WHO WE ARE
OUR STORY | MISSION & VISION | BOARD OF DIRECTORS
In 1992, Austin, Texas
musician Christine Albert was asked to sing at a small friends and family gathering for John Swann, a vibrant 40-year-old man facing an early death from a brain aneurysm. Months later, Christine sang in the hospital room of a cancer patient who loved to hear her sing French songs. He died a week later.
Photo: Swan Songs founder & CEO Christine Albert and co-founder Gaea Logan (Carrell Grigsby)
The honor of being invited to sing at these powerful moments in people’s lives was humbling and inspiring. At the same time a good friend of Christine’s and a gifted psychotherapist, Gaea Logan, was supporting a friend through his final transition and she recognized the compelling need to make music more available to patients nearing the end of life.
And so, the idea was born to create an organization to act as a liaison between the healthcare and music communities. Through MusicAid, as the initiative was known then, the two women organized a number of concerts over the next several years. They also received support from and collaborated with Craig Hella Johnson and New Texas Festival, which later became the acclaimed Conspirare.
In 2005, Ms. Albert felt called to create more structure around the mission and Christine, Gaea, Craig Deats, Dr. Tim Dziuk, and Susan Kolliopoulos - the founding board members - formed a 501(c)(3) organization, adopting the name Swan Songs to capture the spirit of the mission and in memory of John Swann, whose love of music inspired this work.
Thank you to the many individuals who have helped bring this vision to life.
Today, Swan Songs receives an average of two requests per day.
Most requests are for a genre or style of music as opposed to a specific favorite local artist. The requestor trusts the Swan Songs staff to match the request with the right professional musicians. With four full-time staff members and over 30 volunteer Concert Liaisons to help facilitate, concerts can be turned around within hours, often bringing music to recipients just before they pass.
In 2019, the Swan Songs staff and Board of Directors began exploring the possibility of replicating the mission, eventually rolling out the “Swan Songs Affiliate” and “Swan Songs Program Provider” models.
Our first affiliate, Swan Songs Portland, Oregon, is up and running. They fulfilled their initial musical last wish in Fall 2024, and concert requests have steadily grown with strong community support and a dynamic relationship with Swan Songs Austin — sharing tools, online infrastructure, and ideas, while creating an organization that reflects Portland's cultural identity and needs.
Conversations are taking place with other communities, and the necessary infrastructure is being put in place in Austin to support more locations. Step by step, this initiative is being undertaken slowly and thoughtfully. Please submit a message via the Contact Us page, for more information.
PHILOSOPHY
Vision Statement
Swan Songs envisions a world where the end of life is honored through music.
Mission Statement
Swan Songs fulfills musical last wishes by organizing private concerts for individuals with a terminal illness or nearing the end of life. At no cost to the family, a favorite style of music or regional musician is brought directly to the home or care facility. Committed to supporting live music in the community, Swan Songs compensates its musicians for each performance.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Swan Songs is committed to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment to ensure we meet our mission of providing personalized concerts for individuals with a terminal illness or nearing the end of life. We acknowledge and respect the differences in language, ethnicity, spirituality, and personal identification of the communities we serve.
Board of Directors (Austin & National)
