ArtsBeat

I recently spoke on the phone with Valerian Ruminski, the bass baritone who has gone forth from Buffalo to make a noise in the opera world. That is Valerian smiling at left.

It is always fun to hear about Valerian's fast-paced life. He was recently hired as a professor voice at SUNY Westchester. And he is fresh back from two months in Hawaii, where he sang in "Carmen" and "Manon Lescaut" for the Hawaii Opera Theatre. He will be returning to Hawaii shortly to sing "The Marriage of Figaro." Valerian draws praise wherever he goes. One reviewer, covering a performance of Handel he gave last year in Avery Fisher Hall, pointed out his "outstanding coloratura facility."

And here is good news for us back in his hometown: Valerian has returned to his dream of arranging opera productions in the Buffalo area. For years, he has been kicking around the idea of a production company called Nickel City Opera. And now, he is arranging a co-production between this entity and a Canadian company, Ottawa Pocket Opera. They are planning a production of "The Barber of Seville" at North Tonawanda's Riviera Theatre on June 26 and 28.

Singers are still to be announced, but the production will feature the Eastern Festival Symphony, a student orchestra from Westchester. "They're good," Valerian says, "and they want the experience."

Mark your calendars, because this should be fun.

--Mary Kunz Goldman