Zack left?

[Narnian]

This is possible. My source, who is quite reliable, has not been able to say exactly one way or the other.

These are good news in this early mornin'

[dani]

Well somebody i spoke to said zack has not been seen in months so i assume he has left. This is why team libera should say someyhing as i personally think he has left but others are not
so sure . So surley all these rumours do more harm than just coming out and saying so and so has left , we wish them well .

[DrewE]

I think really what we need to consider is how incredibly unique Libera is! Its something completely new, and therefore they don't have anybody to copy off of. If they were a traditional boys choir, then very little information would be found about the boys whereas if it was a traditional boy band (thank God its not, we have enough of those already! :lol: ) basically any information could be found about the boys. I see it like this

Traditional Choir - The first thing people think "choir" as a whole.

Libera - The first thing people think of is... just Libera, something new that's never been done before!

Traditional Boyband - The first thing people think of is the boys!

So I think it goes back and forth with Libera: sometimes they want to be seen as a choir, sometimes as a boyband. The openness with the fans depends on how they currently see the group! I think that until they find the "perfect balance", we just have to be happy with what we get! :wink:

A very good point, something I was rather thinking of also. (It has something to do with the size of the group, too, I suspect. A youth orchestra, for example, does not generally publicize every change in player, if only because there is so much more or less constant change in the makeup.)

I also suspect that what we see from the outside as being "Libera" is maybe a little more tightly defined than it seems on the inside. There are always some younger boys in training who presumably participate in some of the choir's activities (mostly at St. Phillips, I'd guess), and of course there are other choirs of older persons at St. Phillips, as well. I can well imagine that people on the edges, so to speak, might transition back and forth between the various groups as the needs changed.

Libera seems to view themselves primarily as a musical group, rather than as a bunch of individual musicians. It's about the group, more than individual boys. (Of course, that's not to discount the contributions of specific members; they do each have an important part in the group!) You can see this, for instance, in the albums and concert promotions, where it's always just "Libera," not "Libera featuring Bob Smith."

All of which is to say that I'm neither perplexed by nor particularly displeased with their tight-lipped approach towards personnel changes (and personal changes, but that's a different topic).

[Yorkie]

DrewE, well said & I'm with you 100% on this. Personally I don't find it strange that news of the boys is kept quite. Unlike a pop group they are not marketing themselves to make as much money as they can now. Yes they need to raise money but just so they can do what is important to them - singing. It has never been about boy A or B, it has always been about the group because Libera must always change.

I know the tag line is that Libera take boys from all walks of life from the mean streets of South London but trust me, as an Englishman the only accent I hear from these kids is a very middle class one. Nothing wrong with that but it does mean that mum and dad are likely to be conservative (not in a political sense) and cautious. The idea of their son as part of a successful vocal group might appeal, but I think they might get cold feet if young joey is the centre of too much attention & internet fandom. This site makes it quite clear (I assume at the request of somebody within Libera) that there are bounderies on what can and can't be discussed.

We need to all acknowledge that there are some weird people (men & women) out there who might obsess a little too much on an individual boy. I'm certain that Libera believe they are doing the right thing to protect all the lads, whether that is from a direct threat or from the fame and attention turning a young mans head. So, we need to accept it because I'm sure it will not change.

Personally (and it is not my intention to offend anybody who holds the opposite view), I don't need a meet and greet or an autograph, as long as they keep making new records and putting on live shows I'm a happy man. If Zack misses four or five shows I think we can safely assume that whether by design of nature or his personal choice or circumstances he will no longer be singing with Libera. Good luck Zack and thank you for your contribution which we will never forget.

Finally, all that said, Robert if you happen to read this could you make some more bloody videos for us to watch And you really must (I insist) film Ed's Mysterium before we lose it forever

[dani]

I know the tag line is that Libera take boys from all walks of life from the mean streets of South London but trust me, as an Englishman the only accent I hear from these kids is a very middle class one. Nothing wrong with that but it does mean that mum and dad are likely to be conservative (not in a political sense) and cautious. The idea of their son as part of a successful vocal group might appeal, but I think they might get cold feet if young joey is the centre of too much attention & internet fandom. This site makes it quite clear (I assume at the request of somebody within Libera) that there are bounderies on what can and can't be discussed.

LoL

Not all the boys come from middle class homes, Mini Ben speaks very differently from some of the boys and it shows he is from a middle class home , plus some of the boys live in Norbury( been in Local newpapers ,so i am not stalking them) and to be honest its a crap hole and thats putting it mildly. Nobody with any real money would live there. Thats why its pointed out so much thats where they come from as its not normal for kids in that area to be in a boy choir, kids from that area normally cause trouble and drink alcohol in parks and so on.

[Yorkie]

LoL

Not all the boys come from middle class homes, Mini Ben speaks very differently from some of the boys and it shows he is from a middle class home , plus some of the boys live in Norbury( been in Local newpapers ,so i am not stalking them) and to be honest its a crap hole and thats putting it mildly. Nobody with any real money would live there. Thats why its pointed out so much thats where they come from as its not normal for kids in that area to be in a boy choir, kids from that area normally cause trouble and drink alcohol in parks and so on.

Fair enough, I was basing that just on the ones I had heard speaking and the way they sound when singing - but I stand corrected Still, I bet I know which parents are the most likely to be vocal when it comes to how Libera act with regard to the boys privacy.

I would never accuse you of stalking them by the way It's always a delicate matter to talk about because it is so easy to offend somebody unintentionally.

Drinking alcohol in parks??? ??? Oh to be young again

[dani]

LoL

Not all the boys come from middle class homes, Mini Ben speaks very differently from some of the boys and it shows he is from a middle class home , plus some of the boys live in Norbury( been in Local newpapers ,so i am not stalking them) and to be honest its a crap hole and thats putting it mildly. Nobody with any real money would live there. Thats why its pointed out so much thats where they come from as its not normal for kids in that area to be in a boy choir, kids from that area normally cause trouble and drink alcohol in parks and so on.

Fair enough, I was basing that just on the ones I had heard speaking and the way they sound when singing - but I stand corrected Still, I bet I know which parents are the most likely to be vocal when it comes to how Libera act with regard to the boys privacy.

I would never accuse you of stalking them by the way It's always a delicate matter to talk about because it is so easy to offend somebody unintentionally.

Drinking alcohol in parks??? ??? Oh to be young again

Dont worry i just thought id throw it in there. Not everybody on here is English so may of wondeed r how i knew where some of the kids lived so thought id say it was in local papers here and im betting the parents did not like the fact that the local papers mentioned the area's where some of the boys lived.

[libera36]

I remember hearing that Mini-Ben sometimes had to drive an hour to rehearsals, so I guess he doesn't live in Norbury, or Croydon even!

[Yorkie]

I remember hearing that Mini-Ben sometimes had to drive an hour to rehearsals, so I guess he doesn't live in Norbury, or Croydon even!

I reckon our budding young thespian friend is from somewhere very nice, the lucky tyke

[kthomp]

hehe ben has a very posh accent and so do his father well its posh compared to my southern farmer accent

[worshipper28]

thespian tyke?

[dani]

Sam Coats mentioned where some of the more middle class boys come from, it is green leafy (sp) surrey , Mini Ben will be from around there lol. and you can bet his does not go to a local school, he will go to a fee paying school as he menioned he did Latin, no normal school teaches Latin anymore as no demand for it.

[worshipper28]

mini Ben like to clim trees

[dani]

mini Ben like to clim trees

Well in Surrey you get a lot of green land, unlike in London

[Rich]

plus some of the boys live in Norbury. . . . . and to be honest its a crap hole and thats putting it mildly. Nobody with any real money would live there.

Being from the US, I can't say whether or not what you say is true, but judging from the surroundings, when I visit St. Philip's for Evensong, I make sure I walk back to the train station before the sun goes down!

Rich