DOLORES (2025)

Opera

May 1

Music by Nicolás Lell Benavides
Libretto by Marella Martin Koch

Drama | Full-Length
7 Principals, Opera Chorus, Sinfonietta (larger orchestration in development)

The story of activist Dolores Huerta’s bold commitment to civil and workers rights movements against great odds, the pressure of US politics, and the tragedy of assassination. What do we do when our heroes are taken from us? We go on.
¡Sí se puede!

Co-commissioned by West Edge Opera, San Diego Opera, Opera Southwest, and BroadStage, with a rolling premiere beginning in August, 2025.

Dolores Huerta is a legend in the fight for farm workers’ rights. In June of 1968, the movement lost a major ally and Dolores lost a friend when Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated. The opera focuses on Dolores’ struggles, triumphs, and tragedies during some of the most iconic and charged weeks of American history.

Characters

DOLORES, 38; Mezzo-Soprano; Chicano Civil Rights Movement leader and co-Founder and Vice-President of United Farm Workers; strategic, impassioned, tireless

LARRY, 55; Lyric Baritone; Filipino-American labor organizer and Assistant Director of United Farm Workers; disruptive, magnetic, bold

CÉSAR, 41; Bass-Baritone; Chicano Civil Rights Movement leader and co-Founder and President of United Farm Workers; self-sacrificing, soft-spoken, flinty

Senator Robert F. “BOBBY” Kennedy, 42; Tenor; Democratic presidential hopeful and younger brother to assassinated former president John F. Kennedy; charismatic, witty, likable

TRICKY DICK, 50s; Character Tenor; Republican presidential hopeful; ingratiating, manipulative, opportunistic

ETHEL, 40; Soprano; Coloratura Soprano; Bobby’s wife; self-assured, stylish, playful; doubles as HELEN, 40; Soprano; strong, devoted, determined

JUAN, 17; Tenor; immigrant busboy at The Ambassador Hotel; innocent, steadfast, sincere; doubles as JOURNALIST, 25+; Tenor; neutral and professional

FARM WORKER CHORUS

Time and Place

Spring, 1968.

In and around: the fields of Delano, California; downtown streets and hotel suites in Los Angeles, California; and a union hall in Washington, DC.
Anything is possible.

Act 1 Duration: 71 minutes

Act 2 Duration: 52 minutes

Total Duration: 2 hours 3 minutes

Instrumentation

1 Flute (Piccolo)
1 Clarinet in B♭ (Bass Clarinet in B♭)
1 Alto Saxophone
1 Bassoon
1 Horn in F
1 Trumpet in C
1 Trombone
1 Bass Trombone
1 Percussion (3 Timpani, 4.3 Marimba, Vibraphone, Snare Drum, Suspended Cymbal, opt. Splash Cymbal)
1 Piano
1 Electric Guitar (with Distortion Pedal)
Strings (1.1.1.1.1 minimum)

Commissioners & Supporters Include: Steve Fletcher & Carl Croft, Christina & Kenneth Hecht, Terry McKelvey & Heli Roiha, Heidi Munzinger & Jonn Shott, William & Linda Scheiber, Carol Franc Buck Foundation, Alice Ditson Fund, The Fleishhacker Foundation, Sam Mazza Foundation, Phyllis Wattis Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, and Zellerbach Foundation.

First Performances

August 2, 10, and 16 2025 at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center in Oakland, CA with West Edge Opera.

Creative:

Conductor
Mary Chun

Director
Octavio Cardenas

Scenic
Liliana Duque Piñero

Costume
Ulises Alcala

Lighting
Mike Oesch

Projections
Yuki Izumihara

Choreographer
Marcos Vedovetto

Chorus Director
Mark Morash

Accompanist
Keisuke Nakagoshi

Asst. Director
Joelle Lachance

Stage Manager
Amy Soll

Asst. Stage Manager
Jessica O’Connor

Cast:

DOLORES
Kelly Guerra

LARRY
Rolfe Dauz

CÉSAR
Philip Lopez

BOBBY
Alex Boyer

TRICKY DICK
Samuel Faustine

ETHEL
Chelsea Hollow

JUAN
Sergio González

+CHORUS

Production photos by Cory Weaver

“...dramatically tight and musically transporting.” “...a masterfully paced thriller” that “keeps the story on the boil...”

— San Francisco Chronicle

“...richly affecting...” with a “...resourceful and wonderfully eclectic score...”

— Joshua Kosman (On a Pacific Aisle)

“...an exceedingly timely social commentary on the times we live in...”

— Parterre Box

FEATURED PRESS

(all press at bottom of page)

Featured

Aug 14, 2025

Strike zone (Joshua Kosman - On a Pacific Aisle)

Aug 14, 2025

By Joshua Kosman

““The strongest argument in favor of Dolores’ catchall approach, though, is Benavides’ resourceful and wonderfully eclectic score, skillfully conducted by Mary Chun. Wherever the story turns, Benavides stands ready to infuse it with just the musical expression it needs. When Chavez (bass-baritone Phillip Lopez) endangers his own life by embarking on a hunger strike to further the union cause, he gets a vivid leitmotif associated with personal sacrifice. The hard-bitten Itliong (baritone Rolfe Dauz) declaims in short, punchy bursts of tough-guy dialogue; Nixon (tenor Sam Faustine) sings a glib, slightly nauseating waltz. There are mariachi strains and potent choruses, a sweetly ingratiating duet for Dolores and Ethel Kennedy (soprano Chelsea Hollow) in which they bond over the tribulations of motherhood, and a sudden burst of horrifying noise in the aftermath of Kennedy’s assassination.”

Aug 14, 2025

Review: World premiere of ‘Dolores’ another hit for West Edge Opera (SF Chronicle)

Aug 14, 2025

By Michael Zwiebach

West Edge Opera unveiled another triumphant world premiere, opening its season with Nicolás Lell Benavides and Marella Martin Koch’s opera “Dolores.” Telling the story of a pivotal year in the life of labor activist Dolores Huerta, the show is dramatically tight and musically transporting — a work made to last, though it’s also undeniably timely.
…
“Dolores”has the frisson of a masterfully paced thriller — there’s not an extra word sung. Benavides’ score keeps the story on the boil with sharp rhythms in the vocal lines, and a gamut of styles and emotions. The composer and librettist are not above adding comedy and dance into the mix…. Benavides’ orchestration sounds much more opulent than its 15-player ensemble would suggest. His accompaniments are varied but also rhythmically layered, and conductor Mary Chun extracted every ounce of juice from this expansive score.

Aug 14, 2025

Aug 11, 2025

New Opera Spotlights Dolores Huerta’s Farmworker Legacy Amid Renewed Immigration Tensions (SF Chronicle Datebook COVER STORY)

Aug 11, 2025

By Tom Jacobs (cross post with SF Classical Voice)

The nation is tense, and California’s Central Valley farm fields have become an unlikely flash point. The workers — mostly immigrants — who harvest the fruits and vegetables that feed much of the country are scared and angry. They labor to the point of physical exhaustion for low pay. Protests against these conditions are organized and soon gain widespread support.

This may sound like a dispatch from the front lines of 2025, a year that’s been marked by the Trump administration’s immigration raids and arrests across the state’s agricultural industry. But it’s also the historical backdrop for Dolores Huerta, who in the mid-1960s spearheaded a nationwide boycott of table grapes in solidarity with striking farmworkers. Alongside fellow labor leaders Cesar Chavez and Larry Itliong, she played an integral role in the era’s civil rights movement.

Aug 11, 2025

Review: World premiere of ‘Dolores’ another hit for West Edge Opera (SF Classical Voice)

Aug 11, 2025

By Michael Zwiebach

Aug 11, 2025

Aug 3, 2025

Channeling an indomitable spirit (East Bay Express COVER STORY)

Aug 3, 2025

COVER STORY By Janis Haashe for East Bay Express and East Bay Magazine

At 95, Dolores Huerta could rest on her laurels with no reproaches. Labor leader, tireless fighter for immigrant rights and civil rights, as well as feminist, Huerta has continued her work for decades.

But, said Nicolás Lell Benavides, composer of the new opera, Dolores, Huerta knows there is always more to do. The fight for justice is ongoing. And even when a life-altering tragedy occurs, Huerta does not give up, but finds a way to persevere…

Aug 3, 2025

Jul 28, 2025

A New Dolores Huerta Opera Brings a Labor Struggle to the Stage (KQED)

Jul 28, 2025

By Andrew Gilbert for KQED.

A New Dolores Huerta Opera Brings a Labor Struggle to the Stage

A landmark labor struggle might seem like difficult terrain to explore in an opera, but Long Beach-based composer Nicolás Lell Benavides knew that he had a riveting tale to tell in Dolores.

…

Jul 28, 2025

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

Featured

Oct 26

DOLORES with Opera Southwest

Dolores, composed by Nicolás Lell Benavides with a libretto by Marella Martin Koch, The opera focuses on Chicano Civil Rights activist Dolores Huerta, her work with the United Farm Workers during the Delano Grape Strike, and her advocacy to get Robert F. Kennedy elected.

Oct 29

DOLORES with Opera Southwest

Oct 31

DOLORES with Opera Southwest

Nov 2

DOLORES with Opera Southwest

ALL PRESS for DOLORES

PRESS about DOLORES the opera

Dolores

Caminos Culturales

Dolores

Dolores, composed by Nicolás Lell Benavides with a libretto by Marella Martin Koch, The opera focuses on Chicano Civil Rights activist Dolores Huerta, her work with the United Farm Workers during the Delano Grape Strike, and her advocacy to get Robert F. Kennedy elected. Source: https://www.operasouthwest.org/operas

Dolores

Labor of Love (Los Alamos Daily Post)

Dolores

ALBUQUERQUE — In collaboration with Opera Southwest, the National Hispanic Cultural Center is proud to present an opera based on the remarkable life of labor icon and New Mexico native Dolores Huerta. Dolores takes the stage starting Sunday, Oct. 26.

“This play goes to the core of our pride as New Mexicans and gente, Dolores is an icon for standing together with all people demanding dignity and access to justice,” said National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) Executive Director Zack Quintero. “This production also showcases New Mexicans at its center, as the writer, the inspiration, and director all hail from the Land of Enchantment. The NHCC has been and will continue to be a home for shared celebration of our culture and history.”

Dolores

Generation Justice KUNM interview on Dolores

Dolores

This week on GJ, we speak with composer Nicolás Lell Benavides and librettist Marella Martin Koch about the dedication that went into creating Southwest Opera: Dolores. An opera adaptation of Dolores Huerta’s life in 1968.

Nicolás Lell Benavides is a 2024 Guggenheim Fellow and has received commissions from West Edge Opera/San Diego Opera/Opera Southwest/BroadStage (Dolores), Music of Remembrance, The Washington National Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, The New York Philharmonic/The Juilliard School, the LA Phil with Gustavo Dudamel, Eighth Blackbird, New Century Chamber Orchestra, and the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music with support from the likes of the Barlow Endowment, Opera America, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Marella Martin Koch is a librettist, playwright, and lyricist whose work explores agency and its absence. Her trio of operas with composer Nicolás Lell Benavides includes Pepito, Tres minutos, and Dolores. Recognized by Operawire for her “lean and well-trimmed” storytelling “full of nuance and emotional pull,” her theatrical writing has been produced in over one-fourth of the United States. When she is not writing, she enjoys working with high school, college, and graduate students in New York City and across the country.

Dolores

West Edge Opera: Dolores (The Reverberate Hills)

Dolores

By Patrick Joseph Vaz

“I go to as many new operas as I can & few of them have struck me as so musically & dramatically complete as Dolores. This is a meaty work that audiences will be pondering for quite a while.”

Dolores

New opera uplifts the legacy of Dolores Huerta (KUNM 89.9FM)

Dolores

By Mia Casas

Dolores Huerta is a Chicana activist icon from New Mexico. Her influence in the 1960s farm worker strikes created waves across the country and ultimately led to the creation of the National Farm Workers Association. Her story is not unheard of, but a young composer from New Mexico has brought this slice of time to life with a contemporary opera piece.

Nicolás Benavides is originally from Los Ranchos in Albuquerque and has collected a variety of music degrees from schools across California. He spoke with KUNM about the creation of his newest opera.

Dolores

Life of Chicano Civil Rights activist Dolores Huerta brought to the stage (KRQE 13 News)

Dolores

By Melissa Torres (video+article)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Coming this fall to the National Hispanic Cultural Center, the legacy of labor leader Dolores Huerta brought to life on stage. This revolutionary opera closely follows how Huerta shaped the farm workers’ movement of the mid-twentieth century. “This is a truly American story about American heroism, and I will continue to say that because it’s true,” emphasized composer of Dolores, Nicolás Benavides.

Dolores

Strike zone (Joshua Kosman - On a Pacific Aisle)

Dolores

By Joshua Kosman

Dolores

Review: World premiere of ‘Dolores’ another hit for West Edge Opera (SF Chronicle)

Dolores

By Michael Zwiebach

Dolores

¡Sí, se puede! (Parterre Box)

Dolores

By Michael Anthonio

“There was a lot to recommend in Benavides’ music, from his assured mode of juggling many musical genres (jazz, musical theater, Latin, and even mariachi influences), his unusual scoring for the tiny orchestra (which included electric guitar), and, particularly, his ability to achieve a balance between the heavy and light moments by peppering the score with many humorous and almost comical scenes…”

Dolores

An Opera About a Heroic Labor Leader, Written and Premiered by SFCM Alumni

Dolores

By Alex Heigl

Composition grad Nicolás Lell Benavides is behind the opera, which features five SFCM alumni in seven of the opera's main roles.

Dolores

New Opera Spotlights Dolores Huerta’s Farmworker Legacy Amid Renewed Immigration Tensions (SF Chronicle Datebook COVER STORY)

Dolores

By Tom Jacobs (cross post with SF Classical Voice)

Dolores

Review: World premiere of ‘Dolores’ another hit for West Edge Opera (SF Classical Voice)

Dolores

By Michael Zwiebach

Dolores

El Tecolote Opera Dispatch

Dolores

By Emma Garcia
Watch our first opera dispatch! Labor rights icon Dolores Huerta is commemorated in a new opera at @westedgeopera in Oakland, CA. Written by @NLBenavides and @marel lawrites, the production opened August 2 and returns August 10 & 16. It tells the story of Dolores’ leadership in the 1968 Delano Grape Strike. We spoke with doloreshuerta about today’s fight for justice and asked composer Nicolás Lell Benavides how opera connects to Mexican cultural traditions.

Dolores

Review: West Edge Opera’s powerful ‘Dolores’ recalls life of iconic labor activist (Bay City News)

Dolores

By Caroline Crawford

“…In West Edge’s premiere, created in collaboration with BroadStage in Santa Monica, Opera Southwest, San Diego Opera and Campo Santo at The Magic Theatre, composer Nicolás Lell Benavides’ pulsing, percussive, melodic music drives the point home. The persistent theme performed by a 16-piece orchestra led by Mary Chun has the tonal heft of a constant march which the excellent chorus brings home again and again… “

Dolores

The World Premiere of “Dolores” at West Edge Opera (SF Civic Center)

Dolores

By Michael Strickland

“…Benavides is an extraordinarily sophisticated composer and he offered up complex, varied music that was performed brilliantly by a 16-person chamber orchestra led by conductor Mary Chun.”

Dolores

Channeling an indomitable spirit (East Bay Express COVER STORY)

Dolores

COVER STORY By Janis Haashe for East Bay Express and East Bay Magazine

Dolores

‘Dolores’: West Edge Opera debuts work on iconic labor leader (San Jose Mercury News)

Dolores

By Georgia Rowe

It’s been years in the making, but West Edge Opera is finally presenting the world premiere of “Dolores” — and the opera’s namesake, the renowned activist and labor leader Dolores Huerta, will be in the audience to experience her story on an operatic scale.

A West Edge Opera commission created by composer Nicolás Lell Benavides and librettist Marella Martin Koch, this new work traces the remarkable life of Huerta, who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, coined the phrase “Sí se puede” (Yes we can), and has been a lifelong champion for workers’ rights. The West Edge production is directed by Octavio Cardenas and conducted by music director Mary Chun.

Dolores

New opera celebrating a Civil Rights icon premiering in Oakland (NBC Bay Area)

Dolores

Watch clip on NBC Bay Area, featuring mezzo-soprano Kelly Guerra singing the role of Dolores.

Dolores

West Edge Opera's Dolores (Opera Tattler)

Dolores

By Charlise Tiee

“West Edge Opera gave the world premiere of Nicolás Lell Benavides' Dolores yesterday in Oakland. Set in 1968, the opera is about labor leader Dolores Huerta during the Delano Grape Strike. The piece is timely, moving, and, at times quite funny.

The music has a lot of interesting textures, and Maestra Mary Chun kept everyone together. There was a particularly lovely viola solo near the end of Act I with the title character singing alone. The pacing is good, everything moves at a fine clip.”

Dolores

A New Dolores Huerta Opera Brings a Labor Struggle to the Stage (KQED)

Dolores

By Andrew Gilbert for KQED.

A New Dolores Huerta Opera Brings a Labor Struggle to the Stage

A landmark labor struggle might seem like difficult terrain to explore in an opera, but Long Beach-based composer Nicolás Lell Benavides knew that he had a riveting tale to tell in Dolores.

…

Dolores

New Opera Spotlights Dolores Huerta’s Farmworker Legacy Amid Renewed Immigration Tensions (SF Classical Voice)

Dolores

By Tom Jacobs (cross post with SF Chronicle)

Dolores

Dolores’ mission (Joshua Kosman)

Dolores

By Joshua Kosman (On a Pacific Aisle)

At a time when the political situation in the United States can seem intractably hopeless, perhaps we could all use a bit of uplift. Or at any rate, we could use a reminder that although things have looked bleak before, some visionaries seized the moment to forge a popular resistance even in the face of daunting obstacles. And that at least one of those people still walks among us!

Dolores, a new opera by composer Nicolás Lell Benavides and librettist Marella Martin Koch that’s scheduled for its world premiere next month with West Edge Opera, promises something along these lines. It’s a musical and theatrical portrait of Dolores Huerta, the legendary labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, helped spearhead the Central Valley strikes of the 1960s and ’70s, and coined (or at least popularized) the slogan “¡Sí, se puede!”