Libaek was born in
Norway on 20 September 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 United States and Australia to promote the film. Shortly after the group broke up, Libaek and his wife returned to Australia to live. 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 all of the
Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 animated TV movies. For the Australian Centenary of Federation in 2001 he was commissioned by the
Sutherland Shire Council to compose a 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. 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. Its director,
Wes Anderson, selected five Libaek compositions (originally written for
Inner Space and
Boney) as part of its score. ==Filmography==