ABOUT US
ProjectHERA was founded in 2017 by DC-based musician, Cathy DiToro. The idea was born from a weekly ladies night of music that she hosted for over 2 years, showcasing local female talent. Cathy saw a need to not only promote the incredible talent that was passing through each week but also to connect more female musicians with each other, thereby strengthening the music community in general. It’s through this need that ProjectHERA developed its mission - to provide opportunities for women in music of all ages to connect and support each other, as well as promote their music to the general public.
ProjectHERA started with one main idea -to host a female-focused, all-ages music festival, celebrating women in music and highlighting young artists as well as seasoned musicians. With the help of many amazing volunteers, the organization has since evolved into hosting curated shows, networking events, open mics and of course, the yearly HERA Music Fest.
ProjectHERA is dedicated to celebrating women in the arts, as well as empowering young girls to chase their musical dreams
Cathy DiToro
Founder/CEO
“Chief Empowerment Officer”
As a 10 year veteran of the DC music scene, Cathy has moved up the ranks from a part-time struggling musician to a full-time performer, playing in 4 bands as well as running CMD Music, LLC & ProjectHERA. As a female in a historically male dominated industry, Cathy is no stranger to the need for women to be treated more equally in the music industry. She started ProjectHERA while hosting a weekly ladies night of music, showcasing local singer-songwriters and female-fueled bands. Cathy developed a roster of these incredibly talented women and saw the need to provide more performance opportunities for them. She wanted to organize a yearly music festival to celebrate female musicians and help encourage the future generation of young girls. Since forming in 2017, ProjectHERA has hosted multiple music festivals, fundraisers, workshops, networking events and open mics for women of all ages. Through her work with ProjectHERA, Cathy is also able to utilize her Masters Degree in Counseling to develop youth education programs and volunteers at schools, speaking to young girls about chasing their musical dreams.
In her spare time... Wait who are we kidding...Cathy has no spare time.