Sven Libaek
Encyclopedia
Sven Libaek is an Australian composer, record producer and musician. He is well-known for his film and TV soundtrack music and also had a significant influence on the Australian popular music scene in the mid-1960s as the staff producer for the Australian division of CBS Records
. Fellow soundtrack composer Felix Ookean has described his contribution to Australian music as 'immeasureable'.
Libaek was born in Norway in 1938, trained as both a pianist and an actor and is a graduate of the Juilliard School
in New York. He first achieved international recognition with a role in the Louis de Rochemont
film Windjammer in which he both acted and performed as piano soloist with Arthur Fiedler
and The Boston Pops Orchestra.
Libaek first came to Australia in 1960 as a member of the band The Windjammers, which toured the USA and Australia to promote the film. Shortly after the group broke up, Libaek and his wife returned to Australia to live.
In 1963 Libaek was hired by the newly established CBS Records (Australia), which had been incorporated following the 1960 takeover of the Australian Record Company by Columbia Records
USA. During his tenure as Musical Director and A&R Manager for CBS (as well as General Manager for April Music Publishing in Sydney) Libaek built up a strong roster of pop, folk and jazz performers and produced over two hundred singles and albums, as well as writing (or co-writing with his wife) many of the titles he produced. His CBS credits include producing all the CBS recordings by surf music
band The Atlantics
including their hit "Bombora", folk musicians Gary Shearston
and Patsy Biscoe
. He left CBS in 1968 to work as a freelance composer, arranger, conductor and established his own music production company.
Libaek's Australian film and TV credits include Nickel Queen
, The Set
, To Ride A White Horse, Vincent Serventy's oft-repeated nature series Nature Walkabout, the drama series Boney
, the Ron and Valerie Taylor underwater documentary series Inner Space, ABC-TV's magazine series A Big Country, The World Around Us, Joe Wilson and The Settlement, as well as dozens of feature documentaries and industrial films. He worked with Maurice Jarre
as musical coordinator and orchestrator for the Peter Weir
film The Year of Living Dangerously
and also hosted his own TV show on ABC-TV, All About Music in 1974.
Libaek lived and worked in Los Angeles
from 1977 to 1994 where he orchestrated more than 300 popular songs for US radio stations and artists including Lionel Richie
and Neil Diamond
, and he also worked for the Hanna-Barbera
company, composing the scores for several animated TV specials.
During his career, Libaek has had more than thirty albums of his music released. His has composed serious concert works for instruments including the piano, classical guitar, flute and clarinet and he is the Resident Conductor of Sydney's Sutherland Shire Symphony Orchestra For the Australian Centenary of Federation in 2001 he was commissioned by the Sutherland Shire Council to compose a special work for Symphony Orchestra, Choir and Brass Band, with words by his wife Lolita Rivera. The First Shire was performed at Cronulla Beach in front of 10,000 people in January 2001.
While living in the USA, Sven was a frequent adjudicator for the Glendale Unified School District
in California
. In Australia he has served as adjudicator for the Ryde and Goulburn Eisteddfods and the Sutherland Shire instrumental competition for young people conducted by the Sutherland Shire Music Club. He has taught piano at Shore School, acts as Composer-in-Residence at Port Hacking High School
and frequently lectures at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School in Sydney.
Libaek has been a member of the Music Arrangers Guild of Australia for over thirty years, joined the national executive in 1996 and was elected president of the Guild in 2000
Libaek's soundtrack music has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in recent years following its use in the 2004 film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
; thanks to the influence of the film's Australian co-star Noah Taylor
, director Wes Anderson
selected five Libaek compositions (all originally written for Inner Space) as part of its score.
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
. Fellow soundtrack composer Felix Ookean has described his contribution to Australian music as 'immeasureable'.
Libaek was born in Norway in 1938, trained as both a pianist and an actor and is a graduate of the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
in New York. He first achieved international recognition with a role in the Louis de Rochemont
Louis de Rochemont
Louis de Rochemont was an American film maker known for creating, along with Roy E. Larsen from Time, Inc., the monthly theatrically shown newsreels The March of Time. His brother Richard de Rochemont was also a producer and writer on The March of Time.The newsreels defined film news from 1935 to...
film Windjammer in which he both acted and performed as piano soloist with Arthur Fiedler
Arthur Fiedler
Arthur Fiedler was a long-time conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a symphony orchestra that specializes in popular and light classical music. With a combination of musicianship and showmanship, he made the Boston Pops one of the best-known orchestras in the country...
and The Boston Pops Orchestra.
Libaek first came to Australia in 1960 as a member of the band The Windjammers, which toured the USA and Australia to promote the film. Shortly after the group broke up, Libaek and his wife returned to Australia to live.
In 1963 Libaek was hired by the newly established CBS Records (Australia), which had been incorporated following the 1960 takeover of the Australian Record Company by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
USA. During his tenure as Musical Director and A&R Manager for CBS (as well as General Manager for April Music Publishing in Sydney) Libaek built up a strong roster of pop, folk and jazz performers and produced over two hundred singles and albums, as well as writing (or co-writing with his wife) many of the titles he produced. His CBS credits include producing all the CBS recordings by surf music
Surf music
Surf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Orange County and other areas of Southern California. It was particularly popular between 1961 and 1965, has subsequently been revived and was highly influential on subsequent rock music...
band The Atlantics
The Atlantics
This article refers to the Australian Surf rock band. See paragraph at the end of this page for information on other bands called The Atlantics....
including their hit "Bombora", folk musicians Gary Shearston
Gary Shearston
Gary Shearston is an Australian singer and songwriter who was a leading figure of the folk music revival of the 1960s. He is notable as a performer of Australian traditional folk songs in an authentic style...
and Patsy Biscoe
Patsy Biscoe
Patsy Biscoe is an Australian singer, notable for her television appearances on children's television shows, Here's Humphrey and Fat Cat and Friends...
. He left CBS in 1968 to work as a freelance composer, arranger, conductor and established his own music production company.
Libaek's Australian film and TV credits include Nickel Queen
Nickel Queen
Nickel Queen was an Australian comedy film made in 1971 starring Googie Withers.The story was loosely based on the Poseidon bubble, a nickel boom in Western Australia in the late 1960s, and tells of an outback pub owner who stakes a claim and finds herself an overnight millionaire.-External links:*...
, The Set
The Set (film)
The Set is a 1970 Australian drama film directed by Frank Brittain. The film depicts homosexuality within Australia, and was the first feature film in Australia to have homosexuality as a main theme.-Cast:* Sean McEuan ... Paul Lawrence...
, To Ride A White Horse, Vincent Serventy's oft-repeated nature series Nature Walkabout, the drama series Boney
Boney (TV series)
Boney is an Australian television series produced by Fauna Productions during 1971 and 1972, featuring James Laurenson in the title role of Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte...
, the Ron and Valerie Taylor underwater documentary series Inner Space, ABC-TV's magazine series A Big Country, The World Around Us, Joe Wilson and The Settlement, as well as dozens of feature documentaries and industrial films. He worked with Maurice Jarre
Maurice Jarre
Maurice-Alexis Jarre was a French composer and conductor.Although he composed several concert works, he is best known for his film scores, and is particularly known for his collaborations with film director David Lean. Jarre composed the scores to all of Lean's films since Lawrence of Arabia...
as musical coordinator and orchestrator for the Peter Weir
Peter Weir
Peter Lindsay Weir, AM is an Australian film director. After playing a leading role in the Australian New Wave cinema with his films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Last Wave and Gallipoli, Weir directed a diverse group of American and international films—many of them major box office...
film The Year of Living Dangerously
The Year of Living Dangerously
The Year of Living Dangerously is a 1982 Peter Weir film adapted from the novel The Year of Living Dangerously by the author Christopher Koch. The story is about a love affair set in Indonesia during the overthrow of President Sukarno...
and also hosted his own TV show on ABC-TV, All About Music in 1974.
Libaek lived and worked in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
from 1977 to 1994 where he orchestrated more than 300 popular songs for US radio stations and artists including Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
and Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
, and he also worked for the Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
company, composing the scores for several animated TV specials.
During his career, Libaek has had more than thirty albums of his music released. His has composed serious concert works for instruments including the piano, classical guitar, flute and clarinet and he is the Resident Conductor of Sydney's Sutherland Shire Symphony Orchestra For the Australian Centenary of Federation in 2001 he was commissioned by the Sutherland Shire Council to compose a special work for Symphony Orchestra, Choir and Brass Band, with words by his wife Lolita Rivera. The First Shire was performed at Cronulla Beach in front of 10,000 people in January 2001.
While living in the USA, Sven was a frequent adjudicator for the Glendale Unified School District
Glendale Unified School District
The Glendale Unified School District is a school district based in Glendale, California, United States.The school district serves the city of Glendale, portions of the city of La Cañada and the unincorporated communities of Montrose and La Crescenta...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In Australia he has served as adjudicator for the Ryde and Goulburn Eisteddfods and the Sutherland Shire instrumental competition for young people conducted by the Sutherland Shire Music Club. He has taught piano at Shore School, acts as Composer-in-Residence at Port Hacking High School
Port Hacking High School
Port Hacking High School is a high school situated in the Sutherland Shire, in the South-East region of Sydney, New South Wales. It was opened in 1959 and was the first comprehensive high school within the Sutherland Shire Council that provided education up to and including the Leaving Certificate...
and frequently lectures at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School in Sydney.
Libaek has been a member of the Music Arrangers Guild of Australia for over thirty years, joined the national executive in 1996 and was elected president of the Guild in 2000
Libaek's soundtrack music has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in recent years following its use in the 2004 film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is an American comedy-drama film directed, written, and co-produced by Wes Anderson. It is Anderson's fourth feature length film, released in the U.S. on December 25, 2004...
; thanks to the influence of the film's Australian co-star Noah Taylor
Noah Taylor
Noah George Taylor is an English-born Australian actor.-Early life:Taylor, elder of two boys, was born in London, England, the son of Maggie, a journalist and book editor, and Paul Taylor, a copywriter and journalist. Taylor's Australian parents returned to Australia when he was five, and he grew...
, director Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson
Wesley Wales Anderson is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer of features, short films and commercials....
selected five Libaek compositions (all originally written for Inner Space) as part of its score.