ArtHouse Jersey in partnership with Jersey Opera House presents Held in the Tide

A new opera made in and for Jersey

A storm. A shoreline. A trio of long-buried stones re-emerge. So begins Held in the Tide, a bold new opera exploring identity, belonging, and the things we hold on to when everything is shifting beneath our feet.

At its heart are two Islanders: Lillie, a geologist returning home after years away, and Frances, a local artist who never left. When a trio of ancient stones are uncovered in the sand, it sparks a chain reaction of tension, reckoning, and an unexpected connection between past and present, global ambition, and local memory, progress, and preservation.

This is an opera, but not as you know it. Expect powerful live music blending classical, folk, and electronic influences, performed in the everyday English you hear on the streets of St. Helier, with a touch of Jèrriais woven through to honour Jersey’s linguistic heritage. Relatable characters share big ideas supported by a chorus of local voices that surges through the story like the tide itself. At times funny, moving, and deeply human, this is a story that will make you laugh, think, and perhaps see yourself reflected in its cast of Islanders, returners, and dreamers.

Led by Jersey-born mezzo-soprano Georgia Mae Bishop, and performed by a professional cast of seven Jersey-born artists, Held in the Tide is the result of a collaboration between young Islanders aged 18-30 and a team of world-class opera-makers. Developed through open workshops and creative exchanges as part of Raise Your Voice, Jersey!, this is what happens when a community comes together to tell its own story - made with care, by many hands, for all of us.

Whether you're an opera regular or have never set foot in a theatre, this is your invitation to experience something extraordinary. In a time when questions of home, identity, and belonging feel more urgent than ever, Held in the Tide reminds us that community isn’t just something we inherit. It’s something we shape; together. 

Commissioned and Produced by ArtHouse Jersey. Developed and Presented in partnership with Jersey Opera House. Part of the New Work Programme supported by Coutts Crown Dependencies.

Age Guidance: 10+