Tickets on sale for first-ever Tlingit Opera

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Tickets are on sale now for the first Tlingit opera in recorded history. “Ḵutulagaaw: The Tlingit-Russian Battles,” a joint production between Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) and Juneau’s Perseverance Theatre, is based on historical facts and oral traditions as told from the Tlingit perspective. The opera will premiere in Juneau in September and focus on stories from the Tlingit-Russian War in Alaska from 1802-1804.

The world premiere of the opera is set for Sept. 11, 2026, at the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Auditorium. Tickets for Perseverance Theatre’s 2026/2027 season are available for purchase at www.ptalaska.org/juneau/.

Single tickets will go on sale on Saturday, July 11.

Performances will run on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons Sept. 11-20.

About the Tlingit Opera

“Ḵutulagaaw: The Tlingit-Russian Battles” was initiated by Sealaska Heritage Institute, created by Vera Starbard (librettist), Edward Littlefield (composer), X’unei Lance Twitchell (translator and language consultant) and Rory Stitt (orchestrator), and is being produced in collaboration with Perseverance Theatre with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the First Peoples Fund, the National New Play Network and the Mellon Foundation.

The opera will be performed in the Tlingit language and include a score grounded in Tlingit musical and performing arts traditions and events, some of which were formerly held in natural amphitheaters set in mountain valleys. The libretto will revolve around the relatively unknown history of the 1802 Tlingit-Russian war in Southeast Alaska. The Tlingit and Haida united and were victorious, but they were forced to retreat from Sitka in 1804.

“Though operas are foreign to Tlingit culture, the genre is a natural fit,” said SHI President Rosita Worl. “Our people are known for their oratory, singing and storytelling skills. What better way to familiarize people with Tlingit culture and language than to tell a part of our history through opera?”

For more information about the Tlingit Opera, visit sealaskaheritage.org/shi-arts-department/Tlingit-opera.

About Perseverance Theatre and Sealaska Heritage Institute

Perseverance Theatre (PT) is Alaska’s largest professional theatre, and a non-profit organization serving over 21,000 artists, students and audiences annually. PT’s mission is to produce professional theatre by and for Alaskans while providing educational opportunities that nurture and serve our communities. We value community engagement, cross-cultural collaboration, professional rigor, and regional voice. PT is governed by a statewide, nine-member board of community members, professionals and artists. Established in 1979, Perseverance has produced over 70 world premieres, bringing to life new work, including many stories by Alaska Native and other Alaskan playwrights. PT often collaborates with Indigenous peoples from across Alaska, the lower 48 and Canada.

Sealaska Heritage Institute is a non-profit tribal organization founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. SHI also conducts scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars, a Native Artist Committee, a Southeast Regional Language Committee and an Education Committee.

CONTACT: Kathy Dye, Deputy Director of Publications and Communications, kathy.dye@sealaskaheritage.com

Caption: Tickets are on sale now for “Ḵutulagaaw: The Tlingit-Russian Battles,” a joint production between Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) and Juneau’s Perseverance Theatre. Note: News outlets are welcome to use this photo for coverage of this story. For a higher-res version, contact kathy.dye@sealaskaheritage.com.