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Valerian Ruminski (born 1967) is an American operatic bass. He is also the founder and artistic director of Nickel City Opera, in Buffalo, New York.

Life and career

Named Martin Matthew Ruminski by his adoptive parents, he was born in Lackawanna, New York and grew up in nearby Cheektowaga. Ruminiski studied at the SUNY Buffalo where he graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1995 and at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. He then did further apprenticeships with Santa Fe Opera and Chautauqua Opera. Since the start of his career, he has performed under the first name "Valerian" as a tribute to his late father.

In 1999 Rudinski was signed up by the New York City Opera to sing in Bizet's Carmen. After his audition, Beverly Sills singled him out for the 1999 Lincoln Center Martin Segal Award. A scout from the Metropolitan Opera also heard Ruminski's performance at the NYCO and invited him to audition for the Met.

Ruminski has performed with companies including the New York City Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Kansas City Lyric Opera, Dallas Opera, Opéra de Montréal, New Israeli Opera (Tel Aviv), Opera Pacific, Michigan Opera Theatre, Atlanta Opera, Syracuse Opera, Opera de Monte Carlo, Festival Lyrique de Belle Ile en Mer, and the El Paso Opera. His roles have included Ferrando in Il Trovatore, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Sarastro in The Magic Flute, Betto in Gianni Schicchi, Inspector Budd in Albert Herring, Lt. Ratcliffe in Billy Budd, Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Fenicio in Ermione, and Frank in Die Fledermaus.

He is also a recipient of a Richard Tucker Career Grant, a William Mattheus Sullivan Foundation Grant, a 2004 Gerda Lissner Foundation Grant, a Liederkranz Prize, 1st Prize in the MacAllister Singing Competition, 1st Prize in the NJ Verismo Competition, 1st Prize in the Marcella Sembrich Competition in NYC, 1st Prize in the DiPanni Bel Canto Competition in Rhode Island, 1st Prize in the New York Singing Teachers Association (NYSTA) Coloratura Competition in NYC, 2nd Prize in the Altamura/Caruso Competition in Imola, Italy, and 2nd Prize in the Loren Zachary Competition in Los Angeles. He has also been recognized as the Outstanding Polish Citizen of Music by the Am-Pol Eagle newspaper in Buffalo, New York.

His concert appearances have included a Messiah with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, a Verdi Requiem for the Verdi Festival in Forli Italy, Shostakovich's Song of the Forests for the Bard Music Festival, Carmen in concert with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Haydn's Creation at St. Joseph University in Philadelphia, and the Richard Tucker Gala on PBS in 1999 and 2000.

His recorded vocal appearances have included the Naxos Records release of A Night at the Opera with other young singers who have debuted at the Metropolitan Opera, and Deutsche Grammophon's release of I Puritani with Anna Netrebko and John Relyea.

In 2014 Ruminski directed the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra's production of Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle, featuring the glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly.

References

1. Buckley, Eileen (22 April 2004). "Opera Singer Valerian Ruminski Creates New Company". WBFO. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
2. "About". Nickel City Opera. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
3. O'Shea, Clare (Winter 2001). "Valerian Ruminski: An operatic life". UB Today. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
4. Vogel, Charity and Goldman, Mary Kunz (20 January 2002). "Buffalo's Opera Man us Making Some Noise". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
5. Baxter, Robert (9 April 2000). "Something to Sing About", pp. 91–92. Courier-Post. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
6. Lincoln Center. Martin E. Segal Awards Recipients. Retrieved 29 October 2017.

External links

• Official site
• Ruminski, Valerian (1 September 2010) "Success often requires burning midnight oil". The Buffalo News.
• Valerian Ruminski at Randsman Artists Management
• Valerian Ruminski at the Internet Movie Database

• 1967 births
• Living people
• American opera singers
• Musicians from Buffalo, New York
• American people of Polish descent