4th Annual a CATpella Festival to Belt Out Cancer - 1/24/20

On January 24, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. at the Lowe Auditorium at Arlington High School seven spectacular local a cappella singing groups will assemble for a beautiful tribute and benefit concert, entitled, A CATpella Festival to Belt Out Cancer, to remember the bright life and beautiful spirit of Catherine Malatesta and to benefit the Catherine J. Malatesta Foundation and the Sarcoma Foundation of America. Catherine, age 16 and from Arlington, MA, died in August 2015 from Epithelioid Sarcoma, an extremely rare form of cancer after a seven month battle.

Headlining the program is Sound Off, one of New England’s top-ranked co-ed vocal ensembles. They are the Season 3 Champions of WGBH’s “Sing that Thing” amateur singing competition show. Other featured acts include The Common Tones of Boston College, Amherst College Zumbyes, Tufts University Jackson Jills, Arlington High School’s Madrigal Singers and Winchester High School’s The Octets. The Master of Ceremonies will be Arlington native and Anchor/Reporter at NEWS CENTER Maine in Portland, ME, Lindsey Mills.

Jennifer Goodwin, Trustee of the Catherine J. Malatesta Foundation, Board Member of the Sarcoma Foundation and mother of Catherine Malatesta, says her family is thrilled by the budding success of the Catherine J. Malatesta Foundation. The mission of the foundation is to save the lives of cancer patients, with an emphasis on children, and to inspire hope and lend support to the families caring for and the heroes and warriors living with and surviving cancer. This will be accomplished by funding scientific research, raising awareness through fundraising events and providing financial assistance to organizations dedicated to early detection, finding a cure, and optimizing the patient care and family experience during and after their cancer journey. “Through this foundation we have been able to enact change and target support to specific areas of cancer research that are currently woefully underfunded. We provide assistance to cancer patients and their families during and after their cancer journeys by supporting organizations that made a difference in the lives of Catherine and our family during her cancer treatment and after her tragic death.”

“The A CATpella Festival to Belt out Cancer is an event that the Sarcoma Foundation of America looks forward to being a part of each year. We are happy to once again join with Catherine’s family and community to celebrate her life and to bring awareness to sarcoma,” said Richard Rumsey, Chief Executive Officer of the Sarcoma Foundation of America (SFA). “Money raised through the A CATpella Festival supports sarcoma research efforts, including the Catherine Malatesta Memorial Research Award funded earlier this year through the SFA’s research grant program. The SFA is privileged to help honor Catherine’s memory through our work to find new treatments, and ultimately the cure, for this devastating cancer

Catherine Malatesta died a month before she was to enter her senior year at Arlington High School. Catherine was an honors student who had been voted Student Council President and field hockey captain. Catherine rowed Varsity Crew. However, the place where she felt most at home was on stage. From a very early age Catherine sang in her church chorus, in her elementary school chorus and in local musicals. By middle school Catherine advanced to the select chorus where she loved the challenge of the complex choral pieces and landed the leads jn the middle school plays. In high school Catherine participated in the Gilbert & Sullivan Club school plays and earned a coveted spot in the Madrigal Singers group. Catherine loved the feeling of camaraderie and community that singing in a group provided. Her last concert was on May 2, 2015, during the throes of chemotherapy treatment, a mere three months to the date of her death.

Tickets are $20 per person and are available on-line at www.catherinemalatesta/a-catpella-festival. The concert is generously sponsored by Epizyme, The Sanborn Foundation, Prime Motor Group, Law Enforcement Dimensions, W. L. French Excavating Corp., LaRosa Development, McDonald Contracting and Belmont Orthodontics.

For more information about the benefit concert, please visit www.catherinemalatesta.com/a-catpella-festival or call 781-710-7823.