Shingo Masuda is a professional qanun (oriental zither) player and composer, born in Japan and currently based in Berlin, Germany. In the beginning, he played piano while studying western classical music. From 2009 until now he concentrated on the qanun and studied the instrument in Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey and Greece. He has learned various techniques and also uses elements of modal music for his own compositions. He plays a wide range of genres, from jazz and classical to experimental music, as well as Middle Eastern and Mediterranean music. In solo concerts or with his trio "Japal" he plays his own compositions internationally. 

In addition to performing and recording, Shingo teaches qanun and music theory at various institutions. He is currently working as a composer on a film project with director Eliza Petkova for a Bulgarian-German co-production.

Besides qanun, Shingo also plays kaval, darbuka, frame drum and riqq. True music, he discovers the depth of nature and tradition, but also creates new experimental worlds.