Praised by the New York Times for his “authentic originality,” Rufus Wainwright has made a name for himself as one of the great male vocalists, songwriters and composers of his generation.
Rufus Wainwright
Composer
Born in New York and raised in Montreal, the singer-songwriter has so far released 11 studio albums, three DVDs and three live albums, including
Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall
, which was nominated for a Grammy. He has collaborated with artists such as Elton John, Burt Bacharach, Miley Cyrus, David Byrne, Boy George, Joni Mitchell, Pet Shop Boys, Robbie Williams, Jessye Norman, Billy Joel, Paul Simon and producer Mark Ronson, among others.
He has written numerous songs for movies, TV and two operas.
Prima Donna
premiered at the Manchester International Festival and was subsequently performed in London, Hong Kong, at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires and at the Festival d'Avignon, among other venues.
Hadrian
was premiered in 2018 by the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, starring Thomas Hampson. In the summer of 2022, he created a new, semi-staged production with images by Robert Mapplethorpe at the Teatro Real in Madrid.
His latest album of original songs
Unfollow the Rules
, nominated for a Grammy and Juno awards, is a powerful highlight. The new studio album
Folkocracy
, also nominated for a Grammy, was released on the occasion of his 50th birthday and features idiosyncratically interpreted folk classics and duets with artists such as Chaka Khan, Brandi Carlile, John Legend and Anohni.