Rufus and Martha Wainwright have announced the launch of Folk Cancer: The Kate McGarrigle Project, an initiative that provides professional studio recording time for musicians living with aggressive cancer. The project is a collaboration between the Wainwright siblings and the nonprofit Cancer Can Rock, and is inspired by their late mother, the Canadian singer/songwriter Kate McGarrigle, who passed away from sarcoma in 2010.
The mission of Folk Cancer: The Kate McGarrigle Project is to “offer musicians who are facing cancer a platform to express themselves creatively during an otherwise unsettling time.” The project honors McGarrigle’s own journey with cancer, where music helped navigate the final months of her life while battling cancer.
Through this initiative, “musicians who are facing aggressive cancer diagnoses will have the opportunity to record their original song to preserve their music in a supportive, collaborative environment—fostering creativity and pride during a challenging chapter in their lives.”
Rufus Wainwright says:
Near the end of our mother’s life, music became everything to her. It was clear that the process of writing, performing, singing — and singing with others — was hugely helpful to her.
Martha Wainwright adds:
…because of that, my brother and I continue to provide support for musicians and songwriters struggling with cancer.
Folk Cancer: The Kate McGarrigle Project will officially launch on December 3rd, 2024, Giving Tuesday, during an in-person party. The Wainwrights are granting special live streaming access to this one-time event for donors who gave to support the initiative. The launch event will feature musical performances, stories from the Wainwrights, and Cancer Can Rock’s founder, Jim Ebert.
The project is now accepting donations to help support its mission. Funds raised will go directly toward providing studio time for musicians living with cancer, ensuring that they have an opportunity to be celebrated as artists and to cement their musical legacy.
How to Get Involved:
To learn more about Folk Cancer: The Kate McGarrigle Project or to make a donation, visit FolkCancer.org. Donations are encouraged in honor of Giving Tuesday on December 3rd, anyone giving between Dec 3rd – 6th will receive a special recording of the launch party. For additional information about Cancer Can Rock, visit CancerCanRock.org.
About Folk Cancer: The Kate McGarrigle Project
Folk Cancer: The Kate McGarrigle Project, a collaboration between Rufus & Martha Wainwright and Cancer Can Rock, empowers musicians living with aggressive cancer to create and preserve their artistic legacies. Inspired by the Wainwright’s mother, the late singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle, and her healing journey through music during her battle with Sarcoma, this project honors her legacy by fostering creativity and pride, in an otherwise unsettling time.
About Cancer Can Rock
Cancer Can Rock is a nonprofit organization that provides gifted musicians, diagnosed with aggressive cancer, a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with top industry professionals to ensure their musical legacy and contribution to the arts is made. For more information, visit CancerCanRock.org.
