A Magical Studio Ghibli Live Orchestral Performance Is Coming To Sydney
Image: The Music of STUDIO GHIBLI Original Singers Symphony. Credit SOZO
Studio Ghibli films are like delicious sandwiches, in the sense that there are multiple ingredients that help explain why they are so transportive, wondrous, and beloved. They’re like really exceptional sandwiches, just to clarify.
The iconic animation style and the otherworldly and often whimsical stories are some of the most important of these ingredients, but we cannot forget about the ethereal soundtrack. Fans of Ghibli and its music are in for a rare experience, with The Music of STUDIO GHIBLI – Original Singers Symphony makes its Sydney debut at Darling Harbour Theatre on 27 February 2026.
Audiences will experience live performances by original cast members whose voices were featured in the soundtracks of some of Studio Ghibli’s most beloved films. The show features original musical cast members Yoshikazu Mera (singer), Sumi Shimamoto (singer & voice Actor), Azumi Inoue (singer), and Yuyu singer).
The concert will be accompanied by the TOKYO ASIA Orchestra, a 17-member ensemble from Japan led by Takeshi Hashima — a distinguished violinist and concertmaster who has led numerous Ghibli-themed performances globally.
Some of the iconic film soundtracks that will be played are the 1988 film My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), Ponyo (2008), and The Boy and the Heron (2023).
In 2025, the Hayden Orpheum in Cremorne hosted an incredibly popular showcase of classic Studio Ghibli, proving that audiences are still hungry for these films . Coinciding with the 40 year anniversary of the studio, the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace hosted a 9-film retrospective of Studio Ghibli’s work, giving Sydneysiders the first chance in years to see all of these films in the theatre. The retrospective featured big hits such as Spirited Away and the 4K restoration of Princess Mononoke, and lesser seen bangers like Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Porco Rosso.
Tickets are on sale now for The Music of STUDIO GHIBLI – Original Singers Symphony via TICKETEK.
