With the holiday season bringing with it so many family traditions, one of the more welcome over the past few years has been The McGarrigle Christmas Hour, a concert at Carnegie Hall inspired by the repertoire of Kate and Anna McGarrigle's 2005 Nonesuch album of the same name. The album is a collection of traditional and contemporary holiday songs and a celebration of family and friends, featuring Emmylou Harris, Anna’s daughter Lilly Lanken, and Kate’s children Martha and Rufus Wainwright, all of whom will perform at tonight's show. Also included among the concert's special guests are Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, Teddy Thompson, Linda Thompson, Jimmy Fallon, and Justin Bond.
With the holiday season bringing with it so many family traditions, one of the more welcome over the past few years has been The McGarrigle Christmas Hour, a concert at Carnegie Hall inspired by the repertoire of Kate and Anna McGarrigle's 2005 Nonesuch album of the same name. The album is a collection of traditional and contemporary holiday songs and a celebration of family and friends, featuring Emmylou Harris, Anna’s daughter Lilly Lanken, and Kate’s children Martha and Rufus Wainwright, all of whom will perform at tonight's show in Carnegie's main hall, Stern Auditorium. Also included among the concert's many special guests are Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, Teddy Thompson, Linda Thompson, Jimmy Fallon (formerly of Saturday Night Live and soon to be taking over for Conan O'Brien on NBC's Late Night), and Justin Bond (of Kiki & Herb fame).
In an interview with Pitchfork, Rufus Wainwright describes Emmylou as "a kind of honorary McGarrigle sister herself," who helped jump start the project. She has indeed collaborated with Kate and Anna McGarrigle for years and on a number of songs, including two on her 2008 Grammy-nominated album, All I Intended to Be.
Rufus also spoke with New York Press about the concert and about what the audience can expect at this year's show, in which, he says, "we’re branching out a little more," as with a new song he'll be adding to the set, "Christmas Is for Kids." He also explains why this year's family gathering, in particular, means even more:
"I always look forward to singing with my mom, I have to say. One of the main aspects of this show is a big cancer charity that we’re doing. My mother’s been struggling with cancer for three years, so we’re raising some money for her hospital. Just to be able to sing with her still, and to have her up there, that means all the world."
Read the complete interview at nypress.com.
You can listen to clips from The McGarrigle Christmas Hour album, including the full-length track of Rufus's "Spotlight on Christmas," here. For information and tickets to tonight's show, visit carnegiehall.org.
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