London's Barbican Centre Names Artistic Associate

Indian classical music organization Darbar will host a variety of events at the Barbican throughout the '24/'25 season, including their annual festival

Darbar Arts, Culture, and Heritage Trust (Darbar), an organization devoted to the re-imagining and re-contextualizing of Indian classical music, has been named as an Artistic Associate at London's Barbican Centre. As part of this position, the organization will run the Darbar Festival of Indian Classical Music from October 24 to 27, 2024.

Darbar will also run a range of other concerts throughout the year, including a concert by the virtuoso sitar player Niladri Kumar (February 11, 2025), and a concert celebrating the life and message of the Sikh dharam, Guru Nanak (April 6, 2025).

In addition, there will be lectures, films, and workshops on topics relating to Indian classical music. On April 6, 2025, there will be a showing of the film The Rababis of Lahore, which will be enriched through performances by vocalist Kirit Singh and sitar player Jasdeep Singh. Later that day, Kirpal Panesar will present performances of Guru Nanak's sacred verses, set to specific ragas.

2025 marks twenty years of festivals for Darbar, and they are the first new Artistic Associate at the Barbican since 2014. Other Artistic Associates include the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Academy of Ancient Music.

"We are thrilled to bring year-round Indian classical music programming to the Barbican Centre, one of the world’s most prestigious cultural venues," said Sandeep Virdee OBE, Artistic Director and Founder Trustee of Darbar Festival. "This partnership allows us to present a decolonized perspective of one of the world’s most evolved, improvisational, and holistic art forms, one that profoundly nurtures both mental and spiritual well-being."

"We are thrilled to welcome Darbar to the Barbican, the first new Artistic Associate for 10 years," said Helen Wallace, Head of Music at the Barbican. "Darbar connects our audiences with a huge family of world-class classical musicians from India and its diaspora, from legendary artists to exciting emerging talent. Moreover, Sandeep offers audiences a holistic vision for experiencing music, embracing listening, learning, and participation, uniquely suited to our Barbican spaces, and very much in the spirit of our purpose as a civic arts center in the heart of our diverse city."