Wanted: Judy Garland - Rufus Wainwright - Orchestrated

Praised as “the greatest songwriter on the planet” by Sir Elton John, Rufus Wainwright joins the Royal Conservatory Orchestra for a special one-night-only engagement performing selections from his albums Rufus does Judy at Carnegie Hall, Want One, Want Two , and beyond.

On the mark of its 20th anniversary this year, Wainwright’s Rufus Does Judy is undoubtedly one of the most sensational shows from his incredible career, an exhilarating and loving recreation of Judy Garland’s infamous 1961 comeback concert. Rufus Does Judy made its premiere at Carnegie Hall in 2006 and garnered Wainwright’s first Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. The full program has been performed globally including the London Palladium, Hollywood Bowl, Paris’ L'Olympia, and Toronto’s Luminato Festival. For the Koerner Hall performance, Wainwright will curate a special selection of his favorite songs from the album. 2026 will be the last time Rufus reprises this iconic show.

Rufus Wainwright’s Want One and Want Two have earned recognition as iconic albums worldwide, with Paste Magazine elevating Want One to the No. 1 album of the year, and Rolling Stone listing it in their top 5 best albums of 2003. Bowie hailed Wainwright’s song “Dinner at Eight” as the “best father/son song he knew.” 22 years later, these songs have been given new life through lush symphonic arrangements by Sally Herbert (Woodkid, Florence + the Machine) and Max Moston (Antony and the Johnsons).