Draft:Jasdeep Singh Degun

Jasdeep Singh Degun (born 9 September 1991) is a British sitarist and composer born and raised in Leeds. Degun is signed to the record label Real World Records on which he released he 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.

Early life, education and training

Jasdeep Singh Degun’s introduction to Indian classical music took place in his primary school where he began his training in vocal music with Shrimati Gunwant Kaur. He also was a part of the school choir and learnt piano. Degun began to study sitar at the age of fifteen under the guidance of Ustad Dharambir Singh MBE, who was himself a pupil of Ustad Vilayat Khan. Growing up, Degun was a member of Tarang and SAMYO (South Asian Music Youth Orchestra), 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 2011-2014, Degun completed a BA in Music at SOAS University London and in 2016, he went to study as an International Scholar for six months at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in Kolkata, India.

Career

Jasdeep Singh 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 His Royal Highness 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 an album of contemporary and classical music, Anomaly. As part of the scholarship, he was mentored by multi-instrumentalist and producer, Nitin Sawhney, who also co-wrote and performed on 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 his debut album Anomaly in May 2022. The album was taken to the concert platform with a nine-piece ensemble in July 2022, launching the tour at London's Kings Place on 14 May 2022. The Anomaly album again went on tour with a further series of concerts in 2023.

Opera North

In May 2022, Jasdeep Singh Degun was made artist-in-residence at Opera North, marking his ongoing relationship with the company which began in 2017 when he 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 with the orchestra of Opera North in Huddersfield Town Hall in February 2020.

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 and was rated number one of Fiona Maddocks's list of the ten best concerts and operas of 2022 in The Guardian.

Awards and nominations

• 2016: Yuva Sangeet Ratna Musician of the Year, The National Indian Arts Awards, Milap
• 2016: Sky Academy Arts Scholarship, announced at the South Bank Sky Arts Awards
• 2020: Nominee for an 'Eastern Eye Award for Traditional Music', in the Arts, Culture and Theatre Awards (ACTAs)
• 2022: ‘Outstanding Achievement in Opera Award’, The Critics’ Circle Music Awards for Orpheus: Music by Claudio Monteverdi and Jasdeep Singh Degun
• 2023: 'Best Newcomer', Songlines Music Awards
• 2023: Nominee for 'Best Album (Asia and Pacific category)', Songlines Music Awards
• 2023: Art and Culture Award, Asian Achievers Awards
• 2023: Nominee for an Ivor Novello Award for 'Best Stage Work', The Ivors Classical Awards
• 2023: 'Best Stage Production', Asian Media Awards, for Orpheus: Music by Claudio Monteverdi and Jasdeep Singh Degun
• 2024: 'Instrumentalist Award', Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards
• 2024: Nominee for 'Large Scale Composition', Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards

Works and releases

• The Bridge for sitar and string quartet, commissioned by zerOclassikal (2017)
• Arya: Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra, commissioned by Opera North (2019)
• Anomaly, album released on Real World Records (May 2022)
  • Veer, single released on Real World Records (December 2021)
  • Ulterior Motives, single released on Real World Records (March 2022)
  • Sajanava, single released on Real World Records (April 2022)
• Orpheus: Music by Claudio Monterverdi and Jasdeep Singh Degun, opera commissioned by Opera North and South Asian Arts-uk (2022)
• Aapki Khushi, single released on Real World Records (March 2023)
• Cycles¹⁵, commissioned by Scottish Ensemble (January 2023)
• Lament, single released on Real World Records (February 2024)