Rufus Wainwright to Open the Louisville Orchestra's 2023 - 2024 POPS Season

The Louisville Orchestra in partnership with Louisville Public Media present Rufus Wainwright: Want Symphonic at The Louisville Palace on September 30, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. Wainwright has established himself as one of the great male vocalists, songwriters, and composers of his generation. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, June 16 at 10am at Ticketmaster.com.

Want Symphonic is a sonic Shangri-La for 60 classical musicians, drummer Matt Johnson (Jeff Buckley, St. Vincent) and Wainwright’s “velvety truffle of his voice” (London Times). Twenty years after their original release, Wainwright will revisit two albums in a series of orchestral shows. For one night only in Louisville Wainwright will perform a large selection of songs from both his “Want One” album from 2003 and “Want Two” album from 2004, including his iconic interpretation of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”. The "breathtaking and eccentric opulence" (German Rolling Stone) of the original songs will be translated into new lush symphonic arrangements by Sally Herbert (Woodkid, Florence + the Machine) and Max Moston (Antony and The Johnsons).

Wainwright says, "Want One and Two” are maybe the most epic of my albums. They are the two sides of a coin, or better, of my personality, the male and the female, the knight in shining armor and the innocent maiden, ecstasy and restraint, glory and doom, decay and creation, the mature and the child. I am excited to bring these songs to a new level with all new symphonic settings. There is nothing more exciting than singing in front of a huge orchestra.”

The New York-born and Montreal-raised singer and songwriter began playing the piano at six years old, starting to tour at 13 with his family’s folk group, “The McGarrigle Sisters and Family”, featuring Wainwright’s sister, mother, and aunt. In the 1990s, Wainwright was nominated for a JUNO Award for Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year, as well as receiving critical acclaim over his self-titled debut, which Rolling Stone recognized as one of the best albums of the year, naming him “Best New Artist” in 1998.

Wainwright has released ten studio albums to date, three DVDs, and three live albums including the Grammy-nominated Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall. He has collaborated with artists such as Elton John, Burt Bacharach, Miley Cyrus, David Byrne, Boy George, Joni Mitchell, Pet Shop Boys, Heart, Carly Rae Jepsen, Robbie Williams, Jessye Norman, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Sting, and producer Mark Ronson, among many others. He has written numerous songs for movies and TV, and is currently working on his first musical for the West End and a Requiem. His 2020 GRAMMY® and JUNO nominated album of original songs, Unfollow the Rules, finds Wainwright at the peak of his powers, entering artistic maturity with passion, honesty, and a new-found fearlessness. To celebrate his 50th birthday, Wainwright just released on June 2nd a studio album of folk songs and duets featuring among others Chaka Khan, Brandi Carlile, and John Legend called Folkracy.

In addition to being a beloved contemporary pop singer, Wainwright has made a name for himself in the classical world; his much acclaimed first opera titled Prima Donna premiered at the 2009 Manchester International Festival. Since then, Wainwright has been commissioned by the Canadian Opera Company to create a second opera, based on the story of Roman Emperor Hadrian and Antinous, as well as the San Francisco Symphony to compose “Five Shakespeare Sonnets.” Premiering in the United States in 2010 and the UK in 2012 with BBC Symphony Orchestra, this five-movement suite sets the texts from selected Shakespearian sonnets to orchestra and vocals.