Libera: Angels Sing Christmas In Ireland

With the iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh, Ireland, as the setting, this holiday concert presents the angelic voices of one of the world’s most accomplished and acclaimed boy choirs. Featuring traditional Christmas carols interpreted in the Libera style, and influenced by Irish music and melodies, "Libera: Angels Sing Christmas In Ireland" is part of special programming premiering on PBS stations beginning November 30, 2013.

Libera, one of the world’s most accomplished and acclaimed boy choirs, perform traditional Christmas carols. Courtesy of Libera
Libera, one of the world’s most accomplished and acclaimed boy choirs, perform traditional Christmas carols. Libera, one of the world’s most accomplished and acclaimed boy choirs, perform traditional Christmas carols in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh, Ireland.
Courtesy of Libera.

Libera, one of the world’s most accomplished and acclaimed boy choirs, perform traditional Christmas carols in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh, Ireland. Libera, one of the world’s most accomplished and acclaimed boy choirs, perform traditional Christmas carols in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh, Ireland.
Courtesy of Libera.

Libera, one of the world’s most accomplished and acclaimed boy choirs, perform traditional Christmas carols in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh, Ireland.

The small Irish string and wind ensemble that accompanies the concert includes some of Ireland’s most accomplished interpreters of the Irish musical tradition. Among them is virtuoso Irish flute player Brian Dunning and violinist Zoe Conway, whose extraordinary talent has taken her from the stages of the National Concert Hall in Dublin to Carnegie Hall to the Kremlin, and to work with Damien Rice, Nick Cave and Lou Reed.

Set high above the Irish town, the Gothic Armagh Cathedral is the home church for Cardinal Sean Brady, senior priest of the Catholic Church in Ireland, whose presence in the audience was a meaningful addition to the atmosphere of the concert. The church and the land, both of which have provided musical inspiration through the centuries, are the perfect performance space for Libera, whose sound has its roots in ancient monastic and Celtic tonalities.

Although the choir’s home base is South London, over half the boys of Libera come from Irish families and their feeling for the distinctly Irish sound of new arrangements by Libera’s founder, composer and conductor, Robert Prizeman, is unmistakable. (Source: PBS)