Recently, I had the pleasure of attending my first concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City. As I am an avid music fan, it was pretty amazing to step foot in the building where so many legendary artists performed. The concert I attended was presented by several partners, including South African Tourism and South African Airways. The UBUNTU: Music and Arts of South Africa musical event took place to celebrate 20 years of freedom in South Africa since the start of democracy and the end of apartheid. I had the privilege of enjoying the concert, including performances by South African musical icons and freedom fighters Hugh Masekela and Vusi Mahlasela. I am a bit embarrassed to say I was not too familiar with their music prior to their show. However, after the performance, I was immediately downloading all of the music from the concert. Masekela is a legendary trumpeter, vocalist and composer, while Mahlasela is a well-known vocalist and songwriter known in his home country as “The Voice.” After hearing him sing live, I can 100 percent understand why! Fellow South African Dave Matthews made a guest appearance, as well as East African female singer Somi. The room was filled with such a positive energy. It really felt more like a celebration than just a performance. All of the musical performances were freedom songs, many written by the artists themselves. The live band and the strong vocals of all of the artists was even more powerful with the acoustics in the Carnegie Hall’s arena. It was quite an experience, and one I will not forget! — Olivia Falcione, advertising manager