Artists of South-Asian heritage to premiere new work in response to Holst’s Savitri this August

Artists of South-Asian heritage have written a new work in response to Gustav Holst’s Savitri, which will receive its world premiere on Fri 27 August at the 2021 Leeds Opera Festival. Composer Sarah Sayeed and librettist Jaspreet Kaur reimagine Savitri for 21st-century audiences and society. Both of South Asian heritage, Sarah and Jaspreet hope to reclaim Savitri's voice and explore how we deconstruct the lives of Asian and Indian women historically and then reconstruct perceptions of them. The work blends spoken word with music for voice, bass, veena, sitar, and violin. The piece was commissioned by Northern Opera Group working with South Asian Arts UK.