Joe Hisaishi (real name: Mamoru Fujisawa (藤澤守)) is a classically trained composer, arranger and performer for Japanese media and the concert hall. He combines the classical music world with Japanese folk and cinema music as well as musical minimalism. One of the most renowned composers in Japan, Joe Hisaishi is most famous for composing music to the many works of Hayao Miyazaki. His works for Studio Ghibli include: "Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa" (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind), "Tonari no Totoro" (My Neighbor Totoro), "Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa" (Laputa: Castle in the Sky), "Majo no Takkyuubin" (Kiki's Delivery Service), "Kurenai no Buta" (Porco Rosso), "Mononoke Hime" (Princess Mononoke), the Academy Award-winning "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi" (Spirited Away), "Hauru no Ugoku Shiro" (Howl's Moving Castle), "Gake no Ue no Ponyo" (Ponyo), and "Kaze Tachinu" (The Wind Rises). He also composed the music for Isao Takahata's "Kaguyahime no Monogatari" (The Tale of the Princess Kaguya). He works with numerous international symphony orchestras and artists, arranged numerous symphonic albums of his works and in 2009 he held a superlative concert of his Ghibli works at Budokan. In 2010 he released a symphonic album with the London Symphony Orchestra with a prelude to Beethoven's 9th Symphony, "Melodyphony". Recently he released symphonic albums with new arrangements of his concert and Ghibli works. He has also released many classical albums, most famous are his interpretations of Beethoven.