and the ticket battle will be fierce.

Just three seats across at the front (if retained), then five further back in the nave…So the UK Spring concert will be held in London.
The last time it occurred was May 2008, at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Also on that date, Mercurial 909 noted:

In the summer of 2023, our now newly graduated Libera choralist Freddie Mushrafi was a guest vocalist in an opera performed up in Bonny Scotland.

https://bachtrack.com/review-edinburgh- ... ugust-202

He was in the midst of his treble/countertenor range at the time and seems to have been one of only three kids involved. What a thing to have on his CV!

Note: Freddie also performed this role, as one of three little boys who appear at intervals to comment on and advise young lovers Tamino and Pamina, in the actual staged opera production of The Magic Flute in 2023. (See Part 16 of this Timeline.)

On March 1st, this poster appeared:

On March 2nd, the following  announcement from Libera:

Libera will be singing a hymn on Songs of Praise next Sunday, 9 March, on the BBC, at 11:30 am UK time. This will be a new recording, filmed at the chapel of Ripon College Cuddesdon, near Oxford. The hymn choice has yet to be announced.

This would be the group's first appearance on the long-running TV show, on which they were frequent guests from the 1990s through the 2010s.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0028wly

On March 9th, the promised video appeared on Songs of Praise:

Soloists from left: Theo Wilson, Joseph Hill, Oscar James

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7ahSlPU4Ms&t=211s (Nearer, My God, to Thee/solo and harmonies by Joseph Hill, Oscar James, and Theo Wilson/Songs of Praise, March 9th, 2025/3:31)

On March 15th, Libera and Songs of Praise posted videos of the group singing "One Small Voice," with Julian Heitmann, Joseph Hill, Benjamin Hill and Morgan Wiltshire soloing. On the 16th, following the SOP broadcast, a Youtube video became available.

Joseph Hill and Julian Heitmann

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgIv5chWpK4 One Small Voice/Solos by Julian Heitmann, Joseph Hill, Benjamin Hill and Morgan Wiltshire/March 2025/3:23)

On March 31st, a post from Libera:

First row: Zach Lockett, Ed Day, Jonathan Barrington, Sam Leggett, Josh Madine*.
Second row: Michael Vereyken, James Vereyken, Joe Sanders-Wilde, Michael Horncastle*, Tom Cully, Conor O'Donnell, Callum Payne, Jake Shortall, Samir Abouelfeid, Joe Platt.
Third row: George Tarleton?, Anthony Chadney?, Sam Coates*, Ben Crawley*, Steven Geraghty*, Raoul Neumann*
(* = Still actively involved with Libera)

On April 18th, Libera posted an official announcement:

Summer Tour 2025 Announced

We have announced a tour for the summer of 2025. We will be visiting Ireland from 25th July to 3rd August. We are still confirming final concert details but we can share that we will be visiting Cork, Kilkenny and County Dublin, with a possible further location under discussion.

We will publish exact dates and venues shortly, along with ticket details.

On April 19th, fan luckdragon posted a complete listing of Libera's soundtrack credits, for films, TV movies, video games, etc.

Libera's IMDB credits...

2025-04-19_05-33-00.png (275.63 KiB) Viewed 28 times

OnApril 21st, an update from "Libera Boot Camp:"

Libera

@officiallibera

·

Follow

We hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter weekend Over the break we all spent a week together on Libera Boot Camp!

2:52 AM · Apr 21, 2025

As well as singing together and workshopping lots of new music, we also made great use of our free time, and had so much fun.

We're looking ahead to the summer term and are almost ready for our concert at Southwark Cathedral on Sat 10th May, as well as a brand new summer tour to Ireland which will include visiting Cork, Kilkenny and County Dublin (full details coming soon).

On April 22nd, Libera appeared on the BBC's Songs of Praise, singing "Anima Christi," as a tribute to the recently deceased Pope Francis. Soloists were Joseph Hill and Pietro Vergani.

Joseph Hill and Pietro Vergani

https://www.facebook.com/

/videos/2988348591323222

On May 9th, a message from Libera on Instagram:

officiallibera

 

Our newest mini boys are ready for their first concert tomorrow at @southwark_cathedral #excited

SOUTHWARK CATHEDRAL CONCERT: May 10th, 2025

SET LIST

Singers

Ariyan Abbott*

Caius Agyei

Cory Agyei

Hal Avery

Laurence Azikiwe

Tadgh Barber

Max Bolton

Leon Clarke

Jerome Collins

Laurence Davey (not present)

Oscar Dixon-Wayne*

William Dunbar*

Casper Duncan-Windley

Aubrey Gummer*

Wilfred Gummer*

Mitchel Guy

Julian Heitmann

Benjamin Hill

Joseph Hill

Frederick Howarth

Ethan Hutchinson

Oscar James

Arthur Lipscombe*

Gabriele Marini

Emmanuel Mensah-Woode

Thomas Mushrafi

Lewis Pearson

Archer Robson (not present)

Thomas Sandoval Herrera

Edward Sargeant

Caleb Slater

Nathan Slater,

Agastya Sunil*

Federico Vergani

Pietro Vergani

Samuel Whaley

Theodore Wilson

Morgan Wiltshire

From TikTok

Liam Connery conducts rehearsal

On May 11th, a review by Patrick (Libera "handle") fan_de_LoK): (More photos to come)

• 1 Jubilate
  "Jubilate" was used as an introduction for the boys to enter the stage, five walking from the far center stage (Morgan Wiltshire, Hal Avery, Joseph Hill, Lewis Pearson, Cory Agyei) and two from each side, Julian Heitmann and Oscar James  from the left. Federico Vergani  and Edward Sargeant from the right), then everyone else came onstage.
  "Jubilate" quickly merged into "Libera." The merging went very smoothly.
  ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ㅤ
• 2 Libera
  Solos on the English lines by Morgan Wiltshire and Pietro Vergani together. Final high notes by Pietro
  ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ㅤ
• 3 Sanctus
  High notes by brothers Ben and Joseph Hill.
  Usual stage arrangement—a large arc all across the stage.
  ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ㅤ
• Speech 1
  Welcome from Casper Duncan-Windley and Samuel Whaley, introducing the "miniboys" (singers-in-training) and the "bigs" (lower voices). During the rehearsal, the seven miniboys had been split into a group of four on the left and three on the right, standing on small risers behind the bigs. They were barely visible—even with the risers they didn’t reach above the older boys. Thankfully, a decision was made during the rehearsal to completely change their position and move the miniboys to the front of the choir, on the side steps leading up to the stage. So instead of being hidden for the whole concert, they ended up being very much in view throughout, and they truly rose to the occasion. Despite it being their first concert, they sang with real conviction, and there are certainly some very promising voices among them. Placing them there turned out to be an excellent idea.‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ㅤ
• 
  Miniboys on side steps at left, including a sleepy Aubrey Gummer.
  
  
  
• 4 One Small Voice
  Four at the center: Ben Hill, Joseph Hill, Morgan Wiltshire (who replaced Frederick Howarth here) and Julian Heitman. Short 'Ahhh' intro by Ben and Morgan. Then Julian solo, then Joseph solo. Ending by Ben and Morgan.‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ㅤ
• 
  
• 
  Joseph Hill
  
  
  
• 5 Hymn To Beauty
• This song was last performed in concert in 2009.
  A whole-choir song without a specific soloist. A few people around me mentioned they didn’t really enjoy this song.
  Personally, I found the singing very lovely and pleasant to listen to. That said, I did wonder about the choice to include this rather old-fashioned piece, especially when more modern and engaging material, like some tracks from the Dream album, has yet to be featured in concert. So yes, I did find it interesting, but I’m curious about the reasoning behind its inclusion in this 2025 programme.
  ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ㅤ
• 6 Sea Bird
  Solo by Joseph Hill. The choir was arranged in four vertical lines behind Joseph, then gradually moved to form a large V, then two lines, like the wings of a white bird, with Joseph as the head. As the altar space used as a stage wasn’t particularly wide, the bird’s "wings" remained as two rows of boys on each side of Joseph. In Japan, where they performed in much larger venues, the wings could be fully extended into a single wide line stretching out on either side of him.
  ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ㅤ
• Speech 2
  Federico Vergani and Cory Agyei, about brothers.
  During the introduction of the brother pairs, there were four groups: Federico and Pietro Vergani, Cory and Caius Agyei, Ben and Joseph Hill, Caleb and Nathan Slater, and new singers Wilfred and Aubrey Gummer—a small first, as both brothers are miniboys at the same time. And a little thought for Thomas Mushrafi, who this time didn’t get to form his usual duo with his brother Frederick, who was absent from this concert.
  ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ㅤ
• Below: new miniboy brothers Aubrey and Wilfred Gummer
  
  

  
  
  
  
  7 Stabat Mater
• Wonderful solo by Thomas Mushrafi on the first verse, then the whole choir on the second. Final verse by Thomas solo. He stood at the centre of the usual two concentric arcs, the first kneeling around him, the second standing behind.
  A beautiful visual and an excellent performance from Thomas.
• 
  
• 
  Thomas Mushrafi solos on "Stabat Mater."
  
  
  ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ㅤ• 8 Deep Peace
• The first part was sung by Julian Heitmann, who was then joined by Lewis Pearson. The second part was sung by the whole choir.
  Fifteen years ago, the song featured two distinct soloists. It was recorded in 2010 on the album Peace, with Stefan Leadbeater singing the first part and James Threadgill the second.
• 
  Julian Heitmann‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ㅤ
• 9 The Lark's Last Song
  Joseph Hill, at the center of two concentric arcs. A great rendition of the solos by Joseph.
  ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ㅤ
• 10 Do Not Stand At My Grave
  Fantastic solo by Jerome Collins, front stage center with Ben Hill at his side. Jerome has a deeply moving voice, and Ben supported him beautifully with soaring high harmonies. They were framed by the kneeling choir behind them, offering wordless "ooo" harmonies. This was one of the numerous highlights of the concert.
  ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ㅤ
• Speech 3
  Caleb Slater and Edward Sargeant gave a light-hearted speech, mainly about Moose, while also announcing the final song of the first half. It was quite funny, with wordplay around "Moose" and some playful acting between the two of them.
  ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ㅤ
• 11 Music Was Born
  This piece was performed by the full choir, with two solo lines sung by Joseph Hill. The boys were spread out across the stage, under predominantly blue lighting, a fitting choice for a piece based on George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

Intermission

• 12 Mysterium
  A piece last performed in concert in 2018.
  This was an outstanding performance by Ben Hill, who carried the whole piece, with a bit of support from Edward Sargeant. It’s been a long time since "Mysterium" was last performed, and giving it to Ben proved a true success. Though still young, he has a voice that’s perfectly suited to the piece, surprisingly powerful for his age.
  The performance was beautifully enhanced by blue and red lighting reflecting off the walls while the boys werevin white light. I hope there’ll be some photos, it was truly fantastic, both to hear and to see.
  Ben and Edward walked slowly from the back of the stage to the front. At the front, all the others were grouped in two tight clusters, left and right, leaving a space in the middle. As When Ben and Edward reached the centre, level with the others, the two groups closed in and completely absorbed them into the crowd.
  The compact group then sang the English part, "Let all mortal flesh keep silence," etc. Towards the end, the two groups moved apart, revealing Ben and Edward who had been hidden in the centre, and they stepped forward to the very front of the stage to end the song. If I had to choose one song to turn into a music video, this would be it in my top three. It’s truly spectacular and an amazing experience to watch and to listen.
  ㅤ
• 13 In Paradisum (Ben Robbins)
  This was last performed in concert in 2019.
  The solo was sung, first by Pietro Vergani alone, then by Pietro with Theo Wilson. I really love this song, and the boys did a great performance. Hopefully it can remain on the set list for a while.
  ㅤ
• Speech 4
  Leon Clarke and Oscar James spoke about the white robes and Leon guided the demo on demonstration by the group showing how the song "Libera" was split into seven parts.
  ㅤ
• 14 If
  Another superb performance by Jerome Collins, who had already sung this piece at the Christmas concert. He was positioned alone at the centre of two concentric arcs, and his rendition was deeply moving. His voice is truly well-suited to this kind of song. A great success.
  ㅤ
• 15 Salva Me
  Great job from Ben Hill on the high notes, from the center back.
  ㅤ
• 16 San Damiano
  The choir was divided into four groups, with no featured soloist. If there’s one song where Libera’s signature vocal blending truly shines, it’s "San Damiano." Their unified tone and seamless blend are exceptional, and this piece showcases it beautifully. An absolute pleasure to listen to.
  ㅤ
• Speech 5
  Speech by Gabriele Marini and Lewis Pearson about the different languages spoken among the boys, based on family backgrounds. It was quite fast, so hopefully no one was missed. Gabriele said he, Federico Vergani, and Pietro Vergani speak Italian. Max Bolton (Colombian) and Thomas Sandoval-Herrera (Ecuadorian) both speak Spanish. Lewis Pearson speaks Slovak, Oscar James Croatian, Leon Clarke Polish, Tadhg Barber Irish, and Julian Heitmann introduced himself as being from Deutschland.
  ㅤ
• 17 From A Distance
  Hal Avery was the soloist, standing centre front. An excellent performance, a worthy successor to Merlin Brouwer, who sang it with Libera for the first time.
  ㅤ
• 18 Once
  Thomas Mushrafi started solo, joined in the second verse byby Edward Sargeant and Joseph Hill as backup. All three stood at center front stage. In the third part they were joined by the full choir.
  The choreography on this song is quite dynamic, with the boys split into two groups, each facing outward to opposite sides of the stage. They gradually stepped backward, crossing paths without colliding too much, ending up side by side, now facing inward. Later, they crossed again, moving forward to form a wide arc with Thomas, still the soloist, at the far right tip. As the song ended, the arc dissolved back into the two original groups, again facing outward and back-to-back. All returned to their original spots, except Thomas, who rejoined the group on the right instead of returning to centre.
  ㅤ
• 19 Nearer My God
  It begins with three boys standing at the centre front, Joseph Hill, with Oscar James to his left and Theo Wilson to his right. Joseph sang the first verse solo, then the second as a duet with Oscar, and the third as a trio with Theo. Finally, the full choir joined in. Another very moving and beautifully delivered piece, especially with that opening trio.
  ㅤ
• Speech 6
  The final speech came from Wilfred Gummer, one of the miniboys. It’s a tradition for the last speech of a concert to be given by one of the youngest, sometimes even a newcomer as tonight. And this choice felt especially fitting.
  In a funny moment, Wilfred openly suggested that if the audience clapped loudly enough, they might sing an extra song, which made everyone laugh.
  He came across as very enthusiastic and definitely someone to watch as a future highlight of Libera’s concerts. I look forward to hearing him in a solo one day but even now, his personality already shines through.
  ㅤ
• 20 I Am The Day
  Morgan Wiltshire stood center stage for this song, with the others in small groups. Final high-low calls by Ben Hill and Frederick Howarth (who replaces Mitchel Guy here). Very good performance from Morgan.
  ㅤ
• 21 Veni Sancte Spiritu (encore)
  Lot of moves on stage. Singing while moving everywhere individually, all stopping at some specific words. They formed two lines facing the audience, then swapped positions by interweaving.

Additional comments by Justin:

Wonderful concert yesterday with plenty of classic and throwback pieces. My personal highlights were "In Paradisum" and "Do Not Stand"—arguably among my favourite Libera songs of all time. Pietro Vergani delivered a near-flawless solo, gliding effortless up to the highest notes of "In Paradisum" with great confidence. He was supported well by Theo Wilson, who provided an added dimension to the sound.

Jerome Collins and Ben Hill paired up nicely for "Do Not Stand," a wistful and emotional piece that tugs at the listener’s heartstrings. The boys seemed to understand the emotional weight of the song and sang their duet beautifully.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention "Stabat Mater," an unexpected but welcome addition to the concert repertoire—and Thomas’s wonderful solo. Thomas is at the peak of his treble powers now, in command of a very strong and resonant voice. 

Joseph Hill—how could anyone not like him? He sang well for "Seabird," but I think I really like his midrange now, which was particularly evident in "The Lark’s Last Song." His midrange is resonant, warm and full of character—like liquid gold. 

"Deep Peace"—Julian was the main soloist, supported by Lewis Pearson. I enjoyed the song, but would have preferred having both of them alternating for the solo bits.

Last but not least, I enjoyed "San Damiano" greatly. The upbeat tempo and energy of this song got the boys going, and I particularly enjoyed watching one of the mini boys on the right (as yet unnamed but he was standing to the left of Wilfred Gummer) who was swaying along to the music. Great evening all around and congratulations to the boys (and the orchestra) for a job well done! P.S. Edward Sargeant would do well as a comedian or actor; his comedic timing and line delivery is absolutely impeccable.

End of Part 18 (For Now)