Joe Hisaishi

Composer, conductor and pianist Joe Hisaishi has established himself as a formidable force in contemporary music for his delicately crafted symphonic and solo works, as well as his globally successful film music. Hisaishi is greatly in demand as a conductor performing with the most notable symphony orchestras worldwide. With nearly 40 solo albums and over 100 film scores to his name, he is one of the most celebrated composers of our time.

Recent conducting engagements have included the Toronto and Chicago symphony orchestras, Royal, Helsinki, and Rotterdam philharmonic orchestras, and the Vienna Symphony. Alongside his film music works, he conducts classical repertoire from the likes of Ravel, Steve Reich, Mussorgsky, Brahms, and Arvo Pärt, and his own symphonic compositions such as DA•MA•SHI•E and The East Land Symphony.

In 2025-26, Hisaishi made debuts with the Cleveland Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, and at the BBC Proms with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra where his work The End of the World was programmed with Reich’s Desert Music. He returns to the Philadelphia, Chicago Symphony, and Toronto Symphony orchestras, and premieres his new Concerto for Orchestra with major orchestras around the globe.

Renowned for his long-standing collaboration with Japanese anime director Hayao Miyazaki, Hisaishi has won international awards for his scores. His popular soundtracks for Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Ponyo, among others, capture his sensitive and imaginative amalgamation of the symphonic and minimalist genres. Many of these iconic works have been brought to huge live audiences in his recent sold-out performances.

Hisaishi is a Deutsche Grammophon exclusive artist. His most recent recording, Joe Hisaishi Conducts, released in August 2025, includes the music of Reich alongside his The End of the World.

Since 2014, Hisaishi has presented his “MUSIC FUTURE” concerts in Tokyo, showcasing music of contemporary composers including Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, Nadia Sirota, Philip Glass, David Lang, and Terry Riley.

Hisaishi is the recipient of both the Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon (2019) and The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette (2023), given by the government of Japan. Hisaishi is the Music Director with Japan Century Symphony Orchestra from the 2025-26 season. Hisaishi was also appointed as Composer-in-Association of Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in April 2024, Composer-in-Residence of Philadelphia Orchestra in October 2025, Composer-in-Focus of Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Composer in Association of Paris Philharmonie in 2026.