Jack Gibbons Facts for Kids

This page is about the pianist and composer. For the American scientist and former head of the Office of Technology Assessment, see John H. Gibbons (scientist).

Quick facts for kids Jack Gibbons
Gibbons in 2004
Background information
Born	1962
Genres	Classical
Occupation(s)	Pianist, composer

Jack Gibbons, born on March 2, 1962, is a talented classical composer and an amazing pianist. He was born in England and later became an American citizen.

About Jack Gibbons
Jack Gibbons' Compositions
See also

About Jack Gibbons

Jack Gibbons was born in England. His father was a scientist, and his mother was an artist. He started learning piano in Stockton-on-Tees and continued his studies in Oxford.

Early Performances and Awards

Jack began playing for audiences when he was just 10 years old. At 17, in 1979, he performed his first big concert in London. He played music by a composer named Charles-Valentin Alkan.

When he was 20, Jack won first prize in the Newport International Pianoforte Competition. He played Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra.

In 1984, he performed at the famous Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. He played pieces by J.S. Bach, Chopin, and Ravel. After this concert, a newspaper called The Times said he was a very promising talent.

Gershwin Concerts and Recordings

For 16 years, from 1990 to 2005, Jack Gibbons held yearly concerts at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall. These concerts were all about the music of George Gershwin. Jack would recreate and write down Gershwin's original improvisations and concert pieces.

During these concerts, Jack introduced at least 48 reconstructed Gershwin works to the world for the first time. He also performed similar Gershwin concerts in New York at places like Merkin Hall and Carnegie Hall.

In 1992, Jack released his first recording with Hyperion. This recording was nominated for a Gramophone Award. Between 1992 and 1997, he recorded a four-CD set called "The Authentic George Gershwin." This collection won an MRA (Music Retailers Award).

Important Performances and Composing

In January 1995, Jack Gibbons became the first pianist to perform all 12 of Alkan's Douze Etudes dans les Tons Mineurs, Op. 39, in one concert. He also recorded this work, which was praised as an "exhilarating feat of pianism."

Later that year, on August 27, 1995, Jack made his BBC Proms debut at the Royal Albert Hall. He played Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. The BBC called him "THE Gershwin pianist of our time."

In March 2001, Jack was in a serious car accident. After his recovery, he started focusing more on composing his own music. He had composed as a child but stopped for 25 years to focus on performing.

Since then, Jack's own music has been played at Carnegie Hall in New York and the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. The BBC has also recorded his compositions. As of July 2025, he has written over 50 songs and choral works, 50 solo piano pieces, and two works for string orchestra.

Recent Activities

Jack Gibbons still performs alongside his composing work. In March 2007, he gave the first performance at Carnegie Hall of Alkan's Concerto for Solo Piano. This celebrated the 150th anniversary of the piece.

He continues to perform in Oxford, where he has hosted an annual summer piano festival every year since 1988. In June 2010, he became an artist-in-residence at Davis and Elkins College in West Virginia, USA. Jack became a naturalized American citizen on November 29, 2023.

Jack Gibbons' Compositions

Here is a list of some of the musical pieces Jack Gibbons has composed.

Orchestral Works

Lament for strings, Op. 41
Serenade for strings, Op. 71

Choral Works

Cradle Song, Op. 64a
Ave verum corpus, Op. 89
Ave verum corpus, Op. 90
My heart is like a singing bird, Op. 91
Christmas Bells, Op. 92
The Lamb Child, Op. 95
Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day, Op. 100
The Virgin's Cradle Hymn, Op. 101
Wiegenlied, Op. 103
O Magnum Mysterium, Op. 105
Winter Song (words by Bill King), Op. 102
Lovely Kind (words by Nicholas Breton), Op. 104
Christmas Song (words by Lydia Avery Coonley), Op. 108
Balulalow, Op. 109

Songs

Sonnet: Remember me (words by Christina Rossetti), Op. 12
Phantom of Delight (words by William Wordsworth), Op. 13
When We Two Parted (words by Lord Byron), Op. 14
I'll Not Weep (words by Emily Brontë), Op. 15
Beloved Again (words by Emily Brontë), Op. 16
Music, when soft voices die (words by Percy Bysshe Shelley), Op. 17
Echo (words by Christina Rossetti), Op. 18
Sleep Not (words by Emily Brontë), Op. 19
Why? (words by Christina Rossetti), Op. 20
Epitaph for a child (words by Robert Herrick), Op. 21
The Garden of Love (words by William Blake), Op. 22
In The Lane (words by Christina Rossetti), Op. 23
Weep you no more (words by John Dowland), Op. 24
The Linnet (words by Walter de la Mare), Op. 25
Roses for the flush of youth (words by Christina Rossetti), Op. 26
The Bourne (words by Christina Rossetti), Op. 27
Among the flowers (words by Christina Rossetti), Op. 28
Love me, I Love You (words by Christina Rossetti), Op. 29
If I Could Shut the Gate (words anon), Op. 31
Oh What Comes Over the Sea (words by Christina Rossetti), Op. 32
Mariana (words by Christina Rossetti), Op. 33
Shall Earth No More Inspire Thee (words by Emily Brontë), Op. 34
When I am Dead My Dearest (words by Christina Rossetti), Op. 36
Echo's Song (words by Ben Jonson), Op. 40
Once (words by Christina Rossetti), Op. 43
Perhaps (to R.A.L.) (words by Vera Brittain), Op. 47
A Life Beyond (words by Jack Gibbons), Op. 52
The Sun Is Set (words by Jack Gibbons), Op. 57
Sapessi pure! (words by Christina Rossetti), Op. 58
Sing A Song of Spring (words by Jack Gibbons), Op. 60
May (words by Christina Rossetti), Op. 61
A Red, Red Rose (words by Robert Burns), Op. 62
I Love My Jean (words by Robert Burns), Op. 63
Cradle Song (words by John Phillip), Op. 64
A Love Alive (words by Jack Gibbons), Op. 65
Life (words by Charlotte Brontë), Op. 67
The Parting Day (words by Edith Wharton), Op. 68
The One Grief (words by Edith Wharton), Op. 69
How Sweet I Roam'd from Field to Field (words by William Blake), Op. 72
Longing (words by Matthew Arnold), Op. 73
The Aspen (words by A. E. Housman), Op. 74
Roses (words by Edna St. Vincent Millay), Op. 75
Lullaby of an Infant Chief (words by Sir Walter Scott), Op. 76

Solo Piano Works

Siciliano, Op. 30
Prelude in A flat, Op. 37
Tarantella, Op. 38
Waltz in E major, Op. 39
Prière, Op. 44
Song Without Words, Op. 45
Contredanse, Op. 46
Song from the Old World, Op. 48
Waltz in G major, Op. 49
Music Box, Op. 50
Lullaby (in memoriam), Op. 51
Waltz in F minor, Op. 53
Sarabande, Op. 54
Waltz in E flat minor, Op. 55
Prelude in E major, Op. 56
Shanty, Op. 59
A New World Song, Op. 66
Waltz for a musical box, Op. 77
Waltz in F major, Op. 78
Nocturne in F sharp, Op. 79
Melody in F sharp, Op. 80
Minuetto malinconico, Op. 81
7 Esquisses, Op. 82
Andantino, Op. 83
Preludio, Op. 84
Menuetto antico, Op. 85
Nocturne in D flat, Op. 86
Menuetto semplice, Op. 87
Consolation, Op. 88
Nocturne in B flat minor, Op. 93
Romance, Op. 96
Impromptu in C major, Op. 98
Folk song, Op. 99
Appalachian Fancy, Op. 107
Solace, Op. 110
Piano Suite in E, Op. 111
Fantaisie, Op.116

Chamber Music

Siciliano for flute and piano, Op. 70
Siciliano a quattro mani Op. 70a
Siciliano for flute, cello and piano, Op. 70b
Song Prelude, for piano duet, Op. 94
Valse élégiaque, for piano duet, Op. 106

Jack Gibbons facts for kids

Contents