Audra McDonald and Mandy Patinkin were special guests on The Colbert Report, as the show threw what it humbly dubbed the "Wedding of the Century." Host Stephen Colbert officiated an on-air wedding ceremony for a couple whose wedding plans were thwarted by the US government shutdown. To help celebrate the newlyweds, Patinkin offered a non-denominational Jewish blessing and McDonald sang Billy Idol's "White Wedding" for the couple's first dance. Watch it here. Audra McDonald was due to perform at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, this week, but the concert was canceled due to the government shutdown and will be rescheduled.

Rufus Wainwright offered a short performance at a screening of Sing Me the Songs That Say I Love You, the film documenting a 2011 NYC tribute concert for his mother, the late Kate McGarrigle, at the Hammer Museum in LA last month. The 22-minute set included two Kate McGarrigle songs—"The Work Song" and "(Talk to Me of) Mendocino"—and more. Watch the complete set here. Nonesuch Records released Sing Me the Songs: Celebrating the Works of Kate McGarrigle, a two-CD set of songs from the concert in the film and two others held in honor of the late singer-songwriter.

Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell's first performance together on the Austin City Limits stage will premiere on PBS stations across the US on Saturday, November 2, 2013. The duo's performance was recorded at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin this past June as part of a world tour supporting their new album, Old Yellow Moon. Harris and Crowell will also appear on a special ACL show November 23 featuring the best music performances from this year’s Americana Music Association Honors and Awards ceremony, at which they took home awards for Duo of the Year and Album of the Year.

Iron and Wine's Sam Beam, who kicked off a North American fall tour with a sold-out show at First Avenue in Minneapolis last night, stopped by the studios of Minnesota Public Radio's 89.3 The Current while in town for the tour launch. He spoke about Iron and Wine's recently released Nonesuch debut album, Ghost on Ghost, and performed intimate solo takes on three songs off the new album: "Caught in the Briars," "Grace for Saints and Ramblers," and "Winter Prayers." You can watch the performances of the latter two songs here.

Sing Me the Songs That Say I Love You: A Concert for Kate McGarrigle, the feature documentary directed by Lian Lunson, is now available on iTunes via the Sundance Institute’s Artist Services program. The film captures the 2011 NYC concerts honoring McGarrigle, with performances from Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Kate's sister Anna, and friends like Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, and Antony. Nonesuch Records released a two-CD set with highlights from the NYC tribute concerts and those held in London and Toronto after McGarrigle died of sarcoma; proceeds from the album benefit the Kate McGarrigle Foundation for sarcoma research.

Bombino has performed an NPR Tiny Desk Concert, the 300th episode in the series of intimate sets at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen, featuring three songs from his Nonesuch debut album, Nomad. Boilen praises his "fierce, hypnotic guitar playing" and "amazing jams." Watch the performance here. Bombino, currently touring Europe, will launch the next leg of his US tour in November.

Stephen Sondheim, who was awarded the Edward MacDowell Medal in August, discussed the award and much more on PBS NewsHour last night. While at The MacDowell Colony to receive the award last month, the composer spoke with Jeffrey Brown, NewsHour's Jeffrey Brown about the honor and the danger of resting on one's laurels. Writer Frank Rich, who was the chairman of the medal selection committee, tells the show: "I'd argue that he single-handedly has kept the musical theater in a serious place." Watch the PBS NewsHour feature here.

Bombino, who is currently touring Europe, has performed an intimate, acoustic version of the song "Amidinine," off his Nonesuch debut album, Nomad, for the Guardian's How I wrote ... series. He discusses the song, the title of which translates to "My Friend," and is joined by his band mate Ibrahim Atchinguil Emoud on djembe to perform it. Watch it here. Bombino has been nominated for a MOBO Award in the "Best African Act" category; voting is open to the public.

Iron and Wine, who returns to the road this fall touring North America, stopped by SiriusXM's Outlaw Country while on tour earlier this year to perform three songs from the Nonesuch debut album, Ghost on Ghost—"Grace for Saints and Ramblers," "The Desert Babbler," and "Grass Widows"—plus the song "Lean Into the Light." Watch all four performances here. The fall tour from singer-songwriter Sam Beam and a 12-piece band kicks off at First Avenue in Minneapolis on September 18 and includes stops in Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, and more.

Mandolinist Chris Thile is the subject of a Wall Street Journal feature profile examining his new solo album, Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1, and exploring his interest in transcending the boundaries of musical genres and his ability to do so. "My thesis statement would be—Bach didn't write Baroque music," Thile says. "He wrote great music." In two companion videos to the article, which you can watch here, Thile further makes that case and demonstrates why it is true.

Fatoumata Diawara, whose North American summer tour comes to a close in British Columbia this weekend, is the subject of a captivating feature profile on CNN's African Voices program. Diawara spoke with CNN for an in-depth discussion of her life, from her early days in Mali to an acting career that led to world travel and her career in music, as heard on her critically acclaimed debut album, Fatou, and her recent efforts in support of peace in Mali. You can watch the profile here.

Kronos Quartet helped close out the opening day of the Outside Lands festival in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park on Friday night with a flourish: first performing with The National (pictured here with Bob Weir, who joined for a song), then returning to the stage for the closing act, Sir Paul McCartney, for his encore, a performance of "Yesterday." Rolling Stone reports the performance "moved virtually every single person in the field, including security guards and food vendors." Watch it here.