Jashandeep Singh Reehal is a London-based conductor, composer, and pianist whose journey defies traditional routes into classical

music. He is the first turbaned Sikh conductor and among the few Indian conductors born and raised in India to build a career in the West without growing up within the Western classical tradition.

Born in Punjab, India, he developed an instinctive relationship with music shaped by Indian classical traditions and a fascination withcinema and orchestral sound. Coming from a non-musical family, he taught himself guitar and later piano, despite having no formaltraining or ability to read sheet music.

He had never seen a live orchestra until arriving in London at 18 to study music production. After spending countless hours prac-

tising on the public piano at King’s Cross St Pancras, he was featured on Channel 4’s The Piano. He made his conducting debutwith the London Concert Sinfonia in February 2025 and is now building his own orchestra, with his first solo concert in February 2026, funded through donations from customers at the Notting Hill coffee shop where he works.