Rufus Wainwright to Bring Judy Garland Tribute Back to Carnegie Hall

On June 16th and 17th, one of contemporary music's most historic nights will return to Carnegie Hall. A decade after his celebrated, sold-out Carnegie Hall performances, Rufus Wainwright pays tribute to the "greatest night in show business" once again with Rufus Does Judy, an epic recreation of Judy Garland's 1961 comeback concert. A dazzling spectacle performed in front of sold-out crowds, it was critically lauded and remains a pinnacle of success amidst a career chock full of them. Wainwright released an album in December 2007 consisting of the live recording from the show, earning him a 2009 GRAMMY nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and charting in three countries. The show was mounted a total of six times due to popular demand, including performances at the London Palladium, Paris L'Olympia and the Hollywood Bowl.

Rufus will return to perform the milestone shows at Carnegie Hall once again with famed musical director Stephen Oremus however with a new fashion element in tow: designer J.W. Anderson (Creative Director for Loewe) has come on board as costume designer for the two shows. Wainwright, now an icon himself, will yet again carry on Garland's legacy with his signature showmanship, energy and style with beloved hits such as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," "Get Happy" and "Chicago." Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall will give audiences a chance to see the iconic production like never before.

"A lot has happened in 10 years on all fronts and musically this show will reflect that," says Rufus. "This brilliant material was constructed to widen and deepen with age and I'm looking forward to the experience of singing these songs again, myself being more experienced. Can't wait to slip back into those ruby slippers, though in this day and age of comfort and commercialism I suppose they should be ruby sneakers!"

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.rufuswainwright.com.

Rufus Wainwright, one of the great male vocalists and songwriters of his generation, has released seven studio albums, three DVDs, and three live albums. He has collaborated with artists ranging from Elton John, David Byrne, Mark Ronson, Joni Mitchell to Burt Bacharach. At the age of 14 he was named Canada's best young musician and later received the Juno Award for Best Alternative Album. His album Rufus does Judy recorded at Carnegie Hall in 2006 was nominated for a Grammy.

His acclaimed first opera, Prima Donna, premiered at the Manchester International Festival in July 2009 and has since been presented in London, Toronto and BAM in New York. In 2010 Wainwright was commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony to compose and interpret "Five Shakespeare Sonnets," a five-movement song cycle that sets Shakespeare's "Sonnets" to orchestra and voice. They have since been performed worldwide by orchestras including the Chicago and Montreal Symphonies.

In 2010 he was the first artist to complete a 5 concert residency at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London. In Sept 2014 he had his debut with the London Proms at Royal Albert Hall and performed at the Last Night of the Proms in the Park.

Other recent achievements include the 2012 world premiere of Sing Me The Songs That Say I Love You: A Concert for Kate McGarrigle, the feature length music documentary that captured the May 2011 tribute concert honoring Rufus' late mother, the legendary Kate McGarrigle. In 2013 he sang for Billy Joel at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington and September 2015 saw the Deutsche Grammophon release of a double CD recording of Prima Donna with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Rufus's latest recording, Take All My Loves: 9 Shakespeare Sonnets, was released April 22nd on Deutsche Grammophon and the Canadian Opera Company has commissioned Wainwright's second opera, about Roman Emperor Hadrian, to premiere in Toronto in the Fall of 2018.