The Eugene Symphony performance of Joe Hisaishi’s – The Music of Studio Ghilbli – was truly beautiful, including several incredible solos! The orchestra performed at Soreng Theater in the Hult Center and was led by guest conductor Lance Inouye. I’m not very knowledgeable about anime, but the extraordinary soundtracks piqued my interest, so I plan to learn more and see the associated films:
Joe Hisaishi – Composer, Pianist, Conductor
Joe Hisaishi is a “legendary Japanese composer, pianist, and conductor, renowned for his minimalist orchestral style“. He began his career as a contemporary music composer and became interested in minimalist music. Hiasishi has scored the soundtrack for all but one of Hahyao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli films. Studio Ghibli is one of the “most acclaimed animation studios in the world“.
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“Lyrical, imaginative, and deeply expressive, Hisaishi’s music captures adventure, nostalgia, and quiet beauty in sound that resonates across generations.”
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Lance Inouye Conductor
Japanese American conductor, Lance Inouye is the Resident Conductor and Artistic Advisor of Hawai’i Opera Theatre. He recently conducted the world premiere of Kamalehua: The Sheltering Tree, the “first fully professional opera sung in the Hawaiian language, commissioned by Hawai’i Opera Theatre for its 2025-2026 season“.
“Based in Portland, Inouye is Artistic Director / Conductor of the Willamette Valley Symphony and Director of Orchestral Activities at Lewis & Clark College. His diverse conducting career has led to “engagements with orchestras across the U.S. and abroad“.
“The 2026-2027 season includes Inouye’s Eugene Symphony debut and a return to Hawai’i Opera Theatre to conduct Tosca.”
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“For decades, Hayao Miyazaki‘s mesmerizing motion pictures have enchanted audiences of all ages. A co-founder of the celebrated Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki is among animation’s most acclaimed figures, celebrated for his thoughtful approach to his craft and his imaginative methods of storytelling.” My Modern Met
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“Joe Hisaishi’s influence on film music and on the broader culture of animation is difficult to overstate. His Ghibli scores have introduced millions of people worldwide to the idea that animated film music can be as sophisticated, as emotionally complex, and as artistically ambitious as anything written for live-action cinema.”
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