Jersey Opera House
Thursday 26 & Friday 27 March 2026
WELCOME
Opera is often described as grand, dramatic, and larger than life. But at its heart, it is something much simpler. It is breath, shared in a room. It is human feeling, carried by sound. Held in the Tide began with a question: What would opera look like if it were shaped here - with young people, on our Island, through co-creation that helps us tell the stories of life now? ArtHouse Jersey created Raise Your Voice, Jersey! in collaboration with Georgia Mae Bishop to create space to create ambitious, professional-scale work rooted in this Island but reaching outward. It has been about authorship; not just to perform, but to question, to challenge, to shape. This project has grown into the production, Held in the Tide, through collaboration across generations and disciplines. It has been discussed along King Street and across kitchen tables, tested in rehearsal rooms accompanied by copious amounts of tea, and refined through listening and experimenting. It has been created with care, shaped by many hands, for all of us. Opera does not belong to a building or a tradition alone. It belongs to the people who make it and the people who gather to witness it. If it can feel distant, it can also be reclaimed - made porous, immediate, and alive. At the centre of this work is a belief I return to again and again: Community isn’t just something we inherit. It’s something we shape; together. Creating anything new always carries risk - and that risk is part of its vitality. Thank you for being part of this journey. Thank you for showing up. Thank you for holding this tide with us. Robyn Cabaret Producer, ArtHouse Jersey
ABOUT
Raise Your Voice, Jersey! sits within ArtHouse Jersey’s New Work Programme, delivered in partnership with Coutts Crown Dependencies, supporting artists to create ambitious new work, and has held the development process for the new opera you see on stage tonight. Since the summer of 2024, in collaboration with Georgia Mae Bishop, we have worked with 18-30 year olds through a series of workshops and creative development sessions, providing space for experimentation, conversation, and skill-building. Together, we have explored what opera might mean for a new generation of young creatives on the Island, and what stories feel urgent to tell now. Raise Your Voice, Jersey! exists to support young creatives to make bold, ambitious work within the performing arts. But rather than positioning young people as participants, we invite them to step into authorship. They are collaborators and co-creators - shaping not only what you see on stage, but the process itself, which for us is just as important as the final performance. Throughout this journey, we have sought to give space to the ideas, values, and lived experiences of our collaborators, while also supporting them to grow in confidence and craft, guided by a professional creative team. We believe theatre can offer something far beyond the stage: it can build skills, relationships, and a deeper sense of agency. Held in the Tide is the resulting production from this evolving journey. The opera itself blends classical vocal form with contemporary storytelling and a collaborative devising process. The score and staging have developed through dialogue between the principal cast, musicians, supporting performers, and a community chorus - each contributing to the shaping of the work. This is opera as living practice. Opera as collaboration. Opera as belonging. It tells a story that is rooted in Jersey; in its shoreline, its tensions, its sense of belonging, but one that resonates beyond our Island’s shores. It speaks to other islands, coastal communities, and rural places wrestling with questions of home, identity, and our relationship to the natural world, with just a little mysticism woven through. We hope you enjoy the show!
CREATIVE TEAM
A spirit of collaboration, rigour, and creative generosity has driven the team behind Held in the Tide from first idea to final rehearsal. Between them, they hold decades of experience working at the highest level of international opera and live performance. Creative Director: Georgia Mae Bishop Producer: Robyn Cabaret Composer: Charlotte Marlow Musical Director: Ashley Beauchamp Stage Director: Cecilia Stinton Chorus Director: Grace Garnier For Creative Team biographies, please visit this link.
PRINCIPAL CAST & MUSICIANS
We are immensely proud that Held in the Tide features seven accomplished professional artists from Jersey, supported by a dedicated community chorus. Every performer and musician you see on stage is either from the Island or resident here. This production celebrates the depth of talent within our community: artists who have trained and worked nationally and internationally, and who continue to invest their skill, experience, and artistry back into Jersey’s cultural life in collaboration with Islanders who are passionate about being part of something new. Annie Law in the role of Francis Gabriella Cassidy in the role of Louisa Georgia Mae Bishop in the role of Lillie David Davies on Cello Grace Garnier on Piano Jennah Smart on Flute and Saxophone Pat Woodsford on Violin For Principal Cast and Musician biographies, please visit this link.
SUPPORTING CAST & CHORUS
This production has been enriched by members of the Jersey community who joined the chorus and stepped into supporting cast roles, giving shape to the many individual voices that inhabit the story. Anna Rieksta in the role of Cam Ellen Harvey-Hills in the role of Shore News Presenter Michele Hervieu in the role of the Fisherman William Millow in the role of the Voluntary Enforcement Officer Across ten weeks of rehearsal, the chorus have built this piece under the guidance of our Chorus Director Grace Garnier. Their individual voices, personalities, and commitment are woven into the fabric of the work, giving it weight, texture, and authenticity. The chorus represents the collective - the sea, memory, and the Island itself. Their presence grounds this work in shared experience. Agata Bors Alice Barnard Alicia Jarvie Alison Bishop Andy Harris Arcadia Lockhart Catherine Morgan Danielle Mason Dawn Barkhuizen Fabio Andre Santiago Cerveira Gailina Liew Harumi Yamamoto Jane Vincent Jenny Pitman Judith Alexander Katerina Stylla Lucy Henman Sallianne Falle Sara Pike Sinead Peacock-Brennan Susie Kelly
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Original Concept by the Creative Team & Collaborators Music & Sound Design by Charlotte Marlow Libretto by Georgia Mae Bishop Jèrriais Translation by Geraint Jennings Surtitles by Ashley Beauchamp & Cecilia Stinton Production Management by Robyn Cabaret DSM / Stage Management by Emily Danby Lighting Design by Peter Harrison Set Design by Wayne Stewart Soundscape by Emily De Gruchy Photography by Blake Watson Video by Will Jack Robinson Produced by Robyn Cabaret With support from Amy Baker and JP Le Blond at ArtHouse Jersey, and Chris Wink and the team at Jersey Opera House. Commissioned and produced by ArtHouse Jersey. Developed and presented in partnership with Jersey Opera House. Part of ArtHouse Jersey’s New Work Programme sponsored by Coutts Crown Dependencies.
COLLABORATORS
This production has been shaped by creatives aged 18-30 who have contributed stories, ideas, dramaturgy, and musical exploration. Their ideas sit at the centre of this opera: Anna Rieksta Chantelle Dornan Ellen Harvey-Hills Jax Quenault Kathryn Baker Katie Bastiman Nicholas Rolland Sydney Haskins
WITH GRATITUDE
With gratitude to all the brilliant folk both on-stage and off, ArtHouse Jersey’s New Work Programme sponsor Coutts Crown Dependencies, all the team at Jersey Opera House and ArtHouse Jersey, individual supporters, and the families and friends of everybody involved.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
“We’re delighted to support Held in the Tide at Jersey Opera House, through our sponsorship of ArtHouse Jersey’s New Work Programme which champions bold, locally-rooted creative work. This is an opera made by and for Jersey and I can’t wait to see the production on the night!” Dennis Howard, Head of Coutts Crown Dependencies
LOOKING AHEAD
ArtHouse Jersey continues to develop opportunities for artists across performance, music, and interdisciplinary work. To stay connected: Website: arthousejersey.je Instagram: instagram.com/arthousejersey Facebook: facebook.com/arthousejersey Mailing List: mailchi.mp/09433b71723e/arthouse-jersey-newsletter