Jersey Opera House opening show announced

Liberation Day concerts will be the first performances in more than five years at the newly-refurbished Jersey Opera House.

Two concerts on Liberation Day, Friday 9 May, will mark the reopening of the historic theatre which has been shut since Jersey went into Covid-19 lockdown in late March 2020.

Throughout 2024, the Opera House underwent a huge publicly-funded restoration, costing £12.7 million.

Contractors finished work on Christmas Eve, but bosses said the reopening would be pushed back to autumn 2025, later revealing that they needed to raise an extra £1.5m for upgrades to technical kit not covered by the government funding.

In February, the Chief Minister urged them to 'relax their position' and get a show on at the Opera House for Liberation Day.

"It can stage shows.  Okay, we might not be able to get the all-singing, all-dancing West End touring shows over right now, but I would like to see the Opera House open for Liberation 80, with a great concert."

Today, it's revealed that will be be so, with the theatre's first performances on 9 May as part of Music In Action's 'Liberation International Music Festival.'

The festival programme taking place 9 -18 May, includes two shows in the landmark venue.

The Liberation Day Concert will be directed by Harriet Mackenzie. It will feature Mozart’s Divertimento in F, the world premiere of Ariel Pirotti’s Tango Concerto, and Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.

The evening will conclude with a medley of wartime songs performed by Georgie Mae-Bishop.

Tickets for the two Liberation shows and the rest of the festival can be bought from Music in Action’s website.

Organiser James Mews said:

"The opening of the Jersey Opera House for Music in Action’s Liberation International Music Festival is a momentous occasion for our island.

"After five years of closure, this iconic venue will once again resonate with the power of live performance, bringing worldclass music to the heart of our community."

With the announcement of the reopening, also comes news that Island Music has partnered with the theatre, aiming to revive Jersey’s status as a must-visit destination for touring artists.

The first will take place on 1 November, with Simon Fowler and Oscar Harrison of Ocean Colour Scene giving an 'intimate acoustic performance' with stripped-back renditions of the band's biggest hits,including The Riverboat Song, The Circle, Traveller’s Tune, Hundred Mile High City, and The Day We Caught The Train.

Paul Sharkey wants Island Music to be more than a retail space

Paul Sharkey from Island Music says it's amazing to have the Opera House as a venue for the collaboration:

"We've got a range of events called 'Island Music Presents', the focus is bringing over UK talent and mixing it in with local shows. 

"We do that over at the Blue Note, (and) The Drift, and the next step is the Opera House, which is pretty amazing. 

"I never thought we'd be in this position of reaching this high, but it's escalated quickly and organically.

"Hopefully, it will be a long-standing relationship with The Opera House, and we can continue to build on it."

He said this marks a new era for the shop and what they can do for Jersey's music industry:

"The shop is more than a retail space for me now.

"We need to think outside the box a bit, and be more like a musical hub. That's my main aim, as long as the public buy into what we're doing, that's good enough for me."

Jersey Opera House has announced the first acts in its autumn 2025 programme - including Su Pollard and Jasper Carrot and Rory Bremnar.

Tickets have gone on sale today.