Rufus Wainwright and José González

Critically acclaimed powerhouse singer-songwriters Rufus Wainwright and José González each perform their unique blend of warmhearted melodies, inspiring lyrics, and exceptional musicianship.

Listen to Rufus Wainwright

More About Rufus Wainwright

Praised by the New York Times for his “genuine originality,” Rufus Wainwright has established himself as one of the great male vocalists and songwriters of his generation. The New York-born, Montreal-raised singer songwriter has released seven studio albums, three DVDs, and three live albums, including the fantastic Grammy-nominated Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall, which captured his celebrated Judy Garland tribute performance at the London Palladium in 2007, and the album Release The Stars which went Gold in Canada and the U.K. Wainwright regularly plays at major festivals around the world and has toured extensively in North America, South and Central America, Asia, Australia, Russia, the Middle East and Europe.

Wainwright has received Juno Awards for Best Alternative Album in 1999 and 2002 for Rufus Wainwright and Poses, respectively, and nominations for his albums Want Two and Release the Stars. He was also nominated for Songwriter of the Year in 2008 for Release the Stars. Wainwright also composed the original music for choreographer Stephen Petronio’s work BLOOM which has toured across the country. Musically, he has collaborated with artists including Elton John, Boy George, Joni Mitchell, and producer Mark Ronson, among many others.

In addition to being a celebrated contemporary pop singer, Wainwright has made a name for himself in the classical world, with his much-acclaimed premiere opera Prima Donna, and his newest opera Hadrian, which was nominated in the best World Premiere category of the International Opera Awards. Wainwright was also commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony to compose Five Shakespeare Sonnets, and was also asked to compose music for famed director Robert Wilson. Other 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 starring Rufus, Martha Wainwright, and their family. The film captures the May 2011 tribute concert honoring Rufus’ late mother, the great singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle. Additionally, Rufus and his sister are spearheading the Kate McGarrigle Fund for Sarcoma Research at Stand Up 2 Cancer and have raised hundreds of thousands dollars for this cause through concerts and appearances worldwide.

Wainwright is working on a new studio pop album to be released in the spring of 2020. The album’s songs and production harken back to his explosive debut album that celebrates the sound and musical heritage of Los Angeles. He is also working on a number of film and musical projects.

Find out more on his website.

Listen to José González

More about José González

Since releasing In Our Nature in 2007, José González has been far from idle. Besides touring the world both solo and with his band, Junip, González has been active in the studio in various contexts. One project in 2013 was José’s input to the The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty soundtrack, directed by and starring Ben Stiller. Besides previously released José and Junip songs, the film also contains exclusively written material as well as an interpretation of John Lennon’s #9 Dream.

In 2014 the AIDS awareness group, Red Hot Organization, released the compilation Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell, where González and guests play a very groovy, sax-laden version of Russell’s This Is How We Walk On The Moon. Another of González’s cover versions, his classic interpretation of The Knife’s Heartbeats, has tallied an impressive nearly 50 million streams on Spotify.

González’s latest release, Vestiges & Claws, is, however, the first album where he has chosen to include exclusively original material, largely revolving around ideas of civilization, humanism, and solidarity. One can find traces of inspired protest songs and eccentric folk rock on this album: monotonous grooves and rhythms, frustration, and optimism.

Find out more on his website

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