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

Life and career

Martin Matthew Ruminski, known as Valerian Ruminski, was born in Lackawanna, New York. He studied music at SUNY Buffalo earning a Bachelor of Music degree in 1995. He continued his vocal training at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. He adopted the professional name "Valerian" in honor of his late father. In 1999 Ruminski was signed by the New York City Opera to sing in Bizet's Carmen. Following his audition, he was recognized by Beverly Sills for the 1999 Lincoln Center Martin Segal Award. The following year he received a Career Grant from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation and won the First Prize in the MacAllister Singing Competition. The judges at the MacAllister Competition were impressed by the unusual pieces Ruminski chose to present—arias from Ambroise Thomas's little-known opera Le caïd and The Tempest, a baroque work attributed to Purcell. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut on 17 January 2001 as Zuniga in Carmen. He later sang there as Gualtiero in I puritani (2006–2007) and Nikitich in Boris Godunov (2010–2011). Early in his career he also appeared in Israel with the New Israeli Opera and in Monaco with the Opéra de Monte-Carlo.

Nickel City Opera

In 2004 Ruminski founded Nickel City Opera, a small opera company based in Buffalo, New York. Ruminski's performances in Nickel City Opera's productions have included Don Basilio in The Barber of Seville (2009), Colline in La bohème (2011), Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro (2015), and William McKinley in the world premiere of SHOT! (2016). In addition to his performances, Ruminski has co-directed some of the company's productions and in 2014 also directed the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra's production of Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle, featuring the glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly. In 2017, Ruminski received Opera America's Bravo Service Award, whose recipients "promote opera in their communities and work tirelessly to ensure the highest possible artistic quality and community service."

Roles and opera companies

Ruminski's opera performances have included, among others:

In concert and recital

Ruminski's concert and recital performances have included, among others:

Recordings

Ruminski's recordings include: