NORMAN WELLS - Norman Wells is preparing for a rare infusion of classical culture next week.

On Feb. 11, Calgary Opera's Emerging Artists Program will bring touches of Frobisher, a new and nationally-acclaimed opera, to Norman Wells, as they tour the North. It will be the last stop on their journey, which will also include Iqaluit and Yellowknife, during which they will perform, run workshops and learn about Northern culture.

Laura Whalen as Anna and Marc Hervieux as Michael in the Calgary Opera world premiere of Frobisher. Calgary Opera's Emerging Artist Program will bring excerpts of the piece to Norman Wells next week. - photo courtesy of Trudie Lee

The musicians will perform at the Norman Wells Legion on Sunday, Feb. 11, and follow that with a series of workshops and performances at Mackenzie Mountain school on Feb. 12.

Mackenzie Mountain principal Shannon Barnett-Aikman said the visit will be a great opportunity for students.

"We don't have a formal music program in our school," she said. "There's lots of kids with musical interests and some with musical talent."

Frobisher, which debuted to strong reviews in Calgary on Jan. 27, is a modern imagining of Martin Frobisher's 16th century journeys to the Far North.

It follows a modern day pair in their struggle to make a film about the British explorer.

"It's the musical highlights of Frobisher," said Emerging Artists co-ordinator Mel Kirby of the program the eight-person group will bring to Norman Wells. It will also include a series of arias and duets from other classical pieces.

Kirby said Frobisher creators John Estacio and John Murrell helped put the program together, choosing appropriate pieces and drawing narrative links between them.

The members of the Emerging Artists Program represent a small part of Frobisher's massive cast, covering smaller parts and acting as understudies for featured vocalists - all the while gaining skills for their future careers.

"We're trying to give young, promising singers who have completed their advanced training a leg up on the professional world," said Kirby.

Though they are relatively young, Kirby said, many are experienced performers and instructors, which is good news for organizers.

"This will give the kids the opportunity to see that there are other avenues open to them, if they have the talent." Barnett-Aikman said.

Kirby said the trip was sponsored almost entirely by Canadian North, who paid for the group's airfare and accommodation, as well as sponsoring the opera's premiere in Calgary Feb. 27.

"The Emerging Artists had a keen interest in travelling North to perform excerpts of the opera to school groups and the communities," said Canadian North marketing co-ordinator Tami Johnson.

"This was a great opportunity to bring a form of art not always seen by Northerners, to a few of the communities we fly to."