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Nickel City Opera was a non-profit organization based in Buffalo, New York. Founded in 2004 by Valerian Ruminski, the non-profit has performed and commissioned operas in Western New York, in collaboration with local organizations such as the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, producing a wide range of works. [1]
The company was founded in 2004, and produced Rossini's The Barber of Seville , its first opera, in June 2009 at the Riviera Theatre. The following year, 2010, saw a production of Rigoletto . [2]
Further productions include Il trovatore , [3] La Bohème , [4] Don Pasquale , [5] La fille du régiment , Rigoletto , [6] Tosca , [7] Carmen , [8] I Pagliacci , [9] Il tabarro , [10] Der Schauspieldirektor , [11] [12] Le Nozze di Figaro , [13] [14] La Traviata , [15] The Barber of Seville , [16] and The Music Shop by Richard Wargo. [17]
In 2010 and for the subsequent four years, the NCO presented Gian Carlo Menotti's Christmas opera Amahl and the Night Visitors at the Riviera Theatre and in the Westminster Presbyterian Church (Buffalo, New York). [18]
In 2011, as a special cultural event, the NCO presented a production of Il tabarro by Giacomo Puccini, directed by Henry Akina on board the United States Navy warship USS The Sullivans (DD-537), a decommissioned Fletcher-class destroyer and one of Buffalo's landmarks, which serves as a museum ship and is anchored at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park in Buffalo, New York. [19] The USS The Sullivans (DD-537) served as an integral part of the staging. [20]
In 2017, Matthias Manasi conducted a production of Der Schauspieldirektor by Mozart, with particular attention to historically informed performance practice which was appreciated by critics. [21]
In May 2017 Opera America awarded Valerian Ruminski, artistic director of the NCO, its annual Service Award which recognizes those who "promote opera in their communities and work tirelessly to ensure the highest possible artistic quality and community service." [22]
In June 2016, the NCO produced the world premiere of SHOT! composed by Persis Vehar with libretto by Gabrielle Vehar, about the assassination of President McKinley, produced at Shea's Performing Arts Center, [23] [24] The sets re-created scenes from the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, with 40-foot projections of original 1901 Edison footage of the exposition, and rare historic photos. [25] [26]
Michael Ching was music director and principal conductor of the NCO from 2012 to 2017. He was succeeded by Matthias Manasi from 2017 to 2021. [27] [28]
Buffalo is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River on the Canadian border. With a population of 278,349 according to the 2020 census, Buffalo is the second-most populous city in New York state after New York City, and the 81st-most populous city in the U.S. Buffalo is the primary city of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, which had an estimated population of 1.2 million in 2020, making it the 49th-largest metro area in the U.S.
Tito Gobbi was an Italian operatic baritone with an international reputation.
Piero Cappuccilli was an Italian operatic baritone. Best known for his interpretations of Verdi roles, he was widely regarded as one of the finest Italian baritones of the second half of the 20th century. He was enormously admired within the field of opera for his rich and abundant voice, fine vocal technique and exceptional breath control. In the great Italian tradition he fused words and music into elegant phrases. He focused on Italian repertory, particularly the operas of Verdi, singing 17 major roles.
Valerian Ruminski is an American operatic bass.
Sir David McVicar is a Scottish opera and theatre director.
Reri Grist is an American coloratura soprano, one of the pioneer African-American singers to enjoy a major international career in opera.
Giuseppe Taddei was an Italian baritone, who, during his career, performed multiple operas composed by numerous composers.
Cornell MacNeil was an American operatic baritone known for his exceptional voice and long career with the Metropolitan Opera, which spanned 642 performances in twenty-six roles. Opera News opined he "was a great baritone in era of great baritones — Warren, Gobbi, Merrill, Milnes — and in the contemporary press, comparisons to his colleagues were frequent. But MacNeil's performances had singular musical richness, and moral and intellectual complexity that were his alone. MacNeil may have had rivals, but he had no equals."
Karl Gustaf Ingvar Wixell was a Swedish baritone who had an active international career in operas and concerts from 1955 to 2003. He mostly sang roles from the Italian repertory, and, according to The New York Times, "was best known for his steady-toned, riveting portrayals of the major baritone roles of Giuseppe Verdi — among them Rigoletto, Simon Boccanegra, Amonasro in Aida, and Germont in La traviata".
Lisette Oropesa is an American operatic soprano of Cuban ancestry. Her repertoire includes works from Gluck, Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Wagner, Verdi, Bizet, Massenet, Bellini and Puccini. With her lyric coloratura soprano voice, she has performed roles in her native Spanish and English, as well as German, French and Italian. She is particularly noted in the roles of Susanna, Gilda, Konstanze, Lucia and Manon.
Edith Mary Coates OBE was an English operatic mezzo-soprano. After studying in London at Trinity College of Music she joined Lilian Baylis's theatre company at the Old Vic in 1924 and then became a chorus member of Baylis's opera company. By the time the latter moved to Sadler's Wells Theatre in 1931 Coates had become its principal mezzo-soprano, and she sang in a wide range of roles, in the Italian, French, German, Russian and other repertoires.
Asheville Lyric Opera (ALO) is a professional, non-profit opera company located in Asheville, North Carolina. Its repertoire encompasses styles ranging from the comedies of Mozart and Rossini to the classic Verdi and Puccini dramas as well as classic musical theatre works. Founder David Craig Starkey served as General and Artistic Director until 2016. The 500-seat Diana Wortham Theatre, built in 1991, has been the company's home since 2001. ALO is a member of Opera America. Dean Anthony was announced as the company's new Artistic and Producing Direction beginning with the 2019/2020 Season.
Olga Alexandrovna Peretyatko is a Russian operatic soprano. She has been known for lyric and coloratura soprano roles, most notably in operas by Rossini and Mozart. In recent years, she has been taking up heavier and more lyrical roles.
William B. Murray was an American opera baritone, who performed in Europe from 1960 to 1990. According to the New Grove Dictionary of Opera he was "a stylish singer and a fine actor" who "excels in dramatic and character roles."
Hirofumi Yoshida is a Japanese orchestral conductor. He resides in Italy, but grew up in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan.
Hooman Khalatbari is an Austrian- Iranian music conductor and pianist.
Virgilio Lazzari was an Italian operatic bass who had an active international performance career from 1908 to 1953. He had lengthy associations with the Chicago Civic Opera (1918–1932) and the Metropolitan Opera (1933–1950), and frequently performed at the Salzburg Festival during the 1930s. He appeared as a guest artist with opera houses internationally, including the Royal Opera House, the Teatro Colón, and the Teatro Carlo Felice among others.
Louis Albert "Ramblin' Lou" Schriver was an American country musician and radio broadcaster who lived in western New York State.
Rosa Feola is an Italian operatic soprano.
Urve Tauts is an Estonian opera singer (mezzo-soprano).
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