Hi, I'm Alessandra, a 19 year old Tsugaru shamisen player based in Hertfordshire.

At age 14 I saw now teacher, Hibiki Ichikawa, perform at the Hertford Music Festival. I found this brand new, complex stringed instrument fascinating and immediately wanted to find out more. The shamisen is now my main focus but i also play various other instrumets to a high standard. My music has a range of infuences incuding early 70s and 80s electronic, glam rock, new wave, film music and of course traditional Japanese. In 2023 I released my debut album, Watchers of the Living and in 2024 I toured Japan with shows in Tokyo and Kanazawa.

On my website you can discover more about this unusual instrument, find out where I'm playing and listen to my music.