JOE HISAISHI, RENOWNED JAPANESE COMPOSER AND MUSICAL DIRECTOR, RETURNS FOR A WEEKLONG RESIDENCY WITH THE SEATTLE SYMPHONY AT BENAROYA HALL

RESIDENCY INCLUDES A CHAMBER REHEARSAL AND PERFORMANCE, AN ENGAGING YOUTH PANEL AND THREE SOLD-OUT CONCERTS 

HISAISHI IS BEST KNOWN AS THE MUSICAL MIND BEHIND THE SCORES OF MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, ACADEMY AWARD-WINNER SPIRITED AWAY 

The Seattle Symphony and conductor Joe Hisaishi perform the Music from the Studio Ghibli Films 
of Hayao Miyazaki concert program on June 30, 2022 at Benaroya Hall. Photo credit: Brandon Patoc. 

Seattle, WA — Following four sold-out concerts with the Seattle Symphony during his 2022 Benaroya Hall debut, renowned composer and musical director Joe Hisaishi returns to Seattle January 9–14, 2024, for a special residency. This weeklong immersion at Benaroya Hall features a variety of concerts and events, including three sold-out Joe Hisaishi Returns performances in the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium. All events associated with Hisaishi’s residency are open for press attendance. 

The high demand and deep love for Hisaishi’s music from Seattleites was well evidenced during the 2021/2022 season when all four of his concerts quickly sold out; the Symphony is honored to welcome the great musical mind behind the Studio Ghibli scores back to Benaroya Hall. This rare, weeklong investment into the Symphony and the Seattle community represents the artist’s significant regard for both the city and its artistic landscape.

“I am excited to return to Seattle and share more of my music with you,” Joe Hisaishi recently said to Seattle Symphony representatives. “Our performances in 2022 were wonderful, and I’m looking forward to being in that great city again and seeing all of you!”

If you would like to request press tickets to any of the below events, please email Courtney Bullard at press@seattlesymphony.org. 

Joe Hisaishi Residency Events: 

Tuesday, January 9: See the behind-the-scenes of music magic during a chamber rehearsal with Seattle Symphony musicians and Joe Hisaishi. This rehearsal is closed to the general public, but open to press. 

Wednesday, January 10: Experience an intimate chamber performance of Hisaishi’s Music Future project. In 2014, Hisaishi started the incredibly unique Music Future concert series, in which he personally hand-selected repertoire in hopes of introducing new composers to the Japanese public. The series has evolved over the years, with Music Future Vol. 8 (2021) introducing pieces from artists such as Bryce Dessner and Lepo Sumera and Music Future Vol. 9 (2022) including collaborations with prolific composer Nico Muhly. Now, Benaroya Hall hosts the 10th Volume of the series, showcasing a program curated by Hisaishi himself and featuring two of his original works, which he will also conduct. Tickets to this recital will be available exclusively to Seattle Symphony subscribers and donors. Press tickets are available upon request. 

Thursday, January 11: A “Youth in Conversation” panel, held in collaboration with several of the Symphony’s community partners, invites young musicians to Benaroya Hall to interact with and learn from Joe Hisaishi. The panel is youth led, and includes students from SAM’s Teen Art Group (TAG), TeenTix, Coyote Central, ArtsCorps, Key to Change and Speak With Purpose and the 2022/2023 Merriman-Ross Family Young Composers Workshop. The panel is moderated by Seattle Symphony Community Relations Manager Lorin Green. The “Youth in Conversation” panel is by invitation only and closed to the general public. Press tickets are available upon request. 

Saturday, January 13: Joe Hisaishi leads a rehearsal with the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra (SYSO) at Shorecrest High School, giving young musicians in Seattle the incredible experience of rehearsing orchestral music with this world-renowned artist. SYSO and the Seattle Symphony will have the opportunity to perform these works, the first and second movements from the Princess Mononoke Symphonic Suite, during the Side-by-Side concert on Wednesday, February 21, at 7:30 p.m. in the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium at Benaroya Hall. The rehearsal is closed to the public, but open to press. Press tickets to the Side-by-Side Concert on February 21 are available upon request. 

SOLD OUT! January 12, 13 & 14: Spend the weekend with famed film composer, conductor and pianist Joe Hisaishi at Joe Hisaishi Returns. The Seattle Symphony is joined by Hisaishi at the podium and local soprano Serena Eduljee. These concerts bring Seattle audiences deeper into Hisaishi’s musical world and present symphonic works beyond his beloved Studio Ghibli film scores. Press tickets are available upon request.  

JOE HISAISHI | CONDUCTOR

While at Kunitachi College of Music, Joe Hisaishi discovered his passion for the musical movement of Minimalism, and began his career as a composer of contemporary music and film scores. His first album, MKWAJU, was released in 1981, with Information being released a year later. After that, with albums including Piano Stories, My Lost City, Etude: A Wish to the Moon, Asian X.T.C, and Another Piano Story: End of the World among others, he has established his own style for composing and performing within many different musical genres. Starting with Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), Hisaishi has produced music for nine films directed by Hayao Miyazaki, including Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (2008), Princess Mononoke (1999), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) and Spirited Away (2002 Academy Award Winner, Best Animated Feature).

SERENA EDULJEE | SOPRANO

Serena Eduljee’s soaring, rich, precise coloratura and “magnetic” (Entertainment News Northwest) acting has made her one of the Pacific Northwest’s most in-demand singers, and a favorite of opera audiences everywhere. Competitively, Serena had the honor of representing the entire Northwest District and won 5th overall in the United States and Canada in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Award (NATSAA). Ms. Eduljee made her Seattle Symphony debut performing the iconic role of “Queen of the Night” (Die Zauberflöte), a role she is well known for and has performed in numerous concerts and recitals. Serena’s education and training include OperaWorks Advanced Artist Program in Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University where she studied under world renowned opera star, Carol Vaness. She currently resides in Issaquah, Washington with her husband.

SEATTLE SYMPHONY 

The Seattle Symphony unleashes the power of music, brings people together and lifts the human spirit. Recognized as one of the “most vital American orchestras” (NPR), the Seattle Symphony is internationally acclaimed for its inventive programming, community-minded initiatives and superb recordings on the Seattle Symphony Media label. With a strong commitment to new music and a legacy of over 150 recordings, the orchestra has won five Grammy Awards, 27 Grammy nominations, two Emmy Awards and was named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year. The Symphony performs in Benaroya Hall in the heart of downtown Seattle from September through July, reaching over 750,000 people annually through live performances and radio broadcasts, and through the Seattle Symphony+ streaming service, the orchestra’s concerts reach audiences at home and around the world.

BENAROYA HALL

Benaroya Hall, the home of the Seattle Symphony, is located in downtown Seattle and surrounded by numerous restaurants, retail stores and parking facilities. Opened in 1998, Benaroya Hall is the most-visited performing arts venue in Seattle. It has received numerous awards, including a 2001 American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Honor Award for outstanding architecture. Benaroya Hall has three versatile performance venues, the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium, the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall and Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center, all renowned for their pristine acoustics, luxurious design and prime location. For additional information, including rental information, event listings and public tour schedules, please visit benaroyahall.org. 

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JOE HISAISHI PRESENTS MUSIC FUTURE 
SPECIAL PERFORMANCES   
Wednesday, January 10, at 7:30 p.m.

Joe Hisaishi conductor
Seattle Symphony musicians

Steve Reich Clapping Music 
Arvo Pärt Summa 
Joe Hisaishi Two Pieces for Strange Ensemble 
Wojciech Kilar Quintet for Wind Instruments 
Joe Hisaishi MKWAJU 2023

JOE HISAISHI RETURNS 
SPECIAL PERFORMANCES 
Friday, January 12, at 7:30 p.m. 
Saturday, January 13, at 8 p.m. 
Sunday, January 14, at 2 p.m. 

Joe Hisaishi conductor
Serena Eduljee soprano
Seattle Symphony

Joe Hisaishi Symphony No. 2
Joe Hisaishi I Want to Talk to You
Joe Hisaishi Princess Mononoke Symphonic Suite

Joe Hisaishi's performances are generously underwritten by Yuka Shimizu, along with Jeanne Berwick and James Degel.