Tickets, airfare discounts now available for world premiere of Tlingit Opera

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Airline discounts and group tickets for the first Tlingit opera in recorded history are available now.

“Ḵutulagaaw: The Tlingit-Russian Battles” is a joint production between Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) and Juneau’s Perseverance Theatre (PT). The opera is based on historical facts and oral traditions as told from the Tlingit perspective, focusing on stories from the Tlingit-Russian War waged 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. Performances will run on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons Sept. 11-20.  

Airline Discounts

Alaska Airlines is offering 5% off flights to and from Juneau from anywhere in Alaska, Hawaii or the Lower 48, including those operated by Hawaiian Airlines, Horizon Air and SkyWest. The offer is good from Sept. 9-23, 2026. The discount code will be sent to the email used to purchase Opera tickets.  

Alaska Seaplanes is offering 10% off flights to and from Juneau Sept. 10-14 and Sept. 17-21. Use the code OPERA at checkout to apply the discount.

Tickets

Single tickets are available online through PT’s website. The theatre is also offering group discounts and pay-as-you-can tickets.  

Purchases of six or more tickets are eligible for a 25% discount. Use the code GROUP at checkout to apply the discount.

Some pay-as-you can tickets will be available for the performances on Sept. 12-13 and 18-19. All tickets on Sept. 20 are pay-as-you-can.

SHI and PT will also collaborate with the Juneau School District to sponsor a one-hour matinee, free for students in junior high and high school, on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the JDHS: Yadaa.at Kalé Auditorium.

About the Tlingit Opera

“Ḵutulagaaw: The Tlingit-Russian Battles” was initiated by Sealaska Heritage Institute and created by Vera Starbard (librettist), Madeline Sayet (director), Shaakindustóow Edward Littlefield (composer and musical director), X’unei Lance Twitchell (translator and language consultant) and Rory Stitt (orchestrator). It 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.

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

Perseverance Theatre 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 create professional theatre by and for Alaskans, while providing educational opportunities that nurture and serve our communities. PT values and focuses on community engagement, cross-cultural and cross-racial collaboration, professional rigor and regional/national 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: Airline discounts and group tickets for “Ḵutulagaaw: The Tlingit-Russian Battles,” are available now. Note: News outlets are welcome to use this photo for coverage of this story. For a higher-res version, contact kathy.dye@sealaskaheritage.com.