The Philadelphia Orchestra has appointed Japanese composer and conductor Joe Hisaishi as its composer-in-residence through the 2026–27 season. The partnership, announced on October 2, includes a major commercial recording, a contemporary music concert series, mentorship initiatives for composition students in Philadelphia, and the world premiere of his new Piano Concerto in spring 2027.
Hisaishi, widely known for his film scores for Studio Ghibli as well as his symphonic output, first appeared with the Orchestra in June 2025 in a set of sold-out concerts. He returns in November to lead performances at Marian Anderson Hall featuring excerpts from Howl’s Moving Castle and Castle in the Sky, alongside his symphonic work DA-MA-SHI-E and Britten’s Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell. These will be his first engagements in Philadelphia under the new residency.
The collaboration is part of the Orchestra’s 125th anniversary season. Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin described Hisaishi as a composer who “bridges cultures, genres, and generations.” President and CEO Ryan Fleur highlighted the appointment as an example of the Orchestra’s commitment to “creative partnerships” and “a welcoming space for all music lovers.”
A prolific career
Over the past four decades, Hisaishi has written more than 100 film scores and nearly 40 solo albums. His works range from large-scale symphonies, such as The East Land Symphony (2016) and Symphony No. 3 Metaphysica (2021), to concertos for harp, viola, and horns. In August 2025, he released The End of the World with Deutsche Grammophon, paired with Steve Reich’s The Desert Music in a performance by Future Orchestra Classics in Tokyo.
His international appearances have included recent sold-out concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York, La Défense Arena in Paris, and Munich’s Olympic Hall. He has also presented the MUSIC FUTURE series in Tokyo since 2014, featuring works by composers such as Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, Philip Glass, and David Lang.
In addition to his new post in Philadelphia, Hisaishi was appointed composer-in-association of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 2024 and became music director of the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra in April 2025. He is a recipient of the Japanese government’s Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon and the Order of the Rising Sun.
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