Jasdeep
Singh Degun

Jasdeep Singh Degun stands out as one of the most innovative and awarded sitarists of his generation. Born in Leeds, he masterfully blends Indian classical music with contemporary influences, reinventing the horizons of the sitar. Trained under the guidance of Ustad Dharambir Singh MBE, Degun has mastered the gayaki ang technique, a lyrical style that imitates the human voice, giving his playing a unique expressive depth.

His debut album, Anomaly, recorded with Nitin Sawhney and released by Real World Records, perfectly illustrates this fusion of tradition and modernity, alternating between refined sitar solos and lush orchestral arrangements. In 2022, as Artist-in-Residence at Opera North, he composed and conducted Orpheus, a production praised for its ability to combine the grandeur of orchestral music with the spontaneity of Indian improvisation. This project earned him multiple awards, including the Critics’ Circle Outstanding Achievement in Opera Award and Best Stage Production at the Asian Media Awards.

In 2023, Jasdeep Singh Degun received the Asian Achievers’ Art and Culture Award and Best Newcomer at the Songlines Awards, before making history in 2024 as the first sitar player and British Asian musician to win the prestigious Instrumentalist Award from the Royal Philharmonic Society. On stage, he has performed in prestigious venues such as Kings Place, Westminster Abbey, the WOMAD Festival, and the Southbank Centre, with his standout performance at the Barbican’s Darbar Festival broadcast on Sky Arts.

Upcoming projects promise to be equally ambitious, including two major commissions from the BBC: a work for the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra as part of the “25 for 25” series, and a composition for the BBC Concert Orchestra. In May 2025, Degun will begin a tour with Ensemble 360, followed by a series of concerts in Germany with the Schleswig-Holstein Opera around his Arya: Concerto for sitar and orchestra.

Whether on opera stages, in the studio, or on international platforms, Jasdeep Singh Degun continues to push the boundaries of musical form, asserting a decidedly contemporary artistic vision while honoring his Indian roots.