NICOLA LISLE talks to Oxford's famous musical son, Jack Gibbons, who is playing his 20th summer season in the city

For someone accustomed to performing in some of the world's most prestigious concert halls, Jack Gibbons's devotion to the Holywell Music Room is rather touching. It's also understandable. This is where, as a teenager, he put down his musical roots and announced to local audiences that here was a new star in the making.

He first performed in public at the age of ten, and quickly became a regular performer at the Holywell. He reinforced his star potential at the age of 20, when he won the Newport International Piano Competition, exactly 25 years ago. Although this was a useful boost to his career, he has mixed feelings about the validity of such competitions.

"It led to my solo recital debut at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall, and my first BBC broadcast, and also to acquiring my first agent," he recalled. "But I hated taking part in the competition; I feel very strongly that all music competitions are extremely unnatural and ultimately damaging to music, as the results are always completely arbitrary - including my own win. I have been asked to be on the juries of several piano competitions and have always refused the invitation, flattering though it is to be asked."

Now based mostly in New York, Jack still heads back to the Holywell every summer, determined not to sever his links with a building that helped launch his career. This year marks his 20th season, and when I spoke to him recently, he was obviously relishing the return to his home turf.

"The intimacy of the Holywell Music Room is very special," he said. "Oxford was my home town from 1971 until 2001 and I always felt I was playing as much to friends as to a public. Because of that I have tried to preserve the feeling of informality at the concerts, almost as if I was giving a private musical soiree - not unlike the environment in which Chopin performed in Paris in the 1830s and 1840s.

"The building is also steeped in its own wonderful history, and I have many memories of performing there. It's a totally unique building. The only other hall I know that comes close in atmosphere and history is Carnegie Hall in New York."

Jack's annual summer season started in 1988 with just two concerts, both of them devoted to Chopin, one of his favourite composers.

"In those days there were very few concerts taking place in the summer in Oxford. Both concerts sold out immediately and because we had to turn so many people away, I decided to repeat the event the following year."

This year, the season stretches enticingly over a six-week period, and has so far featured evenings of Beethoven, Chopin and Gershwin. In addition, there is a smattering of Schubert, Brahms, Liszt, Scarlatti, Debussy and Ravel. It's a programme that allows Jack to indulge his own musical passions.

"As my Oxford summer concerts are very personal, I have the luxury of being able to select the music I enjoy playing most. Also, I very much enjoy getting under the skin of a composer and this is more possible if the whole evening is devoted to a single person. It allows me to totally immerse myself in the personality, which is very important to me when performing any music.

"Over the years I've realised which composers are best at holding the listeners' attention throughout the evening. Chopin is one of the most successful at this, not least because he had a very rounded personality capable of expressing an enormously wide variety of moods."

This Sunday's concert promises to be another special occasion, with a performance of a Bach masterpiece, the Goldberg Variations. This was the piece that Jack played at his Queen Elizabeth Hall debut in 1984, so understandably it holds a special place in his affections.

The remainder of the season includes some more Chopin and Gershwin, and finishes with Jack's traditional Farewell Piano Party on August 29, which will be the usual mix of serious and light-hearted music, with audience requests.

Along with the music will be Jack's trademark introductory chats.

"I never rehearse my talking as I want to preserve the spontaneity and informality. Even when I make light-hearted jokes, the overall intent is very serious and sincere. I'm serious about my devotion to music, and serious about sharing it with others."

As for the future, Jack's ambitions lie mainly in composing. "I spend a great deal of time composing now, and it means more to me than anything else I do. If I could find a quiet retreat somewhere, surrounded by nothing else but nature, where I could spend most of my day composing, I would be extremely content and fulfilled."

Jack Gibbons' summer piano series continues at the Holywell Music Room until August 29. Box office: 01865 305305. For more details, visit www.jackgibbons.com