for Violin Soloist and String Orchestra

Duration: 9:00

Commissioned by New Century Chamber Orchestra and Music Director Daniel Hope as part of the California Festival: A Celebration of New Music

(photo credit Chris Lee)

for orchestra. 3/3/3/3/4/3/3/timp/4 perc/hp/strings

OR orchestra side by side w/youth orchestra

Duration: 8:00

Commissioned by The Juilliard School Preparatory Division, in partnership with American Composers Forum and the New York Philharmonic, powered by the Sphinx Venture Fund

for orchestra. 3/3/3/3/4/3/3/timp/3 perc/hp/strings

Duration: 9:30

Commissioned by the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music for the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Orchestra with gracious support from Justus and Elizabeth Schlichting.

For wind octet and narrator. 17:00

Commissioned and premiered by Nomad Session

Words by Benavides and Diego Dela Rosa, based on short stories by Juan B. Rael.

For wind octet. 40 minutes

Commissioned by Nomad Session. Three movements.

For orchestra. 10:00

For chamber orchestra and mezzo-soprano soloist. 23:00

Poetry by Emily Dickinson.

For two flute, trumpet, bassoon, two string quartets, bass, conductor, and video. 11:00

For brass ensemble. 12:30

Written for The Bay Brass with guest conductor Edwin Outwater. The suite is in three movements and explores different general themes in the Bay Area.

For String Quartet and Electronics
Duration: 10:00

Inspired by the Greater Sage-Grouse and Sharp-Tailed Grouse

Commissioned for the Fry Street Quartet by NOVA Chamber Music Series and the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music

for Mezzo-Soprano and String Quartet or Mezzo-Soprano and Piano

Duration: 16 minutes

Written for Melinda Martinez Becker & Anne Rainwater with support from InterMusicSF

Canto Caló (I sing Caló / Caló songs) was originally commissioned by New Moon Duo and conceived at Avaloch Farm in New Hampshire and has since been arranged for Melinda and Friction Quartet. Caló is the language created by Pachucos in the Southwest through California, commonly associated with mambo dancing, zoot suit wearing Chicanos from El Paso to California, but it’s become a national movement with language, fashion, food, and art still taking inspiration from it decades later.

for Tenor, Oboe, and String Quartet

Duration: 28:00

Commissioned by Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting in honor of Mike Pandolfi.

When we promise to care for loved ones in sickness and in health as part of marriage, many of us assume that those vows will not be tested for many decades. What if a new and exciting romance was tested at its very inception? How do we best cherish precious moments together?

Sueño en mi sueño(dream in my dream) is a collection of six love sonnets by Pablo Neruda that explore the depth of love in times of sickness, inspired by a true story. These iconic poems use symbols of loneliness, dreams, and death to describe the feeling of being away from your lover, even for a moment.

For solo piano. Commissioned by Mark Stevens and South Dakota State University.

Duration: 12:00

Viola and electronics. 9:00-11:00

Commissioned by Calvin Green

For two violins. 6:00

Commissioned and premiered by Lucia Lin as part of her In Tandem series with thanks to the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music

For electric guitar. 6:30

Written for Alex Anest through the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music

Two melodicas. 1:00

Commissioned and premiered by HOCKET.

For string quartet. 25:00

Commissioned and premiered by Friction Quartet

For guitar, violin, viola, and cello. 16:00

Commissioned and premiered by the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble

For two flutes and live electronics. Commissioned and premiered by Siroko Duo. 13:00

For harpsichord and string quartet. 17:00

Commissioned and premiered by Elevate Ensemble

For two guitars (arr. Timothy Sherren) 3:30

For harp and string quartet. 3:00

For flute, oboe, bass clarinet, violin, viola, and cello. 6:00

Commissioned and premiered by the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble

Inspired by El Anatsui’s Hovor II.

For flute, cello, electric guitar, and marimba. 9:00

For solo guitar or harp. 1:30

Written for my sister’s wedding.

Opera. Drama. 45:00. Libretto: Marella Martin Koch

Tres Minutos is a chamber opera by composer Nicolas Lell Benavides and librettist Marella Martin Koch. Inspired by a real program that reunites families separated by immigration policies at the U.S. - Mexico Border, but only for three minutes, Tres Minutos imagines the story of Diego and Nila, a brother and sister who share DNA but not citizenship. When Diego is deported, leaving Nila behind, questions of identity, duty, and belonging threaten to consume them. The opera will be approximately 45 minutes long and explore the consequences of separation in intimate, human terms.

Documentary score.

Documentary. Trailer only, film must be purchased to view