As Artistic Director of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Jack Liebeck has been steering the festival’s artistic vision since 2022, curating engaging programs that bring chamber music to life for audiences of all kinds.

In 2026, he will present his fifth festival — and the first in its exciting new home of Cairns-Gimuy.

Limelight catches up with him in in rather chillier climes, however – at home in the UK.

Australian Festival of Chamber Music Jack Liebeck

Artistic Director of Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Jack Liebeck. Photo © Andrew Rankin.

Jack! Your Top 5 favourite Christmas songs – go!

When it comes to Christmas pop, I don’t hesitate. All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey sits right at the top for me: it’s a genuine pop masterpiece and the best-selling Christmas single of all time, and it somehow still dominates the charts every festive season.

Close behind is Wham!’s Last Christmas, a synth-pop classic that has helped shape the sound of modern Christmas pop. I also love Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – recorded in 1958, yet still bursting with...