Hisaishi’s recent symphonic engagements have seen him conducting the Toronto and Chicago symphony orchestras, the Royal, Helsinki, and Rotterdam philharmonic orchestras, and the Wiener Symphoniker. Alongside his film music works, he conducts classical repertoire from the likes of Ravel, Mussorgsky, Brahms, Steve Reich, and Arvo Pärt and his own symphonic compositions, such as DA•MA•SHI•E and The East Land Symphony. Hisaishi also had a successful weeklong residency with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, leading three sold-out concerts as well as curating and conducting a chamber concert dedicated to contemporary music from his peers and participating in a panel discussion with young audience members. After a successful debut at the Hollywood Bowl in 2023, Hisaishi returned to the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the world premiere of his Harp Concerto, commissioned by the orchestra and performed by its own harpist, Emmanuel Ceysson.

In 2025, Hisaishi made debut performances with The Cleveland Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and The 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 Desert Music. Also in the 25/26 season, Hisaishi returned to The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Chicago and Toronto symphony orchestras and premiered his new work Concerto for Orchestra with various high-level orchestras across the globe including the National Symphony Orchestra and Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

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, among others, capture his sensitive and imaginative amalgamation of the symphonic and minimalist genres. Many of these iconic works were brought to huge live audiences in his recent sold-out performances in Madison Square Garden in New York, La Défense 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.

As a passionate champion of contemporary music, Hisaishi collaborates with similarly experimental artists including Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, Nadia Sirota, Philip Glass, David Lang, and Terry Riley. Since 2014, he has been presenting his 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; he also previously presented the series at Carnegie Hall in 2022 and in Seattle in 2024.

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 of the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra from the 2025/26 season. He was also appointed Composer-in-Association of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in April 2024, Composer-in-Residence of The Philadelphia Orchestra in October 2025, Composer-in-Focus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in summer 2026, and Composer in Association of the Paris Philharmonie in 2026.