Gary Sredzienski

My career as a musician in healthcare began when I was 9 when my mom set me up to perform at a local nursing home. The following year I was recruited to perform with old vaudeville performers when I was 10 and the next youngest member was 75. I am grateful for this upbringing because it gave me a love of the older generations, their culture and music. In 1990 I performed at 93 elderly facilites in 5 weeks in 15 states. That year I left the US Forest Service and began a full time career as a performing accordionist. Life has been culturally rich because of this decision, performing gigs for 4 NH governors, performing nation wide, placing my music in 6 major motion pictures, teaching and performing solo and with my band the Serfs. As I approach my late 50s I have no need of fame or fortune, but find my joy by performing for the elderly in the seacoast regions of Maine, NH and Massachusetts. I travel nearly every day to perform 1920s- 60s American music , ethnic, classical and jazz. I usually play for a concert for the residents but also spend much time doing room visits to the elderly who can't leave their rooms. Today more facilites are attaching Memory Care units and it is enjoyable for me to work with dementia and alzheimers patients. To see the positive response that music brings has been my motivation and I love my work immensely. During the pandemic most of my work was outside the facilites, playing outside of windows. Thankfully homes are slowly reopening and work is returning.