Artists Communicating Climate Change: Nelda Swiggett’s Jazz Quintet is Coming to Town
Richland WA: Climate change is fundamentally a science and technology problem, but the arts can drive the human response. Nelda Swiggett, a Seattle-area pianist, singer, and composer, created her multimedia jazz piece “The Alaska Suite: a story of beauty, loss and hope” to evoke a response from your heart.
“The Alaska Suite” features a five-piece chamber jazz ensemble performing Swiggett’s original music. But “The Alaska Suite” is not just a concert. The piece engages the power of artistic expression—live music, spoken words, images, poetry and audience participation—to connect audience members deeply and emotionally to the scientific realities of climate change. Swiggett’s artistic goal is to present a story of hope that leaves audiences inspired to take action.
Audience response speaks to Swiggett’s success at achieving her goal: “… spliced with a dialogue about climate science and solutions. It touches the emotional edges of our understanding and invites action from a deeper place.” —Louise S., concertgoer
“… wonderfully inspiring…. The content was informative without being
preachy; the music was magical….” — Gail M., concertgoer
Experience “The Alaska Suite.” Swiggett and her quintet will be performing “The Alaska Suite” on Saturday December 3 at Shalom United Church of Christ, 505 McMurray Street, Richland. Doors open at 6:30 pm for the 7:00 to 8:30 pm performance. Tickets are $15.
As transportation is the primary contributor to climate changing pollution in Washington state, this concert is raising funds to get more Columbia Basin College students on bicycles, the most efficient form of transportation. Proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Wheelhouse Community Bike Shop, which trains students of all ages to refurbish, repair, maintain and safely ride bicycles. Students earn bicycles and gear by completing their training and refurbishing two bikes under the guidance of Wheelhouse volunteer trainers. Each $150 in ticket sales will pay for the cost of a bike, helmet, lock, pump, and lights. Wheelhouse volunteers will be available at the event to answer questions and display a refurbished bike.
This concert is part of a tour to Yakima (7:30 pm Friday) and Ellensburg (6:30 pm Sunday) too.
Richland tickets available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-alaska-suite-a-story-of-beauty-loss-and-hope-tickets-434745584747.
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/events/431173352434425.
Yakima tickets at https://theseasonsyakima.com/events/partnership-events/nelda-swiggett-quintet-alaska-suite.
Ellensburg tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-alaska-suite-a-story-of-beauty-loss-and-hope-tickets-427471126647.
Learn more about “The Alaska Suite” available at http://alaskasuite.com.
The Wheelhouse Earn-A-Bike program is described at https://wheelhouse.bike/earn-a-bike/.
Contacts: Nelda Swiggett, Nelda Swiggett Quintet, nswiggett@gmail.com
Steve Ghan, 509-308-9023, steven.ghan@gmail.com