This week on eTown, we revisit Part Two of our special encore show from Macky Auditorium in Boulder, Colorado, featuring Rufus Wainwright and Madison Cunningham. eTown host Nick Forster also has a sit-down with author and climate activist Margaret Klein Salamon, Ph.D.

Music and conversation are at the heart of part two of this special eTown Taping, as Nick sits down with Madison Cunningham and Rufus Wainwright to explore their musical journeys.

Madison shares memories of growing up in her father’s church and her decision to pursue music outside that world. She reflects on how her musical priorities have changed over time, shifting her focus from technical virtuosity toward the emotional heart of a song. Madison also discusses her songwriting process and her growing interest in piano, an evolution that continued with her critically acclaimed 2025 album, Ace.

Rufus, who forged his own musical identity beyond his family’s folk roots, discusses how a conversation with Nick during a 2020 eTown appearance led to a collaboration with Brandi Carlile on Sandy Denny’s “Who Knows Where the Time Goes.” Their musical partnership continued with “Down in the Willow Garden,” the haunting lead single from Rufus’s 2023 album Folkocracy.

Margaret Klein Salamon, a psychologist whose work led her into climate activism, discusses the emotional challenges of confronting climate change. The author of Facing the Climate Emergency explains how acknowledging feelings of fear, grief and helplessness can help people move beyond those emotions and take meaningful action.