An important slice of Buffalo history will be staged at Shea's Performing Arts Center Friday evening. A brand new opera called 'SHOT!' will be performed by Nickel City Opera. It tells the story of the 1901-assassination of President William McKinley. WBFO's Senior Reporter Eileen Buckley talked with Nickel City Founder and national opera star Valerian Ruminski. He explains how the show was written by world-renowned, award-winning composer Persis Vehar.
"It’s really a wonderful topic," said Ruminski. The opera singer described why he selected the McKinley assassination as the theme of this latest, original show.
"It’s got all the elements of a true tragedy, which opera is great at depicting,” said Ruminski. “Opera, to be effective, should really be about life and death. Not only was McKinley shot, but it took him eight days to linger and pass away, which created a lot more drama, emotional high’s and lows."
Ruminski said the opera is structure much like La traviata. Ruminski noted La traviata opens with a party and it ends with a woman dying in bed. SHOT! opens with the Pan American Exposition in full swing and ends with a President dying in bed.
