Biography
Jackie Frain is a certified jiuta shamisen player and instructor. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee and relocated to Louisville, Kentucky in 2020. Jackie began studying jiuta shamisen in 2012 under instructor and senior master musician Yoko Hiraoka. She received her kaiden menjo (completion certification) from the Soumei Ongaku Kai school in February of 2020. She has received permission to take on beginner students and can teach students in person in the Lousiville area or anywhere in the world via online lessons.
Music has always been an essential part of Jackie Frain’s life. Being the child of two classically trained musicians (an opera singer and a singer/pianist), Jackie had much exposure to a variety of musical styles while growing up. As a teenager, she studied classical guitar and voice, as well as various aspects of the Japanese culture in her spare time. Her first interest in Asian music began with a performance by her mother’s colleague of the Chinese pipa. She was eventually introduced to the shamisen after seeing a video of Yoshida Brothers on the internet. Though the exciting style of tsugaru shamisen was her first experience with shamisen music, Jackie found a love for the classical jiuta shamisen.
She has performed at multiple locations, both solo and in an ensemble, including at the Kansas City Japan Festival and the Memphis Japan Festival. She also does demonstrations for schools and other organizations to help share the beauty of classical Japanese music.
In addition to shamisen, Jackie studies the Ueda Soko Ryu style of tea ceremony and kimono kitsuke (dressing).