It’s been said the only thing more expensive than opera is war, which is why Whitehorse audiences will have the National Arts Centre (NAC) to thank this fall when the opera comes to town.

“The National Arts Centre is covering a nice chunk of what it’s going to cost us to put on Puccini’s Tosca,” says Casey Prescott, CEO of the Yukon Arts Centre (YAC).

The idea has long been a dream for Prescott.

The last full-scale opera production in Whitehorse was in 1967, according to a Google search. In recent years, YAC has brought in voice teachers to work on opera with local performers. It’s also worked with the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture to build an understanding of pedagogy and performance. Still, staging an opera wasn’t on anyone’s radar until recently.

In 2019, Joel Ivany, now the

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