2026 dates, venues and times
The art music of joe hisaishi - sydney opera house
17 May 2026: 1pm & 4pm performances (90mins no interval)
The art music of Joe Hisaishi (composer of Studio Ghibli’s Totoro and Howl’s Moving Castle) is brought to life by Phoenix Collective in this magical concert.
For their 2026 Utzon Room concert Phoenix Collective Quartet open an enchanted gateway into the music of celebrated Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi. The world’s best-known anime composer, Hisaishi is responsible for the scores to blockbuster films such as Totoro, Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle. This concert will feature Hisaishi’s String Quartet – each movement of this complex and beautiful piece is a response to an artwork by the legendary graphic artist, MC Escher. The mysterious veils of illusion and playful trickery of Escher’s work find their counterpart in the genius of Hisaishi’s musical architecture. Selections from some of Hisaishi’s most-loved anime scores will complete a program full of quirky fun and discovery.
