Hey, I'm Cathy. Thanks for visiting!
Cathy Ritter is a singer-songwriter from Macungie, PA. She was raised by two musicians who infused a deep love of music in her life at a young age. Evenings in the Ritter house were full of music while her parents rehearsed for their next performance. With a singing voice like her mother’s, it only made sense that Cathy learned to sing not long after her first words, and she couldn’t avoid picking up an acoustic guitar eventually thanks to her father’s expertise. Growing up in the Lehigh Valley offered an abundance of artistic opportunities for Cathy to tackle. After a childhood full of theatre summer camp and dance classes, it was her parents' musical talents that inspired her to gravitate toward expression through songwriting at 14 years old.
She attended Emmaus High School and later earned a B.A in Theatre from DeSales University, where she began songwriting for student-directed films and theatrical productions. Having finished undergrad in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic created a seismic shift for her post-college plans, forcing her to rethink her path. She did not pursue music for another two years, until this artistic hiatus ultimately became what inspired her to find the courage to write again, use her voice, and share her life through music. In her first fury of inspiration, she wrote “Strong Hands”, her 2022 released single, in 45 minutes in her childhood bedroom and recorded it in her parents basement with just her laptop, GarageBand, and one microphone that same night.
Since then, Cathy has continued to discover her own voice in her hometown, playing solo acoustic cover sets at local venues. Her songwriting has bloomed in two years, often referencing symbols in nature to tell stories from her life. She has found that your twenties are more about growing "through" than growing "up", and her original music revolves around themes of coming of age, coming into your own, and love in all its forms. Since “Strong Hands”, Cathy has released an E.P, her first full-length album entitled, “Alpenglow”, and another single, “Under the Radar”. She has now appeared as a featured solo artist at Musikfest, a nationally-recognized music festival, and she has appeared as a headliner in NYC at The Gin Mill Speakeasy Sessions and with Breaking Sound.
She attended Emmaus High School and later earned a B.A in Theatre from DeSales University, where she began songwriting for student-directed films and theatrical productions. Having finished undergrad in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic created a seismic shift for her post-college plans, forcing her to rethink her path. She did not pursue music for another two years, until this artistic hiatus ultimately became what inspired her to find the courage to write again, use her voice, and share her life through music. In her first fury of inspiration, she wrote “Strong Hands”, her 2022 released single, in 45 minutes in her childhood bedroom and recorded it in her parents basement with just her laptop, GarageBand, and one microphone that same night.
Since then, Cathy has continued to discover her own voice in her hometown, playing solo acoustic cover sets at local venues. Her songwriting has bloomed in two years, often referencing symbols in nature to tell stories from her life. She has found that your twenties are more about growing "through" than growing "up", and her original music revolves around themes of coming of age, coming into your own, and love in all its forms. Since “Strong Hands”, Cathy has released an E.P, her first full-length album entitled, “Alpenglow”, and another single, “Under the Radar”. She has now appeared as a featured solo artist at Musikfest, a nationally-recognized music festival, and she has appeared as a headliner in NYC at The Gin Mill Speakeasy Sessions and with Breaking Sound.