a scene from "Prima Donna"

Rufus's letter in full (with info on his upcoming shows at BAM and the state of opera in NYC and more), below...

Continue reading "Rufus Wainwright requests you quickly buy tickets to his opera at BAM"

"Just two years after a $107 million renovation at its Lincoln Center home, the troubled New York City Opera plans to move out and perform in various places around New York, officials of the company said on Friday.

City Opera disclosed its plans as it announced that it had settled on a slimmed-down budget for five operas and three concerts, starting in October, after speculation that financial woes would force it to halt performances.

The opera's departure would be the first major defection from America's premier arts complex, although City Opera has been talking about a move for 30 years. The New York Philharmonic also flirted with the idea of relocating, to Carnegie Hall in 2003, but that deal fell through." [NY Times]

Not leaving Lincoln Center: Midsummer Night Swing (June 27-July 16) & Lincoln Center Out of Doors 2011 & Lincoln Center Festival 2011

House of Rufus will be released on July 18 and contain 19 discs including 6 studio albums, 2 concerts on CD, 4 discs of rarities/demos/collaborations/etc, and 6 DVDs. "All of this will be housed in a beautiful red velvet encased, 90-page hardback book containing rare and unseen photos, Rufus' early hand-drawn tour posters, handwritten lyrics, four art prints and other memorabilia, extensive sleeve notes featuring interviews with Neil Tennant, Martha Wainwright, Linda Thompson and Lenny Waronker and an introduction by Rufus." The set is up for pre-order now, and more details can be found on Rufus's site.

Much more imminent are the two Kate McGarrigle tribute shows happening at NYC's Town Hall in May. Check Ticketmaster for tickets to those.

No tickets needed for this one though:

Tuesday June 28, 2011
New York City Opera - Rufus Wainwright Goes To the Opera!
Presented by Arts World Financial Center

Join New York City Opera singers, pianist Kevin Murphy, and the great singer/songwriter and opera composer, Rufus Wainwright, who hosts a performance featuring excerpts from his opera Prima Donna (which receives its New York premiere at New York City Opera in Spring 2012) and a selection of his favorite arias. Wainwright will also perform excerpts from a selection of songs inspired by his love of opera.
7pm. World Financial Center Winter Garden, 220 Vesey Street.

Other free shows this summer at NYC's World Financial Center include the 12-hour Bang on a Can Marathon and two shows by Ivan & Alyosha

Rufus debuted a new song in March at a benefit called the Hope North Ping Pong Ball. Watch a video of that below...

Continue reading "Rufus Wainwright performing opera excerpts @ World Financial Center, releasing 'House of Rufus' box set"

by Andrew Frisicano

Mode Records has etched its name in the annals of music history, producing the avant-garde and modern classical music of influential composers such as John Cage, Morton Feldman, Iannis Xenakis, and Harry Partch. In its twenty-fifth year, they are hosting a six-hour benefit concert featuring very special performances by Philip Glass and John Zorn and a rare performance of John Cage's "Concert for Piano and Orchestra" with "Aria." This marathon of experimental music luminaries in the intimate Abrons Playhouse helps Mode Records to continue producing the best of New Music into the 21st century.

The Mode Records "Marathon" will happen this Saturday, November 21st at the Abrons Arts Center with a 6pm early show and a 7:30pm late show. Glass, whose opera Kepler makes its US debut at BAM this week (Nov 18, 20 & 21 at 7:30pm) (tickets are still on sale), will be at the early show only, performing solo piano work. That'll also feature a John Zorn-directed performance of his piece "Cobra." The later show will run four hours (the marathon part) and includes Respect Sextet playing music by Sun Ra and Stockhausen, John Cage's Concert for Piano and Orchestra with Aria (performed simultaneously) and The Jack Quartet with a performance of Iannis Xenakis' Tetra. Tickets are still available.

Thanks to the recession (and the other more nuanced factors we can lump in with it), the Mode concert is neither the only benefit nor the only marathon happening this week. Another benefit marathon this week (also with John Zorn) is happening at the Clemente Soto Vélez (CSV) Cultural Center (dubbed "The Suffolk" for CMJ this year) on Friday, Nov. 20th and Saturday, Nov. 21st. The beneficiaries of the 28 hour marathon are non-profit Arts For Art and the annual Vision Festival, which is going into its 15th year. Night one acts include Sex Mob, John Zorn solo, pianist Connie Crothers and her quartet, Sam Hillmer's Regattas and $KELETON$ Big Band (who are also at the Stone in December). Night two includes Milford Graves & Marshall Allen Duo and a cast of rotating musicians and groups. A full schedule is here. Tickets are on sale.

Yet another (!) benefit marathon comes from WFMU, who is currently holding a 24-hour benefit that runs until Wednesday, November 18th (today) at 7pm. More details on the fundraiser and why it's needed are below. Donate here.

A poster, the full Mode Fest lineup and relevant videos and info are posted below...

Continue reading "Mode Records benefit w/ Philip Glass (whose opera is @ BAM tonight) & John Zorn (who plays the Vision Fest marathon)"

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

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...

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

Just as it was riding high in the opera world, the Metropolitan Opera has been bludgeoned by the recession and now faces a "disaster scenario" unless the company finds major cost cuts, including concessions from its powerful unions, the Met's general manager, Peter Gelb, said on Thursday.

Its once-mighty endowment of more than $300 million has dropped by a third, to a point where it cannot be drawn from; donations are down by $10 million this season; and ticket sales are expected to be off by several million dollars from what was expected, Mr. Gelb said in an interview.

Mr. Gelb said that he and senior staff members have taken a 10 percent pay cut and that the rest of the staff would do so at the end of the fiscal year, which concludes after the season. He said at least four expensive productions have been canceled or replaced next season as well. [NY Times]

What's Opera Doc?

Continue reading "Metropolitan Opera cutting salaries, cancelling shows"

What would you do if one decade into your career you suddenly saw one of your songs turned into a worldwide hit, won six Grammys in your native Sweden, and your latest release was declared album of the year by one of the world's most influential music websites? If you're Karin Dreijer Andersson, formerly singer with '90s pop hopes Honey Is Cool and now one half of The Knife, the answer is to take a couple of years off and return as a solo artist under a new name: Fever Ray.

In Karin's own words, "I had so many songs to record that I just had to make an album. I thought I was going to have a longer break but I guess it will never happen. I can't stop working. My aim was to finish the album and now that it's done I'm a bit restless (good that The Knife has an opera to write then.) During the last years I discovered that I like to sing too, so I hope that my newly found live band will make it to the stages next year. We are rehearsing and building something beautiful and brilliant."

'If I Had A Heart' is the first single from Fever Ray: a stirring mantra, a boundless loop, a deep sleep spreading over fields and endless oceans. A dark evocation of hope and a demand for "more, give me more". The track will be available digitally on December 16.

Music and lyrics are by Fever Ray with production by Fever Ray & Christoffer Berg. The video for "If I Had a Heart" will be directed by Andreas Nilsson.

Mute will release the debut album physically on March 24th, 2009.

Check out some Honey Is Cool videos below...

Continue reading "Fever Ray = Karin of The Knife who are writing an opera"