Carnegie Hall

Named after the word for “heart” from Santería, OKAN is a women-led ensemble that fuses Afro-Cuban roots with jazz, folk, and a global array of rhythms. Anchored by potent multilingual lyrics, striking harmonies, virtuosic musicianship, and multi-faceted advocacy of violin-vocalist Elizabeth Rodriguez and percussionist-vocalist Magdelys Savigne (both Grammy and Latin Grammy award winners), the band forges powerful audience connections through what CBC Music describes as “joy as a form of resistance.” OKAN’s latest release garnered enormous praise from a wide variety of sources—including a 2024 Juno Award (its second); “Best of 2023” recognition from NPR’s Alt.Latino, France’s Le Monde, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; and critical acclaim from Billboard, JAZZIZ, Songlines, and Pop Matters. OKAN now makes its Carnegie Hall Citywide debut with this free Saturday-evening concert at O’Donohue Park at Beach 17th Street in Queens.