Jasdeep Singh Degun


Jasdeep Singh Degun is a British sitar player and composer from Leeds. He is signed to the Real World Records label, on which he released his debut album, Anomaly. In May 2022, he became artist-in-residence at Opera North and, in 2024, he was made the first Innovate Fellow at the Royal Northern College of Music. Degun is the first sitar player to be awarded a Royal Philharmonic Society Best Instrumentalist Award.
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Early life, education and training

Jasdeep Singh Degun's introduction to Indian classical music occurred at his primary school where he began training in vocal music with Shrimati Gunwant Kaur. He was a part of the school choir and learnt piano. At 15 years old, Degun started learning how to play the sitar under guidance from Ustad Dharambir Singh MBE, a pupil of Ustad Vilayat Khan. Growing up, Degun was a member of Tarang and SAMYO, established by Dharambir Singh, which brought together classical musical traditions from across India.
In 2011, Degun featured in the three-part BBC Two series Goldie's Band: By Royal Appointment which culminated in a performance in Buckingham Palace before Prince Harry. As a participant of the programme, Degun was supported by mentors Guy Chambers, Soweto Kinch, Ms Dynamite, Steve Abbott and Cerys Matthews.
Between 2011 and 2014, Degun completed a BA in music at SOAS University London and in 2016, went to study as an international scholar for six months at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in Kolkata, India.

Career

Degun works as a composer, concert performer and music director. He regularly performs solo Indian classical concerts accompanied by a tabla player, with chamber ensembles, including the Scottish Ensemble, and with orchestra. In 2022, Degun performed at the Royal Commonwealth Service in the presence of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey, aired live on BBC One.

Real World Records

In 2016, Degun was awarded a Sky Academy Arts Scholarship to work on a contemporary and classical album, Anomaly. As part of the scholarship, he was mentored by multi-instrumentalist and producer, Nitin Sawhney, who co-wrote and performed a track on the album. Anomaly features 33 musicians, including sitarist Roopa Panesar, South Indian percussionist Pirashanna Thevarajah, esraj violinist Kirpal Panesar, and a 16-piece string ensemble.
In 2021, Degun signed to Real World Records and released Anomaly in May 2022. The album was taken on concert with a nine-piece ensemble in July 2022, the tour starting at London's Kings Place on 14 May 2022. The album went on tour with a further series of concerts in 2023.

Opera North

In 2017, Degun was music director and composer for India's Children: Partition, a collaborative project between Opera North and South Asian Arts-uk in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the partition of India and Pakistan. In 2019, Degun was commissioned by Opera North to write Arya: Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra which premiered in Huddersfield Town Hall in February 2020. In May 2022, Degun was made artist-in-residence at Opera North.
In 2022, Degun was composer, performer and co-music director with early music specialist Laurence Cummings in Orpheus: Music by Claudio Monteverdi and Jasdeep Singh Degun, commissioned by Opera North and South Asian Arts-uk. Orpheus premiered at Leeds Grand Theatre on 14 October 2022. It was rated the best of all concert and operas of 2022 by Fiona Maddocks, with The Guardian.''''''

Awards and nominations

Works and releases

The Bridge for sitar and string quartet, commissioned by zerOclassikal Arya: Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra, commissioned by Opera North Anomaly, album released on Real World Records
  • * Veer, single released on Real World Records
  • * Ulterior Motives, single released on Real World Records
  • * Sajanava, single released on Real World Records Orpheus: Music by Claudio Monterverdi and Jasdeep Singh Degun, opera commissioned by Opera North and South Asian Arts-uk Aapki Khushi, single released on Real World Records Cycles15, commissioned by Scottish Ensemble Lament, single released on Real World Records