PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has traveled the world, sharing Pittsburgh’s music, and now an acclaimed composer will travel to Pittsburgh to share his. Conductor and pianist Joe Hisaishi will join the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra this fall for two performances on September 13 and 14.
The acclaimed composer is best known for scoring nearly all of Hayao Miyazaki’s animated films, including 2001′s “Spirited Away,” which became the first non-English film to win the Academy Award for best Animated Feature. Beyond film scores, Hisaishi composed symphonic work “The End of The World” in 2008, inspired by a visit to the New York City in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. When Hisaishi takes the podium in Pittsburgh this fall, he will conduct “The End of the World” for the first time in the United States.
“I am honored to join Pittsburgh Symphony this fall for the first time,” Hisaishi said in a prepared statement. “The center of the concert, my ‘End of the World Suite,’ was written for the people of the U.S.A. and I’m excited to make the U.S. premiere of this work in Pittsburgh alongside works that reflect on this mood as well as my new ‘Symphonic Suite’ which I’m honored to bring.”
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