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Rufus And Martha Wainwright Present A Not So Silent Night

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023 • 8PM

PRESENTED

BY

MURMRR & THE TOWN HALL

RUFUS & MARTHA WAINWRIGHT PRESENT

A NOT SO SILENT NIGHT

A HOLIDAY CONCERT WITH FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND SPECIAL GUESTS

Special Guests Include

Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Loudon Wainwright, Lucy Wainwright Roche, Jenni Muldaur, Suzzy Roche, Chaim Tannenbaum, Sloan Wainwright, Gail Ann Dorsey, Lily Lankin, Gigi and Islay McMillan, Viva Cohen, Arc and Francis Albetta

David Mansfield “Musical Director”

Jon Cowherd “Keys”

Douglas Wieselmann “Oboe/Guitar”

Shawn Pelton “Drums” Armand Hirsch “Guitar”

Tony Scherr “Bass”

Liann Cline “Harp”

There will be merch and a raffle. All proceeds from those sales and profits of the show will go towards the Kate McGarrigle Fund for Sarcoma Research. All performers are contributing their time and voices and we are grateful for their support!

Ted Lambert, Executive Director

Jeff Mann, Marketing Director

Alex Koveos, Sr. Digital Media Manager

Cindy Byram, Publicist

Melay Araya, Artistic Director

Gloria Lee, Programming Manager

Carl Acampora, Production Manager

Dennis Rakauckas, Graphic Designer

“quirky, magnificent, festive blow out”

– The Guardian

“Fingers crossed, someone filmed this. A Not So Silent Night … was a TV-special-inwaiting that you would watch every year.”

The Times

A family tradition, the two siblings will be joined by their immediate family as well other members of the Wainwright and McGarrigle clans. Emmylou Harris is a part of the tradition too. She has been a part of almost every Christmas show since its inception since she had a strong creative history with the Wainwrights’ mother, Kate McGarrigle. Norah Jones is also a returning guest to the annual show. The Wainwrights’ dad Loudon Wainwright, and their half-sister Lucy Wainwright Roche are already confirmed to join in the spirit of the holidays as well. More special guests are to be announced soon.

“I am utterly excited to bring our holiday concert back to New York City after a hiatus of almost 5 years. These shows very much reflect who Martha and I are as artists and a family, slightly messy but incredibly powerful and emotional, festive, and fun. The Town Hall is one of my favorite venues to perform in. So many Greats have graced the stage, and it is a place that my mother Kate worshipped.” – Rufus Wainwright

“These Christmas shows, conceived of over 25 years ago by our mum, have BECOME our Christmas! There’s always a slight annoyance (and dread?) as we start preparing in June but by the time the show starts all the holiday magic in the world shows up on stage and the importance (and wonderful ridiculousness) of the holiday season is revealed. Most apparent though is the love and music that reigns” – Martha Wainwright

This annual holiday celebration has its roots in the childhood home of Rufus and Martha’s mother, the Canadian folk legend Kate McGarrigle. The family would carol in the living room of their wooden home in the Laurentian mountain town of St. Sauveur. This is very much still the spirit of these holiday shows that Kate, and later her children, brought to major concert halls around the world, from London’s Royal Festival Hall and Dublin’s National Concert Hall to New York’s Carnegie Hall and Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. When Kate was tragically diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, she began to raise money and awareness for funding research into the disease as at the time there were no drugs available to treat it. In December 2009, she bravely performed her last family Christmas concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall. For that show, she wrote a heartbreaking song, “Proserpina,” that tells the story of Hera bemoaning the loss of her daughter Proserpina who married Hades and would live with him for half of the year in the underworld and would return to her mother in the spring and summer bringing warmth and light. It mirrored her own situation as her daughter Martha was bound in London after the premature birth of her son Arcangelo and could not travel home to be with her dying mother.

Rufus and Martha continue Kate’s legacy with the Christmas shows, helping to raise awareness and money for the Kate McGarrigle Foundation for Sarcoma Research.

Rufus, Martha, and their guests will be musically supported by a superb band led by Music Director David Mansfield and Jon Cowherd on keys, Doug Wieselman on oboe and guitar, Shawn Pelton on drums, Armand Hirsch on guitar, and Tony Scherr on bass. Special merch items benefiting the Kate McGarrigle Fund will be available the night of the show.

ABOUT MURMRR

Founded by Brian Kelly, Murmrr is a community-focused New York-based events company. They program world-renowned and emerging artists in various disciplines including music, art, comedy, literature, and film. Murmrr strives to provide a hi-fi sonic experience coupled with events that promote culture before commerce. http://www.murmrr.com/

ABOUT THE KATE MCGARRIGLE FUND

Kate McGarrigle was a Canadian folk music singer-songwriter who wrote and performed as a duo with her sister Anna McGarrigle. She is the mother of singers Rufus Wainwright and Martha Wainwright from her marriage to American singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III. When Kate was diagnosed with sarcoma in 2007, it became her mission to combat the disease. Later that same year, she and a handful of friends founded The Kate McGarrigle Fund in Canada. Following Kate’s death in 2010, the family expanded to the United States by founding The Kate McGarrigle Foundation, allowing the family to work specifically on Kate’s musical and artistic legacy while also funding research in the U.S. Recently, The Kate McGarrigle Foundation and The Kate McGarrigle Fund joined SU2C and SU2C Canada, respectively, to further expand their reach and fundraising efforts.

In the summer of 2010 Richard Thompson staged the first of a series of tributes to Kate McGarrigle’s music at London’s Royal Festival Hall as part of his Melt Down Festival. Sing Me the Songs That Say I Love You: A Concert for Kate McGarrigle is a documentary directed by Lian Lunson that captures the May 2011 tribute concert honoring the late, great singer songwriter Kate McGarrigle in New York City. This documentary is partly a concert, and partly an intimate look at a family coming to terms with the loss of a loved one. Candid interviews with Kate’s family and friends are paired with rousing performances of her music. Sing Me the Songs That Say I Love You had its world premiere at Sundance London Film Festival in April 2012 and was also shown at the Berlinale and other festivals around the world.

Each year, Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, and several of their well-known musical friends produce Noël Nights or A Not So Silent Night, a series of holiday concerts in major North American cities. Proceeds from event ticket sales and special VIP packages will go to the Kate McGarrigle Fund. Monies raised in Canada will go to music therapy and research in Canada, and monies raised in the U.S. will go to music therapy and research in the U.S

In January 2020, the Stand Up To Cancer Canada Kate McGarrigle Fund launched the “Music As Healing” Grant Program, an initiative that encourages both cancer patients and cancer survivors, to share their cancer journey through original music compositions. Cancer patients and survivors were invited to submit original compositions (music and lyrics) to compete for ten grants. The finalists’ songs were compiled into a digital Music As Healing album that is available on Spotify and will benefit the Kate McGarrigle Fund and go towards sarcoma research. Martha Wainwright acts as Music Director for the SU2C Kate McGarrigle Fund music therapy program. The Kate McGarrigle Fund is a fund of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, a Charity Navigator Four-Star Charity that meets all 20 Better Business charity standards and carries the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency

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Photo: © Sachyn Mital

THE TOWN HALL FOUNDATION

The Town Hall’s mission is to provide affordable world-class entertainment by new and established artists to a diverse audience; to inspire the youth of our community to appreciate and participate in the arts at The Town Hall and in schools through our Education Outreach Program; and to preserve and enhance The Town Hall as a historic landmark venue for the enjoyment and cultural enrichment of generations to come.

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Johnny Lee Green

WARNING

The photographing or sound recording of any performance or the possession of any device for such photographing or sound recording inside the theatre without the written permission of the management is prohibited by law. Violators may be punished by ejection and violations may render the offender liable for monetary damages.

FIRE NOTICE

The exit indicated by a red light and sign nearest to the seat you occupy is the shortest route to the street. In the event of fire or other emergency please do not run, WALK TO THAT EXIT. Thoughtless persons annoy patrons and endanger the safety of others by lighting matches or smoking in prohibited areas during the performances and intermissions. This violates a city ordinance and is punishable by law.

-FIRE COMMISSIONER

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ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES: 212.997.1003

Mon-Fri 9:30 am to 5 pm, for rental & membership info

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LOST AND FOUND: 212.997.0113

CELL PHONE POLICY

Cell phones should be silenced prior to the performance as a courtesy to the performers and audience.

LOBBY REFRESHMENT BY Theatre Refreshment Company of NY

MAJOR GIFTS, CORPORATE, FOUNDATION & GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Town Hall’s Education Outreach Program is made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. The Centennial Concert Series is funded, in part, by Howard Gilman Foundation. We would like to thank the following foundations, corporations, and government institutions for their support:

American Portfolios

Bank of America

Bob Dylan Center

Broadhaven Capital Partners

Consolidated Edison Company of New York

The Durst Organization

The Hearst Foundations, Inc.

The Hyde & Watson Foundation

The IV Fund

Edythe Kenner Foundation

Gund Investment Corporation

National Endowment for the Arts

New York City Department of Cultural Affairs

New York State Council on the Arts

Henry Nias Foundation

Howard Gilman Foundation

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul

New York City Mayor Eric L. Adams

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine

New York City Council Member Keith Powers

New York City Council Member Gale Brewer

New York City Council Member Julie Menin

New York City Council Member Sandy Nurse

New York City Council Member Kalman Yeger

NYC Dept. Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo

S&P Global

The Shubert Foundation

Ticketmaster

TOUR THE HISTORIC TOWN HALL

As of Sep 08, 2022

Town Hall has played an integral part in the electrifying cultural fabric of New York City for more than 90 years. A group of Suffragists’ fight for the 19th Amendment led them to build a meeting space to educate people on the important issues of the day. During its construction, the 19th Amendment was passed, and on January 12, 1921 The Town Hall opened its doors and took on a double meaning: as a symbol of the victory sought by its founders, and as a spark for a new, more optimistic climate. In 1921, German composer Richard Strauss performed a series of concerts that cemented the Hall’s reputation as an ideal venue for musical performances. Since, Town Hall has been home to countless musical milestones: The US debuts of Strauss, and Isaac Stern; Marian Anderson’s first New York recital; in 1945, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker introduced bebop to the world; Bob Dylan’s first major concert in ‘63; and much much more.

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Thanks for putting art in the heart of the community

Bank of America recognizes The Town Hall for its success in bringing the arts to performers and audiences throughout the community e commend you on creating an opportunity for all to enjoy and share a cultural experience. Visit us at bankofamerica.com/about.

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