Rufus Wainwright in Utrecht

Rufus Wainwright is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter and composer, born in New York and raised in Montreal. His music draws on chamber pop, folk and classical traditions, and his best-known recordings include “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk,” “Going to a Town” and a version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” His catalogue includes the albums “Poses,” “Want One” and “Want Two,” as well as the operas “Prima Donna” and “Hadrian.” In 2006, he recreated Judy Garland’s 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall under the title “Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall,” then took the program to the London Palladium and Paris Olympia. The “House of Rufus” residency at the Royal Opera House in 2011 presented his catalogue across a series of theatre concerts. In 2018, he returned to material from his self-titled debut and “Poses” on the “All These Poses” tour.

Metropole Orkest is a Dutch orchestra founded in Hilversum in 1945 by conductor Dolf van der Linden. Its repertoire covers jazz, pop, electronic and classical music, while its recorded work includes albums and film soundtracks. The orchestra has collaborated with Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis Costello, Tori Amos, Within Temptation and Snarky Puppy; their album Sylva won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. Metropole Orkest has appeared at the BBC Proms in concerts devoted to grime and Charles Mingus, and performed two shows at the Barbican with Basement Jaxx. Roadburn Festival also commissioned the orchestra to perform Triptykon’s Requiem.