Congregational Church on Mercer Island will be spreading its environmental justice wings once again by hosting a compelling performance of Seattle pianist and composer Nelda Swiggett’s “For the Birds” on May 16.

Swiggett said in a press release that through the power of artistic expression — a weaving of live music, spoken words, images and poetry — she and her jazz quintet connect audiences deeply and emotionally to the scientific realities of climate change.

“Birds truly are like, ‘the canary in the coal mine’ when it comes to climate change. They are being severely impacted by climate change,” Swiggett told the Reporter, adding that her friend Jill McGrath has written poetry for the event.

At the performance, she added that attendees will learn many interesting facts about birds, hear bird calls and see images of birds. On a visceral level, she said that people will hopefully feel the importance of everyone doing what they can to address climate change to save birds from becoming extinct.

Swiggett has taken her passion for creating music and melded it with her concern for what’s happening to the planet to bring “For the Birds” and her other climate-themed multimedia performance, “The Alaska Suite: a story of beauty, loss and hope,” to life. “The Alaska Suite” debuted on Earth Day 2017 and has been performed 36 times to date in front of nearly 2,500 people across Washington state, according to the press release.

“I guess I’ve always been like this environmentalist. I know my husband and I have been driving electric cars since like 2011,” she said.

In the music realm, Swiggett will be joined by Clif Swiggett (trombone), Kate Olson (saxophone, flute), Chris Symer (bass) and Adam Kessler (drums).

Church pastor Jennifer Castle said that care for creation is a spiritual issue and an important priority for the church.

“In 2019, we put the solar panels on. We are consistently participating in the Leap for Green sustainability fair at Mercer Island. Last fall, we hosted a professor and author (David Orr) to talk about the importance of democracy and combating climate change. And so this concert is kind of the latest in our environmental justice programming and offerings for the community. I think people are really going to enjoy this one,” Castle said.

The event will also feature tabling from several environmental justice nonprofit groups and a solar panel company.

Castle witnessed a performance of “The Alaska Suite” a few years ago at a Seattle church, and when she heard about “For the Birds,” the pastor was immediately on board with bringing it to the Island church. Swiggett said it will be the quintet’s fifth or sixth performance of “For the Birds.”

“One of my congregants saw it and said it was fantastic,” said Castle, adding that Swiggett’s creative experiences are more than just a concert, but a full sensory event that touches people beyond the intellectual level. “Art speaks to us in different ways, and we learn in different ways, and we’re inspired in different ways.”

“For the Birds” will hit the stage from 7-8:30 p.m. The church is located at 4545 Island Crest Way. Suggested donation is $10-$20/students $5; for tickets, visit: forthebirdsMercerIsland.eventbrite.com.

Pictured are Western blue birds. Photo courtesy of Nelda Swiggett