Nonprofit Work
Christine Albert - Swan Songs Founder & CEO
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.
In 1992, Christine Albert was asked to sing at a small gathering of the friends and family of John Swann, a formerly vibrant 40-year-old man who was facing an early death from a brain aneurysm. Months later she sang in the hospital room of a cancer patient who loved to hear her sing French songs. He died a week later.
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 also 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 “end-of-life” and music communities. Through MusicAid, as the initiative was known then, the two women organized a number of private concerts over individuals in their last days or weeks over the next several years. They also received support from and collaborated with GRAMMY winning composer and arranger Craig Hella Johnson and New Texas Festival, which later became the acclaimed Conspirare in Austin.
In 2005, Christine, and 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.
Under Christine’s leadership, Swan Songs now fulfills over 500 musical last wishes requests per year in Austin and nine surrounding counties; compensates 300 musicians per year; and has welcomed its first affiliate - Swan Songs Portland OR.
The Recording Academy® is a 30,000-member organization that advocates for the well-being of music creators and music professionals by spearheading public policy efforts, opening pathways of opportunity for them, providing direct assistance, recognizing musical excellence, and upholding a peer-based Awards process that endures as music’s highest honor - the GRAMMY Awards®.
In 2007, Christine was elected to represent the Texas Chapter of the Recording Academy on the national Board of Trustees. What followed was an unprecedented length of service. She served as Trustee 2007-2011; Vice Chair 2011-2013; Chair 2013-2015; and Chair Emeritus 2017-2025.
Christine was the first independent artist and the second woman to be elected to the position of Chair of the Board. As her leadership role escalated and deepened, so did her knowledge of nonprofit management, which informed how she approached the growth of Swan Songs.
Service and building community are at the heart of who Christine Albert is. She walks the walk.