ForRufus Wainwright, San Francisco has always appreciated his blend of theatrical songwriting and soaring vocals, which made albums such as “Poses” and covers of songs including Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” into early classics.

“San Francisco was arguably my first supporting city,” saidWainwright, 50, who recently performed at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in Golden Gate Park. “I had this little cassette tape that I sold (in the 1990s) and somehow it made its way to San Francisco and became a cult item. Once I arrived in the city, I was welcomed with open arms.”

Wainwright is set to perform at theSaint Joseph’s Arts Society’sfifth anniversary costume ball,“A Love Letter to San Francisco”on Thursday, Oct. 26. Wainwright spoke to the Chronicle about the 20-year anniversary of his “Want” albums, his latest offering, “Folkocracy,” and his lifetime fascination with the diva phenomenon.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: Will you be performing songs from “Folkocracy” at the Saint Joseph’s Arts Society ball?

A:We’ll see. These songs are pretty ancient, they probably don’t need my help. I’m definitely going to sing “Going to a Town” (from 2007’s “Release the Stars” about LGBTQ persecution), which, sadly, is very appropriate at all times.

Q: Your two “Want” albums were seminal for many queer people when they came out. How has your relationship with that material evolved in the past two decades?

A:Thankfully, I’ve been able to carve out some other areas like opera and musical theater for writing new material. Most of that energy was spent in my early days on my albums. At that time, there was more of a desperation, more of a hunger for dazzling the universe. Those albums seem to have resonated and lasted. My latest albums are a little more reserved. The spiky desperation of those (earlier) albums, I put a lot of that into my theatrical work now.

Q: Do lyrics like “I tried to dance Britney Spears, I guess I’m getting on in years,” from the song “Vibrate,” resonate differently for you at 50?

A:The journey I’ve taken with Britney Spears, I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. Whether it’s her, Madonna or Taylor Swift, there’s a resurgence of pop goddesses at the moment. Whenever I go back to Britney or I hear her songs somewhere, I am struck by how deep she is compared to others. When I first wrote the song, I kind of tossed her off as this teenage idol I couldn’t relate to. Now that she’s been through the battles with me, we’re kindred spirits.

Q: Your relationships with divas, whether its re-creating Judy Garland’s Carnegie Hall concert or your opera “Prima Donna,” has been a big through line in your career. Where does that fascination come from?

A:I grew up in a bona fide matriarchy. My mother (singer Kate McGarrigle) was one of three sisters, and I have three sisters. There was always a lot of women around; being gay allowed me at a young age to maneuver through that a lot easier. I had a lot of support and admiration from them that easily translated into my love for opera, musical theater and old Hollywood. Now, there is this real cult of the diva that is so mainstream and so pervasive, and that’s a good thing. But I do miss the more vulnerable, dangerous divas of the past who had to fight for their place in the spotlight. But you get your divas where you can.

Q: Did your duet “The Loneliest Time” with Carly Rae Jepsen feel like you were connecting with that more empowered generation of divas?

A:I really liked her music, but then when I went and sang with her live a couple of times, the adoration that especially gay men have for her is so overwhelming. I was a bit jealous of it because when I started my journey, gay men were the last people to the party for me. I always had the intellectuals and survivors from the AIDS era, but in terms of younger gay men in my generation and down, I had to fight for that crowd. Once I befriended Carly Rae Jepsen, I thought, “That’s what I had to do!”

Q: What else is on the horizon for you?

A:I’m in the process of composing a requiem Mass that’s going to premiere on June 17 in Paris. It’s a huge classical piece for a big choir and a soprano and a narrator. It’s the Latin Mass mixed with this Byron poem, “Darkness.” It’s a big, hefty classical offering.

Q: You recently celebrated your 50th birthday.Is this a happy time in your life?

A:These are the golden years, whether it’s having my health or my husband, our daughter or a fabulous career. I have nothing to complain about. That being said, the heat is on and we have to fight for what we have at the moment. We cannot be complacent. I have to use my strength right now and gifts to help save the planet with everybody else.

Reach Tony Bravo: tbravo@sfchronicle.com