Multiyear relationship will include new works specially created for L.A. audiences.
At the age of 75 and with a career that’s already spanned more than 50 years, it wouldn’t be unnatural for Joe Hisaishi to be easing into retirement. Or maybe it would be, since the acclaimed composer best known for creating the soundtracks to Studio Ghibli’s most beloved anime films, including My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away, since Hisaishi continues to display a boundless passion and enthusiasm for making music and sharing it with as wide an audience as possible.
For example, en route to setting a couple of Guinness World Records, he held a series of concerts at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles over three days this past July. If you missed your chance to see him then, don’t worry, because Hisaishi has now been named Composer-in-Residence of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra.
This isn’t some simple honorary title/goodwill ambassador deal either. The L.A. Phil is describing the relationship as “a five-year creative partnership” that will start with the upcoming 2027/2028 concert season. In addition to recurring performances at all three of the organization’s customary venues (the iconic hillside Hollywood Bowl, the adjacent John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, and the downtown Walt Disney Concert Hall), Hisaishi “will create new works specifically for the LA Phil and its audiences” while also engaging in new commissions, recording projects, and educational and community outreach endeavors.
“Los Angeles holds a special place in my musical life-from the premiere of my Harp Concerto with the LA Phil’s Emmanuel Ceysson at Walt Disney Concert Hall to our recent performances at the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford,” said Hisaishi following the announcement, and also that he’s “deeply honored” to be chosen for the role. “In the seasons ahead, I look forward to exploring new musical horizons with this extraordinary orchestra and sharing the spirit of discovery with audiences in Los Angeles and beyond.”
▼ An audio clip of one of Hisaishi’s previous Hollywood Bowl concerts
▼ With Hisaishi scheduled to be spending a lot more time in L.A., he’ll also be able to check out America’s first One Piece store, should the mood strike him.
Hisaishi’s resume isn’t composed entirely of Ghibli soundtracks, as he’s also made contributed selected compositions or arrangements to other anime including Mobile Suit Gundam, Children of the Sea, Kimagure Orange Road, and Creamy Mami, as well as creating the soundtrack for video game Ni no Kuni and a handful of live-action Beat Takeshi movies. There’s no denying, though, that Hisaishi is most strongly associated with the work he’s done for Ghibli, As a matter of fact, there’s never been a Hayao Miyazaki-directed Ghibli feature film that Hisaishi didn’t write the score for, and with the studio’s track record of leaving a deep impression on fans around the world with its soundscapes, no doubt the new creative journey Hisaishi is about to embark on will be another movingly memorable one.
Source: Los Angeles Philharmonic via Anime News Network/Rafael Antonio Pineda
Top image: Los Angeles Philharmonic
Insert images: Studio Ghibli, PR Times
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