MUSIC NEWS- Singer/song writer, Rufus Wainwright is set to premiere his first opera, Prima Donna , at the 2009 Manchester International Festival in the UK, a showcase of new and original works, after plans to stage it in New York City fell through. It follows the festival's much-lauded premiere in 2007 of Monkey:Journey to the West , which saw another popular music act turn to opera; the band, Gorillaz . Set in Paris, Prima Donna is about a fading opera star. Wainwright said that his inspiration for the opera included the 1981 film, Diva and recorded interviews with Maria Callas during her unhappy retirement. It was originally set to premiere

at the New York Metropolitan Opera , but the production encountered trouble when Wainwright refused to translate his French libretto into English. He explained that his decision to scrap the opera, Met manager Peter Gelb told the New York Times: "Presenting a new opera that is not in English at the Met when it could be in English is an immediate impediment to its potential success with audiences." Prima Donna will feature soprano Janis Kelly in the lead role Madame, soprano Rebecca Bottone, tenor William Joyner and baritone Jonathan Summers. Rufus Wainwright, who already has many pop albums released, will not be performing. There will be five performances the Manchester Palace Theatre starting July 10 you can purchase tickets from MIF, here . His latest release, Rufus Does Judy, Live at Carnegie Hall is available now! He is also on tour in the USA and a stop in Tel Aviv, Israel on November 26 ! His tour itinerary info can be found, here.