Grand Opera Meets Neoclassical Ballet at the California Center for the Arts

If you’ve never seen an opera and a ballet tell the same story back to back – in the same afternoon – this is your chance. Cinballera Cinema Ballet Opera, in collaboration with the Temecula Valley Symphony, is bringing Giacomo Puccini’s Il Tabarro to the California Center for the Arts in Escondido this July, and the production is unlike anything you’ll find on a typical Southern California stage.

A Rarely Performed Puccini Masterpiece

Il Tabarro – Italian for “The Cloak” – is the first of three operas in Puccini’s triple-bill Il Trittico. While the other two, Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi, get staged regularly, Il Tabarro is far less common, which makes this performance a genuinely rare opportunity.

Set aboard a river barge in Paris at the turn of the century, this one-act opera pulls you into a story of love, jealousy, and betrayal – all wrapped in the kind of soul-stirring melodies Puccini is famous for. Whether you’re a devoted opera fan or a total first-timer, the power of this music makes it accessible to anyone.

Then the Same Story, Told in an Entirely Different Way

Here’s where things get really interesting. After intermission, the story begins again – only this time through neoclassical ballet. Original choreography transforms the narrative, with the characters now silent, speaking only through movement.

The orchestration remains, the drama remains, but the storytelling shifts entirely. Seeing the two forms side by side in a single afternoon is a perspective you simply can’t get anywhere else.

World-Class Performers Taking the Stage

Cinballera was founded by dramatic coloratura soprano Tiffany Brannan and prima ballerina Rebekah Brannan, and in a fitting twist, the sisters will be trading off as the leading lady – one in the opera, one in the ballet. They’ll be joined by a talented cast of international performers and local professionals, with Maestro John Mario Di Costanzo conducting the Temecula Valley Symphony throughout.

A Milestone Moment for Cinballera

This production also marks the opening of Cinballera’s fourth season and celebrates the three-year anniversary of the company’s very first performance in July 2023 – making it an extra meaningful afternoon for the company and everyone who’s followed their journey.

See You There!

One show only, one afternoon to catch it. This is the kind of performance you’ll be glad you didn’t sleep on.

📆 Sunday, July 19, 2026 | 3 PM – 5:30 PM
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See you there, San Diego!