The Kate McGarrigle Foundation—a non-profit organization dedicated to raising money in the fight against sarcoma, a rare form of cancer from which Canadian singer/songwriter Kate McGarrigle died in 2010, and to preserving her artistic legacy—has been presented with an initial contribution of $50,000 from sales of the album Sing Me the Songs: Celebrating the Works of Kate McGarrigle. Released in 2013 on Nonesuch Records, Sing Me the Songs features highlights from three concerts held in honor of McGarrigle led by her children—the acclaimed musicians Rufus and Martha Wainwright—and her sister and musical partner Anna McGarrigle in London, Toronto, and New York.

Following a successful partnership with the Sarcoma Foundation of America (SFA) and the example set by Kate McGarrigle herself, who, after being diagnosed with sarcoma, had worked with the McGill University Health Center (MUHC) to create the Kate McGarrigle Fund to raise money for sarcoma research in Canada, the Kate McGarrigle Foundation was established in the United States with seed money provided by the tribute concerts after her death. The Foundation works to build on McGarrigle's artistic legacy; gives grant money to its partners at the MUHC and the SFA; and investigates other ways in which to help find a cure for sarcoma.

Sing Me the Songs: Celebrating the Works of Kate McGarrigle, a double-disc set produced by Joe Boyd, who curated the concerts, features performances by Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Anna McGarrigle, Emmylou Harris, Antony, Norah Jones, and Teddy Thompson, among others. Further proceeds from sales of the album will continue to go to the Foundation. To pick up a copy, head to iTunes or the Nonesuch Store now, where CD orders include an instant download of the complete album.

For additional information on the Kate McGarrigle Foundation and make a donation, please visit katemcgarriglefoundation.org.

Raised in an artistic family in St. Sauveur, Quebec, Kate McGarrigle moved to New York in 1969 to pursue a singing career while her sister Anna studied art in Montreal. Both wrote many songs during this period, including Anna’s “Heart Like a Wheel,” which eventually appeared on their debut album (and was made famous by Linda Ronstadt in 1974), and Kate’s “The Work Song,” which Maria Muldaur recorded in 1973. It was another Muldaur recording of a McGarrigle song that first brought the sisters to the attention of then–Warner Bros. Records President Lenny Waronker and launched their recording career with Kate & Anna McGarrigle (1976). Ten more albums followed, including 1977’s Dancer with Bruised Knees, which Nonesuch reissued in a set with their debut album—and a disc of previously unreleased demos—titled Tell My Sister in 2011. Nonesuch also released The McGarrigle Christmas Hour in 2005.