Joe Hisaishi, composer of the Studio Ghibli scores, conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in three UK premieres of his concert music at the Royal Albert Hall.
Joe Hisaishi, composer of the music for 11 Hayao Miyazaki films, conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in South Kensington on Monday 23 November 2026.
Hisaishi began as a contemporary composer in Japan, drawn to minimal music after conservatory. He presented MKWAJU in 1981 and released his first album, Information, the following year.
His work with Miyazaki began with Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in 1984. His score for Spirited Away won an Annie Award, and he has worked on more than 80 films.
The orchestra named him its Composer-in-Association in 2024, and he made his BBC Proms debut with it in August 2025. This programme sets the films aside for three UK premieres of his concert music.
His Concerto for Orchestra was commissioned by ten orchestras and institutions, Carnegie Hall and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra among them. It had its world premiere in Washington in May 2026. His Adagio sets two harps against a string orchestra.
The American composer David Lang, with whom Hisaishi has performed before, completes the programme with mountain.