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Rufus Wainwright released a live CD, played Highline Ballroom w/ Loudon & has some benefit shows coming up

Rufus Wainwright @ City Winery in March (more by Jacob Blickenstaff)
Rufus Wainwright

Famed Actor, Writer and Dramatist Charles Busch will serve as Host of A Place at the Table, a benefit evening set for Monday, October 5th, at The Chelsea Art Museum (556 West 22nd Street). The 2nd annual fall event will benefit New York’s Ali Forney Center…Grammy nominated singer and songwriter Rufus Wainwright will give a special solo performance. A Place at the Table will feature a cocktail reception with food tastings from up-and-coming NYC chefs Seth Johnson and Andrew D’Ambrosi of the Norwood Club, sushi chef Kevin Chan of Bamboo 52 and current TopChef contestant Ash Fulk of Trestle on Tenth. Live and silent auctions and a special solo performance by Wainwright will also be featured…The Ali Forney Center (AFC) was started in June 2002 in response to the lack of safe shelter for LGBT youth in New York City. They have grown quickly to become the nation’s largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth.

Tickets, which start at $150, are on sale.

The night before, Rufus plays as part of “Hal Willner Presents: An Evening with Gavin Friday and Friends” at Carnegie Hall. That show is a benefit for (RED), a charity that exists to “help fight AIDS in Africa.”

One month later, you can catch Rufus at the New York City Opera Gala. Details below.

Milwaukee at Last!!!, a new live CD and DVD is out now.

Rufus appeared at Highline Ballroom on September 15th for a show with Loudon and Martha where they performed the music of Charley Poole. Clips from that gig, and a not so nice review, are also below…

Loudon Wainwright @ Highline Ballroom

Martha Wainwright @ Highline Ballroom

“But what III doesn’t deserve to do is make me stand through an hour (an hour because I left at intermission) of Poole songs: it is like having lunch with a philatelist: you appreciate their passion but you don’t share it. I hadn’t been overwhelmed by what I heard of the album except for a song here and a song there, and except when the women sang last night (take a bow the Roches, and you too Martha) Loudon III and his band were extremely gifted bores. The son Rufus came out for background vocals on one song and a verse on another and came across like a complete plank. I’m surprised Loudon didn’t punch him.” [rock nyc]

Rufus Wainwright – Two Sweethearts @ Highline Ballroom

Rufus at the New York City Opera Gala

Join Rufus Wainwright in celebrating the New York City Opera’s return to the stage at the renovated David H. Koch Theater at their opening night gala on Thursday, November 5th. This event is called American Voices and will include a performance of “That’s Entertainment” by Rufus. “Les Feux D’artifice,” the final aria from his opera, Prima Donna, will be performed by a guest soprano.

The New York City Ballet and several other artists will also be performing at this event, including Amy Burton, Joyce Castle, Anna Christy, Joyce DiDonato, Lauren Flanigan, Anthony Dean Griffey, Marc Kudisch, Samuel Ramey, and maestros George Manahan and Julius Rudel.

All festivities will take place at the David H. Koch Theater (formerly the New York State Theater) at Lincoln Center (West 63rd St & Columbus Avenue in NYC). For tickets to the Theater Debut celebration, including the concert and black tie dinner, contact the New York City Opera Special Events Department at 212-870-5595.