Rufus Wainwright

Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and composer.

Wainwright’s much acclaimed first opera, titled “Prima Donna," premiered at the Manchester International Festival in July 2009. The New York Times said, "There are inspired touches and disarmingly beautiful passages in this mysterious, stylistically eclectic work in Rufus Wainwright's first opera...” The London Times declared, "...the Canadian singer-songwriter hasn’t just written an opera. He’s written a love song to opera, soaked in the perennial operatic themes of loss, betrayal, delusion and nostalgia, and saturated in the musical styles of opera’s golden age."

He has composed a musical adaptation of Shakespeare Sonnets with noted Director Robert Wilson at the Berliner Ensemble which premiered in April of 2009 and continues to play to sold out houses. Wainwright has released eight albums and two DVDs to date, and has appeared on numerous soundtracks and compilations, as well as collaborating with artists like Elton John, David Byrne, Rosanne Cash and Keane. His album, “Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall,” was nominated for a Grammy. His previous album, "Release The Stars," went Gold in Canada and the U.K.

Wainwright has received Juno Awards for Best Alternative Album in 1999 and 2002 for Rufus Wainwright and Poses, respectively, and nominations for his albums Want Two (2005) and Release the Stars (2008). He was nominated for Songwriter of the Year in 2008 for his Release the Stars album.

When Canadian folk singer Kate McGarrigle died in 2010, Rufus Wainwright lost both his mother and his biggest fan. “She was the force behind my talent,” says the Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter. Before McGarrigle died, she created a fund to raise money for sarcoma research. He and his sister Martha continued their mother’s initiative, founding the Kate McGarrigle Foundation in 2012. To finance the foundation’s research grants, the family hosts concerts, including an annual Christmas show called Nöel Nights. The foundation has also partnered with Stand Up To Cancer to fund music therapy for people who have the disease. Wainwright considers this another way to honor his mother’s legacy.