Our team

Raj Virdee brings years of leadership and operational excellence to his role as Co-Chair of Darbar, combining a dynamic professional background with a lifelong passion for Indian classical music. As part of the original team at Darbar’s genesis, Raj has been involved in shaping the festival’s vision and has proudly attended every year since its inception in 2006. Professionally, Raj qualified as an Optician however now leads as the Head of Business at Mercedes-Benz of Slough. 

A son of the esteemed tabla guru Gurmit Singh Virdee, Raj’s musical roots run deep. He began learning the sitar at eleven under the guidance of Dharambir Singh—protégé of the legendary Ustad Vilayat Khan—blending tradition and innovation both on stage and behind the scenes. 

Raj likes to spend his spare time teaching his young daughter to play the sitar and revving up motorbikes.