Grammy-nominated singer,
songwriter, and composer Rufus Wainwright will
play two highly anticipated New Zealand dates in March 2019, as part of his
20-year anniversary “All These Poses” tour.
For
these special anniversary shows, Rufus and his band will perform
material from both his
Rufus Wainwright (1998) and
Poses (2001)
releases – two critically acclaimed albums featuring fan favourites
Cigarettes And Chocolate Milk, Poses, April Fools, California, and
Foolish Love. It was his self-titled debut which first burst him onto the music scene.
Immediately beloved, both Rufus and the record were widely hailed as
a breakthrough. It influenced many artists that came after him and set the path
for his illustrious career ever since.
“
20 years, what can I say?”
states Rufus. “
In
life, one stands the test of time but in music, thankfully, one reaps the
rewards. Come savour a very fine vintage of songs, those were some pretty good
years!"
All
These Poses Tour New Zealand 2019
Sat 2 March - Town Hall
/ Auckland
Sun 3 March - The Opera House / Wellington
Tickets go on sale for both shows on Thursday 16 August at 10am at Ticketmaster.co.nz
Presale tickets are available from Tuesday 14 August at 10am,
with exclusive VIP packages also available. Details at Ticketmaster.co.nz and rufuswainwright.com.
The tour is proudly presented by Plus1 and TimeOut.
Rufus Wainwright,
one of the great male vocalists, songwriters and composers of his generation,
has released eight 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. In 2018, Rufus won
for his contribution to the
Tony
Bennett Celebrates 90 album in the best traditional pop
vocal album category.
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 five-concert residency at the
Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London. In September 2014, he made his debut
with the London Proms at Royal Albert Hall and performed at the Last Night of
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. In September 2015, the Deutsche Grammophon
released a double CD recording of Prima Donna with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Rufus’ latest recording,
Take
All My Loves: 9 Shakespeare Sonnets, was released on April
22, 2016 on Deutsche Grammophon to critical acclaim. Shortly thereafter, a
decade after his celebrated, iconic performances marked a career
highlight, Rufus paid tribute once again to the “greatest night in
show business” by revisiting
Rufus Does
Judy at Carnegie Hall, an epic recreation of Judy Garland’s 1961
comeback concert, over two much celebrated nights in June 2016, followed by a
restaging at the famed Luminato Festival in Toronto.
The anniversary tour comes hot on the heels of the debut of his second
opera,
Hadrian, set to
premiere on October 13
th at
the Canadian Opera Company (Toronto).
Hadrian was
inspired by the Roman Emperor Hadrian and his love for Antinous. The
opera is composed by Rufus and award-winning Canadian actor,
director and playwright Daniel
MacIvor.
RUFUS
WAINWRIGHT ONLINE
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