Singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright [ tickets ] continues to span the globe with shows on several continents, but he's also made room for a few intimate dates closer to home.

The performer will play one-off shows in Los Angeles (2/12) and New York (2/14) in February with his full backing band, and then head out on the road for a brief stretch in March armed only with his guitar and singing voice. The solo outing kicks off March 4 in Solana Beach, CA. Dates are below.

Following the handful of solo shows, Wainwright will head to Europe for a run through Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Poland. Wainwright is currently gearing up for a trek through Japan, Australia and New Zealand that begins later this month. The singer's complete international schedule can be found at his website.

Wainwright's latest studio album, last May's "Release the Stars," follows 2004's "Want Two" and is the singer's fifth studio effort. The record, which is his first self-produced disc, features contributions from folk/rock veteran Richard Thompson, Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys and Wainwright's mother, singer Kate McGarrigle, among others.

A live set, "Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall," hit stores in December, documenting the New York City stop of Wainwright's series of tribute shows to Judy Garland that he performed in several cities last year. A live DVD of the singer's London Garland show, "Rufus! Rufus! Rufus! Does Judy! Judy! Judy! Live at the London Palladium," was also released in December.

Wainwright recently composed his first opera, "Prima Donna." The piece was commissioned by New York Metropolitan Opera general manager Peter Gelb.

"I've been wanting to write an opera ever since I was 14, when I first heard Verdi's," Wainwright told Charlottesville, VA, city paper The Hook in August. "After that I became an opera fanatic. All I could listen to was opera. I have more of an appreciation for pop because that's the world I live in, but my main passion is opera. So I just decided to write it, finally. It's called 'Prima Donna,' and it's about a day in the life of an opera singer."