Phoenix Collective: The Art Music of Joe Hisaishi

  • Classical Music
  • Utzon Room
  • Run time: 90 minutes, no interval Subject to change

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.

Presented by Phoenix Collective

Event details

Exquisite translucence

Limelight Magazine

Dynamic… captivating

City News

You may also like

Jean-Yves Thibaudet in Recital

23 Feb 2026

  • Classical Music
  • Sydney Symphony Orchestra
A person with short, blond hair and light skin is wearing a black jacket.

Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody

15 Feb 2026

  • Classical Music
  • Australian Chamber Orchestra
A women standing on a dark street at night, wearing black, with an instrument case over her shoulder.

Simone Young conducts Mahler’s Song of the Earth

25 – 28 Feb 2026

  • Classical Music
  • Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Attending this event

Plan your visit

Address

Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Getting to the venue

The Opera House is a 7-10 minute walk from Circular Quay, and is easily accessible by car, train, ferry, lightrail, bus, bike and on foot.

Location and access

Utzon Room

The Utzon Room is located on the Eastern side of the Opera House, in front of the Joan Sutherland Theatre. Best accessed through the Box Office Foyer or the Covered Concourse. All Sydney Opera House foyers are accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators).

Checking availability