Jasdeep Singh Degun

Jasdeep Singh Degun was born on September 9, 1991, and raised in Leeds, where his early exposure to Indian classical music began at primary school through vocal training with Shrimati Gunwant Kaur, alongside choir singing and piano studies. At the age of fifteen, he formally began sitar training under Ustad Dharambir Singh MBE, a direct disciple of Ustad Vilayat Khan, grounding him firmly in the Imdad-Khani gharana and the gayaki ang approach to sitar playing.

His musical development was shaped further through participation in youth ensembles such as Tarang and SAMYO (South Asian Music Youth Orchestra), which encouraged dialogue between diverse Indian classical traditions. In 2011, he appeared in the BBC Two series Goldie’s Band: By Royal Appointment, culminating in a performance at Buckingham Palace. He later completed a BA in Music at SOAS University of London and undertook advanced training at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy as an international scholar.

Degun’s career spans solo Hindustani classical concerts, chamber music collaborations, and large-scale orchestral works. He regularly performs traditional sitar recitals with tabla accompaniment while also working with ensembles such as the Scottish Ensemble and major orchestras. In 2022, he performed at the Royal Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in the presence of King Charles III, broadcast live on BBC One.

Signed to Real World Records, Degun released Anomaly in 2022, an album created under the mentorship of Nitin Sawhney and featuring a wide range of musicians across Indian and Western traditions. The album was widely toured in the UK and internationally. He later returned to pure Hindustani classical expression with Jogkauns, a full-length concert-style recording based on a single raag, recorded with tabla player Harkiret Bahra, highlighting the depth, discipline, and improvisational freedom of the form.

As a composer, Degun has written major works, including Arya: Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra and Orpheus, a critically acclaimed cross-cultural operatic project with Opera North. His role as Artist-in-Residence at Opera North marked a significant phase of creative leadership, combining performance, composition, and direction. His music has been praised for its clarity of raga structure, rhythmic sensitivity, and ability to communicate Indian classical ideas to global audiences.

Recipient of numerous honors, including the Songlines Best Newcomer Award, Critics’ Circle Music Award, and the Royal Philharmonic Society Instrumentalist Award, Jasdeep Singh Degun stands at the forefront of a new generation of sitarists. His work reflects a committed return to classical roots while expanding the expressive possibilities of Indian classical music within contemporary cultural spaces.