Bilingual Opera ‘Pancho Rabbit,’ Based on Children’s Book, Set for San Diego, Tijuana Stages in 2026

Bodhi Tree Concerts has announced the most ambitious undertaking in its 13-year history – the commission of a bilingual chamber opera.

Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote, by a Pulitzer Prize-winning and Grammy-nominated composer, San Diego’s Anthony Davis, with a libretto by playwright and UC San Diego professor Allan Havis, is slated to premiere in January 2026 in both San Diego and Tijuana.

The new work is based on the children’s book of the same name by award-winning Mexican-American author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh.

An allegory, Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote brings to light the hardship and struggles facing families who seek to make better lives for themselves by crossing the border. A young rabbit named Pancho, whose Papa travels north to find work and to earn money for his family, sets out on an adventure to find his father when he does not return as expected.

Maria Teré Rique, general director of Opera de Tijuana, will act as co-presenter and liaison for the Tijuana performances and J. Ed Araiza will lead the production as stage director.

Bodhi Tree co-founder and co-director Diana DuMelle acknowledges the outsized goal relative to the size of her organization.

“There is a long history of activism through art that proves small groups get things done. We defy expectations and have consistently achieved artistic excellence that intersects the arts with our local and global communities,” she said.

In the end, she hopes the commission adds “a truly beautiful and unique new bilingual opera into the canon.”

Davis said he plans to “explore the political and current issues of the border” in the piece.

“I hope to strike a balance with the light-heartedness of the story and the children-friendly animal characters with the implied political world, all too familiar to adults,” he said. “I hope the music can convey the lyricism and compassion that pervades the story and I hope to draw from the rich musical traditions of Northern Mexico. We intend to create a magical opera that lies between fantasy and the real that can be an Animal Farm for today.”

Araiza called the story “important, topical and timely, to remind us of the risks adults and children take in crossing the border and why they would need to take those risks.”

“A large part of my concept is to make the love and courage in the story clear without ignoring the danger the story is based on,” Araiza said.

Pancho Rabbit will include an arts and education program with kindergarten through college-age students. Plans include teaching artists in classrooms, mentorship, onstage performing opportunities, master classes, free performances and more.

The commission is supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.