Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Video: Inside The Exultant Grand Prospect Hall Balkan Music Fest
By
Jennifer Preissel
Published Jan 19, 2016
Modified Jan 19, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jennifer Preissel
Published Jan 19, 2016
Modified Jan 19, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Video by Jessica Leibowitz
This weekend over 3,000 New Yorkers convened in South Slope’s palatial Grand Prospect Hall to dance in circles, munch on grape leaves, and tipple fruit brandy.
It was the 31st installment of the annual Zlatne Uste Golden Festival, a jubilee of Balkan music featuring brass bands, choral groups, string ensembles and gypsy jazz performers drawing inspiration from the musical traditions of Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Turkey and Romania.
On five stages, from a church-like atrium to a chamber adorned with aristocratic paintings to a basement whose tiered chandeliers shook perilously as the dancers stomped, 65 groups, including Balkan scene stalwarts Slavic Soul Party!, Raya Brass Band and the event’s namesake, the Zlatne Uste brass band, played to approving crowds.
In the words of event co-founder Drew Harris, Balkan music is distinctive for its “odd-metered rhythms; scales with a Middle Eastern or Indian lilt to them; and, in brass groups, harmony in thirds, which you might associate with Mexican or mariachi music. So if you put all those things in a blender and turn them on, you get this wonderful music.”
The festival has come a long way from its humble beginnings in a Varick Street loft, where in 1985, 250 attendees watched five bands perform. After many years at the Good Shepherd Church in Inwood, the event moved to Brooklyn in 2011.
Matt Smith, a member of Zlatne Uste and the festival treasurer, notes that, “There is a community of people from the Balkans who live in New York City, in the outer boroughs, who are interested in this music. Clubs like Barbès and Jalopy and Freddy’s and DROM in Manhattan have regular Balkan nights."
Smith recalled the first time the event sold out.
"We were really nervous about it. We thought, ‘Are we going to have to turn people away? We can make them wait until other people leave, but are they going to get angry?’ But they neatly lined up and they waited. The Yale Slavic Chorus heard about them and went outside and sang for the crowd waiting in line. The crowd was really into it. And eventually, everyone got in.”
As the event has grown, its audience has evolved as well.
“About 15 years ago, bands started forming who were doing more crossover, blending in some hip hop or Dixieland or second line kind of riffs," Harris says. "They are bringing in a young, energetic audience who is interested in the authentic music and feeling this crossover of Balkan to hip hop or club music.”
The crowd, like the music, is eclectic. Many attendees sport flower crowns and traditional dress, but dreadlocks and steampunk outfits are visible as well. Grandmas dance alongside twenty-somethings and tweens, and immigrants steeped in folk dancing tradition teach steps to those new to the scene.
“They come to have a great time, they come to share with other people and it’s always so open and friendly," festival program director Michael Ginsberg says. "It’s a really wonderful place to be."
Tagged
Balkan music
gothamist films
grand prospect hall
south slope
Zlatne Uste Golden Festival
original
Jennifer Preissel
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
Before they attempt to fend off LeBron James and the 76ers on Tuesday, the Knicks will have a chance to show off their winning mentality through their tunnel fits.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 19, 2026
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .