Austin-Based Nonprofit Swan Songs Announces Its 2018 Swan Songs Serenade Featuring Shinyribs

Austin-based nonprofit Swan Songs announces the 2018 Swan Songs Serenade to take place Oct. 17, 2018 at The Community Center of Riverbend Centre for the Arts located at 4214 N. Capital of Texas Highway, Austin, Texas 78746, from 6 - 10 p.m. This event is the nonprofit's annual signature fundraiser featuring a seated dinner, a live and silent auction, VIP sponsor reception and a live concert by Austin-based country-soul band and 2018 Austin Music Awards "Best Austin Band" Shinyribs. Individual tickets for the event are $150 each and will go on sale Sept. 1; to purchase tickets and for up-to-date information on sponsorships opportunities, auction items and more, please see www.swansongs.org.

"When Shinyribs agreed to play the Swan Songs Serenade this year, we knew we would be able to match the energy and passion generated by Ruthie Foster in 2017 and create another fabulous event," said Christine Albert, Swan Songs founder and CEO. "We gather every October to celebrate the collective efforts of our staff, volunteers, musicians, families, the professionals who request the concerts and the many supporters who keep the wheels turning. It is appropriate that a Shinyribs show is described as 'an exaltation of spirit,' just like a Swan Songs concert."

Swan Songs brings comfort, joy, and a respite from illness through music to families during an emotional and difficult time by organizing personalized concerts for individuals who are terminally ill or nearing the end of life.The organization's core program is the fulfillment of musical last wishes. Recipients may request a certain style of music or a specific musician to perform for them and their loved ones in a very intimate concert setting. The concerts are 30-40 minutes in length, are typically unplugged and provide an opportunity for a gathering with a focus on the music instead of the illness. There is no charge to the patient or family for this service. Swan Songs recognizes that the talent and expertise of the participating musicians are an invaluable part of their success and, therefore, musicians are offered an honorarium for their time. In this way, Swan Songs fulfills its secondary mission - to support the health of the Austin area music community.

The diversity of requests is stunning and here in the "Live Music Capital of the World" Swan Songs is fortunate to have access to talented, professional, experienced musicians to fulfill the most specialized request.

"Whether the requested music is classical bassoon, New Orleans jazz, bluegrass or Frank Sinatra, the fulfillment of a musical last wish can inspire great joy at a time when it is desperately needed," said Albert. "We are grateful to Shinyribs and the many individuals and businesses supporting not only this event, but Swan Songs - every day of the year."

Sponsorships are currently available for the Oct. 17 event at the $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000 levels. For more information on these opportunities, please contact christine@swansongs.org.

Swan Songs was officially established in 2005 as an Austin, Texas based 501(c)(3) organization, although the concept was born in the early '90s when Austin musician Christine Albert (Swan Songs founder and CEO) was asked to sing for a dying fan. The idea to bring music directly to someone facing the end of life resonated with Austin psychotherapist Gaea Logan (Swan Songs co-founder), and the two women began informally organizing the bedside concerts. The organization is committed to utilizing professional musicians whose expertise and experience are central to the success of the program. They recognize the importance of compensating these artists, therefore a nonprofit was created to raise the necessary funds to offer an honorarium, with no financial obligation on the part of the recipient or their family. The name Swan Songs was chosen, inspired by John Swann - the terminally ill man Christine first sang for in 1992.

Swan Songs has grown steadily and thoughtfully. The board of directors has expanded from the original six to the current 12 members. The concert number has grown from three in 2006 to 253 in 2017. Swan Songs has worked with dozens of regional hospices and care facilities in a six-county area, with a handful of concerts organized in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. Outreach efforts were always carefully matched with the infrastructure in place at a particular time, so as not to overextend. The current staff is ready to handle the increased requests. 2016 saw the establishment of the first Swan Songs office, creating even more efficiency and strengthening its presence in the community.

As the program evolved, it became apparent that there was a more compelling desire to request a certain style of music than a specific artist, although some regional artists have been requested by name (Eliza Gilkyson, Jimmy LaFave, Bob Schneider, Ray Benson, Carolyn Wonderland, The Flatlanders - to name a few).

Swan Songs works diligently to match the style of music requested with the appropriate musician(s). The variety of requests over the years reflects how deep an individual's connection with music can be - based on a lifetime of memories, culture, heritage and geography. Whatever connects the recipient to those memories, their family, their joy - that is what Swan Songs brings.

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