The Cavalieres and a Community Cause
Seated at their kitchen table on any given afternoon, Deborah and Matthew Cavaliere can look out their picture window and count sometimes a dozen animals in their backyard. But the deer and other wildlife aren’t the only things they love about their neighborhood. There’s also the fact that their 10-year-old daughter Sophia can safely head to the clubhouse down the road to use the indoor gym, outdoor sports courts or meet friends at the pool in the summer. “There’s a lot to do for a child her age,” says Deborah.
Their home in the Four Corners development is also in an ideal commuter location, but Matt need not leave the neighborhood for his job in medical supply sales. His office, which he shares with two colleagues, is in the two-story building at the entrance to Four Corners. He works just upstairs from Chris Muratore, owner of The Four Corners Market and a seasoned music industry executive. Chris, who manages Nick Fradiani, a singer/songwriter who won American Idol in 2015, lives with his wife Debbie and three children, Sami, Nick and Matteo, a few houses away from the Cavalieres.
Beyond their friendship, Chris and Matt share passion for both music and helping others. Together, they recently launched CM-MC Festivals Inc., a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that creates and promotes live music events to help those affected by diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Their first endeavor was the Four Corners Music Festival in June 2017 to benefit the Ty Louis Campbell (TLC) Foundation, which was created to help fund high-risk pediatric cancer research in memory of a brave boy. Multiple bands, food trucks, bouncy houses and more filled the neighborhood’s five-acre “central park,” and some 700 people attended. A second festival in June 2018 was even more popular, selling out all 1,000 tickets.
Concert for a Cause
This year, they’re hoping to sell 4,000-plus ticket at the Tail Winds Music Fest on June 29th at the Hudson Valley Regional Airport. This “Concert for a Cause” will benefit Hudson Valley residents battling cancer, with proceeds going to the Miles of Hope Breast Cancer Foundation. An eclectic mix of artists will perform on the main stage all afternoon and into the evening. Headlining is the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, a rock band out of California that will be releasing a new album just days before the Festival. Attendees will also enjoy the Southern American sounds of rock quartet Black Stone Cherry, among other performers. “It’s a tremendous undertaking on a much larger scale, but it’s worth it to be able to take this to the next level and do something great for Miles of Hope and breast cancer,” says Chris.
It was seven years ago when Chris spearheaded the first music fest in Four Corners. Neighbors and friends kept asking him to bring it back. “It was so much work, and I just couldn’t do it alone again,” he says.
That’s when Matt stepped up to help his friend. After two years together in the confines of Four Corners, they realized their vision to expand. “We wanted to go bigger and needed a new venue,” says Matt. Now, with support from Dutchess County, they’re busy preparing “a one-of-a-kind experience for up to 5,000 music fans.”
Music Lovers Wanted
Volunteers are needed to help with the rain-or-shine event, which will feature a variety of food and craft beer trucks and other beverage vendors, an exclusive VIP experience, mobile lockers, helicopter rides and other activities. “We are looking for 50 people to help out in four-hour shifts while enjoying a day of music and food,” says Chris.
“Come for the music, the food trucks, the charity—there will be something for everyone,” says Matt, who, like Chris, spends countless hours planning, organizing and recruiting sponsors and vendors. “It’s like his second full-time job,” says Deborah, who helps when she can. “But that’s what it takes for this to be successful, and his time away is an important family sacrifice we make.”
At the time, Deborah was living in Yorktown but working in compliance at an investment advisory firm in the New York City. Their first home was in Mahopac. But once Sophia was born, the opportunity to build their own home in Four Corners became irresistible. “The complex is so private and kid-friendly, and I wanted Soph to be able to walk out the door and have fun,” says Deborah.
Sophia was two years old when they moved in June 2010. Matt’s now been with the same company for the past 23 years and leads its satellite sales office. Deborah, who has a short commute to Beacon, now works for an architect and design firm. She enjoys staying fit and gets to the gym at least three times a week.
As a couple, they attend lots of local concerts. But their biggest priority is Sophia. “Soph is my everything,” beams Deborah, who gets her daughter on and off the bus every day. “Keeping her active keeps me on the run.”
A Team Player at Ten
And active she is. This 5th grader plays softball, which Deborah coaches, soccer and football. She’s also tried boxing and enjoyed it. This year, Sophia started skiing at Thunder Ridge. Enrolled in two co-ed flag programs, she’d really like to play tackle football. She’s great as a running back, wide receiver and quarterback, and her Wolverines team at the Paterson Rec is undefeated.
Sophia and her dad watch a lot of football together. Her favorite NFL teams are the Giants, Steelers and Patriots. “Tom Brady’s a true champion,” she says. Sophia and her dad love tossing the football around, and Matt is an assistant coach for her flag football league. “It’s great fun to share that experience with her and help all the kids,” he smiles.
When Sophia grows up, she either wants to be a football player or a surgeon. Either way, “you have to have steady hands,” she says.
Given her father’s musical interest, it’s no surprise Sophia is learning bass guitar and piano. She has a full-size keyboard in her room and is saving up for her guitar. Her favorite song—and movie—is Bohemian Rhapsody.
In the summer, the family loves going to Red Wing Park, and Sophia enjoys the town camp and Splashdown Beach. But with so many kids her age on her street, nothing beats hanging out with the “posse,” riding bikes around the block, down the stormwater basin or to the Four Corners Market for an ice cream treat.
As he does every spring, Matt recently led a group of volunteers in cleaning up the roads around their neighborhood. Now, with it just weeks away, he’s fully emerged in the music fest. “He should have been a famous rocker,” says Deborah. “He’s always been a big concert goer, and to see him follow his dream and do something he loves that helps others is truly the best of all worlds.”
To learn more, visit tailwindsmusicfest.com.
This article originally appeared in the June 2019 issue of East Fishkill Living.