NEW YORK - Joe Hisaishi, a Japanese composer and conductor known globally for his scores for Studio Ghibli animated films, has been recognized this month for setting three world records, including one achieved during his weeklong residency through Monday at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
During the seventh and final night of his "Cinema Music Concert" show, Hisaishi was honored by Guinness World Records for the longest consecutive run of performances by a classical composer at the iconic venue.
After the opening performance on Aug. 11, a Guinness adjudicator presented him with certificates backstage for two other records -- highest-selling single run for classical music at the Hollywood Bowl amphitheater in Los Angeles and most tickets sold by a classical composer during a run at Tokyo Dome in Japan.
"I've just been taking things one step at a time. At first, I was doing this in Japan, and then when I started doing it around the world, people all over the world accepted it," the 75-year-old told Kyodo News.
"Before I knew it, people were coming to my concerts in numbers that even classical musicians and orchestral performers here probably couldn't draw," he added.
According to Guinness World Records, Hisaishi's three performances from July 21 to 23 of this year at the Hollywood Bowl, where he conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic, sold 45,538 tickets, while the Studio Ghibli Film Concert Tour Final at the Tokyo sports arena on July 16 and 17, 2025, racked up total sales of 133,453 tickets.
For a week, Hisaishi conducted the New York-based MasterVoices choir and the Orchestra of St. Luke's at Radio City Music Hall, a roughly 6,000-seat venue in Midtown Manhattan, according to Madison Square Garden Entertainment.
Upon hearing the opening bars of familiar songs from anime films directed by Hayao Miyazaki, including "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind," "My Neighbor Totoro," "Princess Mononoke" and the Oscar-winning "Spirited Away," the audience erupted in cheers.
Hisaishi introduced his daughter, who sang as he played the piano for "One Summer's Day," an iconic theme from "Spirited Away," prompting thunderous applause.
Scenes from the films were projected on three screens hanging from the auditorium ceiling.
Some fans who knew of Hisaishi through his music in Miyazaki films traveled to New York City from out of state.
Miles Gooden, who turned 31 last Wednesday, traveled with his family of five from Washington on a one-day bus trip to attend the concert. He said he was excited to hear "the main theme from 'Howl's Moving Castle,' which is beautiful, and honestly anything from 'Spirited Away.'"
Joe Hisaishi, whose real name is Mamoru Fujisawa, began his career as a contemporary music composer with an interest in minimalism, releasing his first solo album in 1982. He adopted his stage name in homage to American jazz artist and music producer Quincy Jones, whom he admired.
Hisaishi's collaborations with Miyazaki began with "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" in 1984, while he has also composed music for works by Japanese filmmaker and comedian Takeshi Kitano, including the crime drama "Hana-bi," which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1997.
"I feel that I should keep on going with what I initially set out to do -- delivering music to each individual person. I think that's the most important thing," Hisaishi said.
