BELTING OUT CANCER Catherine Malatesta of Arlington loved to sing on stage. She began performing as a young child in church and school choruses; later she progressed to school musicals and audition-only choral groups.
A tragic diagnosis of epithelioid sarcoma in early 2015 did little to dim her enthusiasm for music. She performed on stage up until three months before her death at the age of 16, despite being in the throes of chemotherapy treatments.
Now, Catherine’s family and friends will honor her memory with a special fund-raising performance titled “The A CATpella Festival to Belt Out Cancer’’ on Friday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. (snow date of Sunday, Jan. 22, at 2 p.m.) in Arlington High School’s Lowe Auditorium, 869 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington.
Six acclaimed local a cappella singing groups will take the stage, including the New England male vocal ensemble Vocal Revolution, who were Season 2 Champions of WGBH’s “Sing that Thing’’ amateur singing competition show; and the Tufts Beelzebubs, Tufts University’s oldest all-male a cappella group and runner-up on NBC’s “The Sing Off.’’ Master of ceremonies will be singer and actress Alexandra Socha, Broadway actress and star of the Amazon Prime series “Red Oaks.’’ The festival will benefit the Sarcoma Foundation of America and the Catherine J. Malatesta Scholarship Fund.
Tickets are $15 per person. For tickets or more information, go to www.catherinemalatesta.com/a-catpella-festival.
LET’S TALK ABOUT IT TEDxNatick launches its 2017 season on Saturday, Jan. 21, with talks from Bren Bataclan, a Boston-based artist who gives presentations about his unique artwork and street art projects to schools, hospitals, and businesses across the globe; Kathleen Tullie, a Natick resident whose BOKS Kids movement aimed at improving child fitness has grown to over 1,000 schools across the United States and in six other countries; brain scientist Caterina Stamoulis, a researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital who uses novel computational technologies to study neural networks in the brains of infants and children; Bill Littlefield of NPR’s sports program “Only a Game’’; and more. The full-day program runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and takes place at Natick High School, 15 West St., Natick. Tickets are $47 including lunch. Visit www.tedxnatick.org for tickets or information.
Lexington residents Mary Ann Christie Burnside, author, educator, spiritual director, and hospice volunteer; and Sairey Leone Luterman, grief counselor and certified thanotologist, will host a Death Cafe on Sunday, Jan. 22, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Cary Memorial Library, 1874 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington. Death Cafes, a concept that began in London in 2011, are a nonprofit enterprise dedicated to raising community awareness about death through group discussion and facilitated questioning. Unlike support or counseling groups, they are intended not for those currently grieving a loss or facing end-of-life decisions but rather for anyone at any stage of life who wishes to join a conversation about death and dying. Refreshments will be provided. Suggested donation is $5 per person. For questions or to RSVP, call 781-538-5586 or e-mail maryann@maryannburnside.com.
THEATER AND ART Theatreworks USA’s production of “Seussical,’’ a family musical based on the works of Dr. Seuss, will be performed at the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center, 333 Nahanton St., Newton, on Monday, Jan. 16, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tickets are $18 general admission, $15 members and are available at www.Bostonjcc.org/magicark or by calling 617-965-5226.
Gallery 93 at the Brookline Senior Center presents “Sheep Specific,’’ paintings and monotypes by Milford artist Carolyn Letvin, now through March 30. A reception for the artist will be held on Thursday, Jan. 19, from 4 to 6 pm. Gallery 93, located at 93 Winchester St., Brookline, is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, call 617-730-2760.
Three Stones Gallery in West Concord presents “Emerging Artists,’’ a show that features over 40 regional artists whose work has had very little exposure through galleries. The exhibit, on view Jan. 18 through March 10, includes over 50 pieces in media including painting, drawing, mixed media, and stained glass. An opening reception is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 21, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (snow date Sunday, Jan. 22, at the same time). Three Stones Gallery is located at 115 Commonwealth Ave., West Concord. For hours or more information, call 978-254-5932 or go to www.threestonesgallery.com.
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