Joe Hisaishi Composes New Concerto for Orchestra
In May, Hisaishi’s new Concerto for Orchestra premieres with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC, followed by additional performances across North America and Europe.
On May 14-16, acclaimed composer and conductor Joe Hisaishi unveils his new Concerto for Orchestra with the National Symphony Orchestra, leading the world premiere performances in Washington, DC. The work marks Hisaishi’s first composition under contract with Boosey & Hawkes, joining a distinguished catalog of concert works including Symphony Nos. 2 and 3, Viola Saga, and the Harp Concerto.
> May 14-16: Hisaishi, Concerto for Orchestra (World Premiere)
Written in five movements and running approximately 45 minutes, the Concerto for Orchestra follows a form made iconic by composers such as Béla Bartók, Witold Lutoslawski, and Zoltán Kodály, placing the orchestra itself at the center of expression. Hisaishi notes, “My aim has been to pursue the pure motion of sound,” drawing on his experience conducting works including Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra and Steve Reich’s The Desert Music. The work’s first and third movements feature driving rhythmic textures, while the inner movements highlight lyrical solo passages for individual instruments. The final movement brings these rhythmic and lyrical elements together.
Following its premiere, the Concerto for Orchestra receives a series of major international performances: with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (May 28–30); Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Carnegie Hall (Jul 10–11); Colorado Symphony (Oct 16–17); San Francisco Symphony (Oct 22–24); and The Philadelphia Orchestra (Mar 5–7, 2027). In fall 2026, Hisaishi brings the work to Europe as part of his World Dream Tour, performing with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Munich, Lucerne, Stuttgart, Berlin, and Hamburg, and with the Orchestre de Paris in Singapore.
Concerto for Orchestra is co-commissioned by an international consortium including the National Symphony Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, JH Foundation, Orchestre de Paris, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Concert Information
Thursday, May 14 at 8pm ET
Friday, May 15 at 8pm ET
Saturday, May 16 at 8pm ET
The Kennedy Center | Washington, DC
More info
National Symphony Orchestra
Joe Hisaishi, conductor
STEVE REICH Three Movements
JOE HISAISHI Music from The Boy and the Heron
JOE HISAISHI Concerto for Orchestra (World Premiere)
About Joe Hisaishi
Composer in Association: Paris Philharmonie
Composer in Focus: Los Angeles Philharmonic
Composer-in-Residence: Philadelphia Orchestra
Composer-in-Association: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Music Director: Japan Century Symphony Orchestra
Joe Hisaishi, a composer, conductor and pianist, 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 across the globe. With nearly 40 solo albums and over 100 film scores to his name, he is one of the most celebrated composers of our time.
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, amongst 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 in Madison Square Garden, New York, La Defense in Paris, Olympic Hall in Munich and Tokyo Dome over three concerts, each with a 40,000-person audience. Autumn 2024 saw a two-day residency at Royal Albert Hall in London for his “Hisaishi Symphonic” live shows which included Princess Mononoke Suite and his Symphony No. 2, as well as Britten’s Four Sea Interludes with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Hisaishi’s recent symphonic engagements have seen him conducting the Toronto and Chicago Symphony orchestras, Royal, Helsinki, and Rotterdam Philharmonic orchestras and Wiener Symphoniker. Alongside his film music works, he conducts classical repertoire from the likes of Ravel, Reich, Mussorgsky, Brahms, and Pärt, and his own symphonic compositions such as DA•MA•SHI•E and The East Land Symphony. Hisaishi also had a successful week-long residency with Seattle Symphony Orchestra where he led three sold-out concerts, as well as curating and conducting a chamber concert dedicated to contemporary music from his peers and a panel discussion with young audience members. After a successful debut at the Hollywood Bowl in 2023, Hisaishi returned to Los Angeles Philharmonic for the world premiere of his Harp Concerto, commissioned by the orchestra and performed by their own harpist, Emmanuel Ceysson.
In 2025, Hisaishi made debut performances 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 Steve Reich’s The Desert Music. Further ahead in the 2025-2026 season, Hisaishi returns to Philadelphia, Chicago, and Toronto Symphony orchestras, and will premiere his new work Concerto for Orchestra with various high-level orchestras across the globe including National Symphony Orchestra and Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
A Deutsche Grammophon exclusive artist, Hisaishi has released the titles Merry-Go-Round of Life and A Symphonic Celebration, both of which are new arrangements that bring fresh excitement to his Studio Ghibli masterpieces. Joe Hisaishi in Vienna features the world premiere recordings of two of his compositions – Symphony No. 2 and Viola Saga with Wiener Symphoniker and soloist Antoine Tamestit – and his most recent recording Joe Hisaishi Conducts, released in August 2025, includes the music of Reich alongside his The End of the World, a work that explores the “anxiety and chaos” resulting from the collapse of global order and values in the aftermath of 9/11.
As a passionate pioneer of contemporary music, Hisaishi collaborates with similarly experimental artists including Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, Nadia Sirota, Phillip Glass, David Lang, and Terry Reilly. Since 2014, he has been presenting his eponymous “MUSIC FUTURE” concerts in Tokyo, bringing together the works and talents of these notable collaborators. Volume 12 of the series enjoyed an airing in Tokyo in autumn 2025 and he has also previously travelled with the series to Carnegie Hall in New York in 2022 and Seattle in 2024. He holds Young Composer’s Competition every year to inspire and empower young composers, and the winning composition makes its world premiere at his MUSIC FUTURE concerts.
Hisaishi is the recipient of both the Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon, received in 2009, and The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, in 2023 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.
> Further information on Work: Concerto for Orchestra
Photo: Nick Rutter