STUDIO GHIBLI AT THE SYMPHONY
Back by popular demand! Our Music of Studio Ghibli program was an instant hit in 2022, with a sold-out weekend of performances at the Michigan Theater. Guest conductor Wilbur Lin returns to direct this family-friendly lineup of classics from the celebrated Tokyo-based animation group, including My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), Spirited Away (2001), and Howl’s Moving Castle (2004).
The John Williams to Steven Spielberg of the animation world, Joe Hisaishi’s colorful and sprightly scores to Hayao Miyazaki’s Academy Award-nominated films have woven themselves into the fabric of childhood for viewers around the world. From Totoro’s antics to the magical world of a traveling castle, these concerts will capture the spirit of Studio Ghibli, perfect for fans young and young at heart!
Saturday, March 15, 2025 | 8 PM | Michigan Theater (603 E Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104)
NEW! Sunday, March 16, 2025 | 3 PM | Michigan Theater (603 E Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104)
Wilbur Lin, conductor
Momo Kajiwara, narrator
Hisaishi My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
Hisaishi Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
Hisaishi Spirited Away (2001)
Hisaishi Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
Wilbur Lin, guest conductor

Known for his creative programming and inviting stage presence, Wilbur Lin’s career has taken him to symphony halls and opera theaters across the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Taiwan. Currently the Music Director of the Missouri Symphony, Lin was also recently promoted to associate conductor of the Colorado Symphony.
Lin’s 2024/25 season will commence with a production of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore (Elixir of Love) with the Missouri Symphony and Landlocked Opera Company, followed by concerts with the Colorado, Taipei, Missouri, Ann Arbor, Juneau, and Acadiana symphonies, of which the latter two will be debut performances. In recent seasons, Lin’s highlights included his debuts with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Oak Ridge, Ann Arbor, Elgin, Taipei, and Indiana’s Richmond symphonies, a new studio recording with pianist Eric Zuber and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, a digital single release with the Denver Young Artists Orchestra, and conducting and covering the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops where he finished his tenure as assistant conductor in 2022.
As a cover conductor, Lin has worked with, notably, the Taiwan Symphony, Cincinnati Ballet, and Minnesota orchestras. In his role as the associate conductor of the Colorado Symphony, Lin also serves as the Music Director of the Denver Young Artists Orchestra.
A graduate of Riccardo Muti’s Italian Opera Academy, Lin’s operatic endeavors include conducting Verdi’s Macbeth at Teatro Alighieri (Ravenna, Italy), Le nozze di Figaro and L’elisir d’amore with the Missouri Symphony, Die Zauberflöte and Barber of Seville with the Winter Harbor Music Festival (Winter Harbor, Maine), Menotti’s The Medium and Amelia Goes to the Ball as the conductor of Northern Illinois University, and has coached and performed as a pianist with the Indianapolis Opera, Indiana University Opera Theater, Reimagining Opera for Kids, and the Cincinnati Ballet. In 2022, Lin led a new workshop of Robeson by Scott Davenport Richards at the Cincinnati Opera.
Educated in Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Lin has studied with Arthur Fagen and David Effron at Indiana University, Clark Rundell and Mark Heron at the Royal Northern College of Music, and Apo Hsu at the National Taiwan Normal University. He has also received conducting coaching with, notably, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Riccardo Muti, Sir Mark Elder, Helmuth Rilling, and has assisted Peter Ounjian, Jun Märkl, Louis Langrée, James Gaffigan, and John Morris Russell, among others.
Momo Kajiwara, narrator

Momo Kajiwara was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, and she holds a BA from Keio University. Momo lives in Ann Arbor with her husband and two sons.
Momo has released a CD as “PikoMako”, a singing duo, from Universal Music Japan. PikoMako toured and performed throughout Japan. She has also performed in theater in New York City.
Momo has been practicing music education for children since 2015. She currently teaches Japanese-English bilingual music classes and performs monthly at the Ann Arbor District Library.