Rufus Wainwright

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Son of folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, and brother of Martha Wainwright. Rufus has achieved success by carving out his own singular sound.

He has released six 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, and Keane. Rufus’ latest album is a live recording from his Carnegie Hall concert titled, Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall and has been nominated for a Grammy. It was released concurrently with a live DVD (Rufus! Rufus! Rufus! Does Judy! Judy! Judy!) capturing his celebrated Judy Garland tribute performance at the London Palladium in 2007. 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). Three of the songs on Poses also garnered him Juno nominations for Best Songwriter in 2005: “Poses,” “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk,” and “Grey Gardens.” In 2008 Wainwright was nominated for Songwriter of the Year for “Going to a Town,” “Release the Stars” and “Do I Disappoint You,” all on his Release the Stars album.

He also composed original music for choreographer Stephen Petronio’s work BLOOM. In 2008 he received a BRIT nomination for Best International Male Solo Artist. Wainwright is also nominated this year (2009) for his first Grammy in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category for his album, Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall (2007).

He is currently composing a musical adaptation of Shakespearean Sonnets with Director Robert Wilson at the Berliner Ensemble to be premiered in April of 2009.

Wainwright’s first opera, titled “Prima Donna”, following a day in the life of an opera singer, will premiere at the Manchester International Festival in July 2009.

In addition to Rufus’ musical pursuits, he’s also made his mark onscreen. He has acted in Academy Award winning director Deny Arcand’s French film L’Âge des Ténèbres (2007), the Merchant Ivory film Heights (2005), and the major blockbuster The Aviator (2004) directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio.