SARB_AKAL EVENTS
First Raag Darbar peasants by Sarb Akal
About The Artist
Following the successful release of his debut album Anomaly with Real World Records in 2022, Jasdeep Singh Degun has completed a number of highly praised UK tours, performing at esteemed venues such as Kings Place, Westminster Abbey, WOMAD Festival, Nottingham’s Royal Hall, and the Southbank Centre, as well as a standout headline performance at the prestigious Darbar Festival at the Barbican, which was broadcast on Sky Arts. Not only a virtuoso, Degun made waves in the classical music world as composer of the critically-acclaimed Orpheus with Opera North, a ground-breaking work, which he also conducted during his time as Opera North’s Artist-in-Residence, and which garnered multiple awards. In recognition of his outstanding contributions, Degun was awarded the Songlines Best Newcomer Award, an Asian Achievers Award, and made history as the first sitar player and British-Asian musician to win the Royal Philharmonic Society ‘Instrumentalist’ award in 2024. Future projects include two BBC commissions: a work for the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra as part of their ’25 for 25′ series, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 3, and a new composition for the BBC Concert Orchestra as part of PRS’s New Music Biennial, with live performances at St George’s Hall, Bradford, and Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Southbank Centre. Additionally, Degun will embark on a collaborative commission and concert tour with Ensemble 360 in May 2025, followed by a four-date tour of his Arya: Concerto for sitar and orchestra with the Schleswig-Holstein Opera Company in Germany in October 2025. These upcoming projects further solidify Degun’s place at the forefront of Indian classical music, and showcase a continued commitment to ground-breaking work across a range of musical landscapes.
Sukhamrit started learning Hindustani Classical Violin at the age of five from Dr. Sisirkana Dhar Chowdhury (Maihar Gharana). He took taleem from her for eight years, and during this period, Sukhamrit developed a deep passion for Hindustani Classical Music. He continues to learn Hindustani Classical Violin from Dr. N Rajam and his Guru bhai Raaginder Singh. Currently, Sukhamrit is a Junior at UC Berkeley pursuing degrees in EECS and Business Administration, and aside from studies, is also an avid soccer fan.
Rattan Singh Sidhu
Rattan started to learn the violin at the age of 15. His initial training happened under Hariprita Bharti in Punjab, where he developed interest in Indian classical music along with learning light music.
After finishing his bachelor’s degree in science, he rediscovered his love for classical music and started training under Sir Jagan Ramamurthy, who is a Senior disciple of Dr. N. Rajam. Rattan has been now learning from the violin Maestro of Hindustani classical music, Viduhsi Kala Ramnath since 2019.
Parallely, he is under the guidance of India’s most distinguished Violinists & Vocalists Akkarai Sisters for Carnatic Music.
In the recent years, he has performed in cultural and music festivals such as ICMF 2022, An evening Raga, Nada Aradhana, ‘Once upon a time’ for Asian Heritage arts, and Hindu Fest Alberta. He has also played for Kathak and Bharatnatyam.
Simranjeet Singh
