Creators of first Tlingit opera take public questions Thursday in Juneau

Juneau residents can question the creative team behind the first Tlingit opera in recorded history at a free public panel Thursday, Aug. 27, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Clan House on the first level of Sealaska Heritage Institute's building at 105 Heritage Way, about two weeks before the work opens. Admission is free, and the discussion will be livestreamed on SHI's YouTube channel.

The panel puts the creative team of "Ḵutulagaaw: The Tlingit-Russian Battles" in front of an audience before opening night: librettist Vera Starbard, director Madeline Sayet, composer and musical director Shaakindustóow Edward Littlefield, and translator and language consultant X'unei Lance Twitchell. Orchestrator Rory Stitt is unable to attend. SHI President Rosita Worl will open the discussion.

The opera is performed entirely in the Tlingit language, with a score grounded in Tlingit musical and performing arts traditions and events, some of which SHI says were formerly held in natural amphitheaters set in mountain valleys. SHI and Perseverance Theatre describe it as the first Tlingit opera in recorded history. It draws on historical accounts and oral traditions of the Tlingit-Russian War waged in Alaska from 1802 to 1804, told from the Tlingit perspective. The Tlingit and Haida united and won, then were forced to retreat from Sitka in 1804. SHI frames the production as a way to keep the Tlingit language alive and visible in public life.

Worl said in the institute's announcement that the idea came from a visit to Sitka National Historical Park. "One account described the moments before a battle. The Tlingit and Haida were waiting on the beach. As the women beat their drums, the fog lifted, revealing the approaching Russians. I could see them advancing and hear the chaos of war: drumbeats, yelling and metal clashing," Worl said.

The world premiere is set for Sept. 11 at the Thunder Mountain Middle School auditorium, with performances Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons through Sept. 20. SHI's June ticket announcement listed the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Auditorium; both announcements since, including Monday's, say Thunder Mountain. Tickets are at ptalaska.org.

Alaska Airlines is taking 5 percent off flights to Juneau Sept. 9 to 23, Alaska Seaplanes 10 percent with the code OPERA, and six Juneau hotels are discounting rooms.

A one-hour matinee free to junior high and high school students is planned for Sept. 16.