Barcelona Gipsy BalKan Orchestra: Musical Nomads at Pohoda 2025
Barcelona Gipsy BalKan Orchestra is one of those musical ensembles whose name alone reveals a lot, yet there's still so much more they have to offer. Their blend of southern temperament, Romani culture, klezmer, and Balkan music dissolves imagined borders between genres, cultures, and traditions.
14. November 2024
The band formed in Barcelona in 2012 during International Romani Day celebrations, following a series of jam sessions that solidified their shared musical vision. Over the past twelve years, they have released seven albums and undergone various lineup changes, including a new lead vocalist, all while preserving a vibrant, international mix of artists, which shines through in their music.
BGKO, led by the Italian singer Margherita Abita with her beautiful, resonant voice, has travelled to over 35 countries worldwide, including the USA and Canada. The current lineup includes Spanish musicians—clarinettist Xavi Pendón, accordionist Fernando Salinas, violinist Pere Nolasc Turu, and percussionist Albert Enkaminanko—as well as Serbian bassist Ivan Kovačević and French guitarist Julien Chanal. Seven musicians, seven unique stories from across the globe, each bringing distinct backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. Appropriately, 7 is also the title of their seventh album, released this spring.
We are happy that the Barcelona Gipsy BalKan Orchestra is the seventh confirmed act for Pohoda 2025.