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Watch an introductory video with
co-founder Christine Albert here.
How it Works
To schedule a Swan Songs concert,
please call 512-416-7926 (SWAN)
or email us at
info@swansongs.org.
For more information
visit the
"request a concert" page.
Swan Songs concerts
are available for patients facing the end of life in the central Texas area whether they are in the
hospital, a hospice facility or at home. Usually the
request comes from a family member, friend,
physician, minister or hospice care provider. Once
we determine what the musical wish is – whether it
is a specific local musician or a certain style of
music – we get to work making that dream come true.
The very intimate
"concerts" are
20–40 minutes in length, depending on the energy
and strength of the recipient. They are usually acoustic
with no amplification, although Van Wilks rocked the
house at The Hole in the Wall (see
Austin-American Statesman article). A Swan Songs concert can
create an opportunity for a gathering of family and
friends with a focus on the music instead of the
illness. Or, it can be a private moment between the
recipient and the musician (check
out the photo gallery). The selection of the
music is very personal – whatever is meaningful and
significant for that individual is what Swan Songs
strives to provide. It may be jazz piano,
traditional Irish songs, French cabaret music, Mexican
polkas, old country western songs, the blues, the
original songs of a local songwriter, bluegrass
fiddle…the list is endless.
Once the concert
is scheduled a Swan
Songs volunteer accompanies the performer to the
concert location. The performer is paid by Swan
Songs, with no financial commitment on the part of
the patient or their family. The family’s privacy is
respected throughout the entire process.
Board of Directors
Christine
Albert, Singer/Songwriter - president and
co-founder
Jeanne
Carpenter, University of Texas
Craig Deats, JD,
Deats, Durst, Owen and Levy - vice president
Susan Emery,
Licensed Clinical Social Worker - secretary
Miranda
Fontaine, M. Div, Chaplain, Hospice Austin
Gaea Logan, MA,
LPC, Psychotherapist in private practice -
treasurer and co-founder
In Appreciation
Our thanks to
Carrell
Grigsby who has taken many of the Swan Songs concert
photos. Carrell is an
award-winning professional photographer in
Austin, Texas.
Special
thanks to
the Southwest Regional Cancer Center who donates
a portion of the proceeds from the sale of
Dr. Tim Dziuk's book - “Commonly Prescribed Medication to
Radiation Oncology” - to Swan Songs.
The lovely Swan Songs logo was designed and generously donated
by artist
Maggie Macnab of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Swan Songs is a proud member
of:
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